Apparently a new debate is swarming over the rights of college professors to expose their students to materials that are perhaps offensive. Actually, this is not a new debate, arguing over where the freedom of professors to educate their students becomes propagandizing and, perhaps, harassment is an old debate. It has resurfaced because Professor Robinson has proved Godwin’s Law in academia.
See the story here:
http://www.latimes.com/...
I would like to say a few things about this discussion as a student for over a decade in several different colleges and, now, a college instructor myself.
First, I am grateful to every professor who ever pushed me to think about current events in new ways, regardless of whether I agree with them or not. Many times, I had professors who were so skilled at presenting and debating issues that I had no idea what their position/agenda was even if they had one. I went to conservative universities in the south and liberal ones in the west, and I never felt harassed nor intimidate. I truly believe that most professors and teachers want the best for their students, and I hate that so many people seem to believe we have some hidden agenda to turn the all into clones of ourselves.
Secondly, I will defend the idea behind Professor Robinson’s email for a few reasons. He is a sociology professor who was teaching a "global affairs course" and who "regularly sends his students voluntary reading material about current events." I think he is perfectly within his rights to send his students material that challenges them to look at a "global affair" from a different perspective, and I believe that this e-mail was relevant to the course he was teaching. This didn’t come from their statistics teacher folks.
Thirdly, I will concede that Professor Robinson showed poor judgment in several areas. As Godwin’s law tells us, the longer a debate goes on the likelihood of Nazi or Hitler comparison being made increases and when this comparison is made the debate effectively ends. Professor Robinson made the comparison in the first exchange; thus, he left no room for discussion or debate amongst his students. He could easily have argued genocide was happening without making the Nazi reference, I have done so with students when discussing Sudan. This sparks a lively discussion about our (America’s) obligation, or lack thereof, to intervene in such atrocities. His other mistake, in my opinion, was sending the photographs, particularly if there was not warning about their graphic nature. He easily could have posted a link to the photos and told students not to click on it unless there were prepared for the disturbing nature of the images.
Finally, I will point out, once again, that I honestly believe that most professors and teachers are not narcissistic control freaks who only want to control their students and create a bunch of mini-mes. I hate that this perception exists, and I think it does, among a large portion of the population. Most teachers genuinely care about their students and are not trying to harm/upset them in any way, but we do believe that it is our job to educate students. This, for most of us, means not just teaching them facts and grammar rules but teaching them to think critically and creatively in ways they may not have been taught to in the past. Critical thinking, reading, and writing are, to me, the most valuable skills I can teach my students.