2008 Woodie Awards
Politics in the classroom: Can teachers be objective?
Scott Cullinane
Issue date: 1/10/06 Section: Opinion
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Recently, an incident in the State of Virginia drew my attention to a subject that I think applies to many college campuses, including ours. At the Warren County Community College English professor John Daly resigned, under pressure, for e-mailing a conservative student that "real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors." A similar event happened in Colorado when Professor Ward Churchill called victims of the September 11th attacks "little Eichmanns" and implied that they deserved to be murdered. These are among the most obvious examples of political bias that are interjected into college campuses by overly opinionated teachers.
Radical teachers, like these examples, are easy to spot. A much greater threat to intellectual freedom on a campus is posed by the more insidious, less obvious messages introduced by professors who mix their own views into their curriculum. In college, teachers have a chance to profoundly influence the ideas and the formation of these ideas of the students they teach. They have a responsibility to be aware of this authority, presenting ideas with clarity, and helping students to discern various positions. By creating a forum for open-minded and informed debate, teachers model the skills of critical thinking that can be applied to many intellectual pursuits.
Politics and the numerous ways it impacts our world have a place in many classes. A college classroom is an appropriate place to openly discuss facts, opinions, theories, and judgments. It is a worthy endeavor to understand our world more fully. Teachers need to be forthright with their students about any biases that they may hold. Students may assume the teacher is an unbiased source of information. All parties need to be aware of the line that exists between propaganda and critical argument.
Students, on the other hand, also have a responsibility of their own: that is to question, not to blindly accept what their teacher says at face value; to raise their hand and say I disagree and this is why. Some students may fear for their grade but this should not stop them from speaking out.
A threatening or oppressive environment diminishes education. An open environment, where diverse opinions are respected and opinion is not confused with fact, enriches the whole college. Hopefully, everyone on campus can work to reach this goal for the betterment of all.
Radical teachers, like these examples, are easy to spot. A much greater threat to intellectual freedom on a campus is posed by the more insidious, less obvious messages introduced by professors who mix their own views into their curriculum. In college, teachers have a chance to profoundly influence the ideas and the formation of these ideas of the students they teach. They have a responsibility to be aware of this authority, presenting ideas with clarity, and helping students to discern various positions. By creating a forum for open-minded and informed debate, teachers model the skills of critical thinking that can be applied to many intellectual pursuits.
Politics and the numerous ways it impacts our world have a place in many classes. A college classroom is an appropriate place to openly discuss facts, opinions, theories, and judgments. It is a worthy endeavor to understand our world more fully. Teachers need to be forthright with their students about any biases that they may hold. Students may assume the teacher is an unbiased source of information. All parties need to be aware of the line that exists between propaganda and critical argument.
Students, on the other hand, also have a responsibility of their own: that is to question, not to blindly accept what their teacher says at face value; to raise their hand and say I disagree and this is why. Some students may fear for their grade but this should not stop them from speaking out.
A threatening or oppressive environment diminishes education. An open environment, where diverse opinions are respected and opinion is not confused with fact, enriches the whole college. Hopefully, everyone on campus can work to reach this goal for the betterment of all.