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Deliberating various opinons can work for ideas that lend themselves to it. Some don't however. For example, if a women's studies teacher even breathed an opinion about abortion, there could be no common ground there. You either think it's OK or you don't.
On the same token sound, well developed factual arguments can be made for and against abortion. If the teacher is truely a good teacher a well written paper supporting either side will recieve the same mark. As will poorly written ones. As to in class debates most professors I had encouraged them and if you were respectful and used legitimate facts they ended up being enjoyable even if you, your professor and classmates agreed on nothing.
That is very diffacult and I would not recommend it. First off her first semester in what ever college she chooses, unless she knows people at her university, will be completely luck of the draw as to teacher's ideologies. After or during that semester she can sign up with an advisor with similar political views and discuss individual professors with that advisor trying to navigate both professors and requirments (not an easy task). While this can work as I said in the begining I would not recommend it. This is because if she does cull teachers based on ideology chances are that she will be short changing herself out of some good professors. My advice would be take classes with the best most respected professors in your field regardless of ideology. Chances are you will learn much more from professors of a different ideology and if they really are the best professors they will accept and grade assignments on the quality of the argument and research not the opinion. On the other hand if she wants to coast through college dealing with more mediocre professors who agree with her on most things that is an option as well. However, be warned an undergradute education is much more than just a slip of paper and some numbers especially if said person want to go on to graduate school. It is more importantly what said person gains in knowledge, ability, maturity, and overall academic growth.
I would agree that the professors with the best reputations among students as opposed to those who have won awards from peers based often on ideology. Usually top rated professors will also be fair and open-minded.
I will say this without trying to provoke. I have had and seen excellent teachers from both sides of the political spectrum, but of the really bad or lazy teachers in which ideology is known, they've all been of the same one end of the spectrum.
I would agree that the professors with the best reputations among students as opposed to those who have won awards from peers based often on ideology. Usually top rated professors will also be fair and open-minded.
I will say this without trying to provoke. I have had and seen excellent teachers from both sides of the political spectrum, but of the really bad or lazy teachers in which ideology is known, they've all been of the same one end of the spectrum.
I was actually refering to top rated professors from both students and fellow professors. At my college my fellow students, my advisors and other professors I became friends with generally agreed on which particular professors they would recomend.
I have seen bad and lazy professors from both sides of the political spectrum. From my experiance it has to do much more with whether the professor plays favorites among their students (i.e. prejudging them based on initial feeligns, streotypes, appearance etc.) then what particular ideology they hold.
I'll go ahead and reiterate what most others have said: The existence of 'activist teachers' is mostly a strawman made from an extremely small sample of a couple of highly-publicized examples. Any essays she is asked to write should be backed up with facts. I frequently wrote essays for my undergrad liberal arts courses which disagreed w/ my professors' viewpoints. However, because I made logical arguments based on facts, I did well. If your friend's daughter tries to write an essay w/o first learning all of the facts pertaining to the subject, she will likely do poorly. If she reads and educates herself, she will likely do well.
I'll go ahead and reiterate what most others have said: The existence of 'activist teachers' is mostly a strawman
During the past year, I've counted at least 20 letters to the editor in our local paper, the Roanoke Times, containing partisan political content, from Virginia Tech professors, almost all from the English or History departments. I would consider writing a partisan letter to a regional newspaper not in one's own city to constitute "activism".
During the past year, I've counted at least 20 letters to the editor in our local paper, the Roanoke Times, containing partisan political content, from Virginia Tech professors, almost all from the English or History departments. I would consider writing a partisan letter to a regional newspaper not in one's own city to constitute "activism".
I don't see letters to the editor supporting one's personal and reasonable viewpoint as being an objectionable activity any more than attending church or proselytizing. Whatever reasonable activities one pursues on his or her own time has no bearing on their ability to teach. The existence of diverse, reasonable, fact-based opinions in our liberal arts faculties allows for the cultivation of logical thinking in college students. If college students aren't exposed to viewpoints different from their own, their educations suffer.
Let me say this first off. I won't make this political, and I will not specify ideology; I will speak in generic terms so as to discourage flaming. Only respond if you can stick to the topic and my question.
Our friend's daughter is a high school senior. She wants to be an attorney someday. She believes she will be accepted at Cornell, Virginia, and Wake Forest. She is planning on majoring in history as an undergrad.
Here is the question. She has been warned by friends who have taken the same path that she will encounter professors with a very different ideology from hers. History is a subject that is especially open to interpretation. They tell her she will face this dilemma in taking tests: Either she will have to regurgitate the professor's political opinions in order to get a good grade; or she will stick to her guns, give answers which may be counter to the teacher's, and likely suffer grade consequences. One of her friends said it's best just to play the game, get along, then get out and fight battles that really matter. Had I had this dilemma as a student, I don't think I would have played ball. I would have probably taken my lumps.
In some cases, you don't have options as to the teacher. How do you navigate this potential minefield? Anyone?
I guess if I were so closed minded that my opinions could not be challenged, I would choose a University that matched my political opinions- Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, etc. for a liberal, Old Miss, Georgia, Oral Roberts, etc. for a conservative. Seems pretty simple to me.
I don't see letters to the editor supporting one's personal and reasonable viewpoint as being an objectionable activity any more than attending church or proselytizing.
I never said the letter-writing was objectionable, I said it denoted activism. I'm not at all certain these letters were written "on the professors' own time". They could have well come from VT computers.
The existence of diverse, reasonable, fact-based opinions in our liberal arts faculties allows for the cultivation of logical thinking in college students.
That may be true, but it has nothing to do with this particular case of the VT professors' letters which were highly partisan and displayed few facts and decidedly little logic.
If college students aren't exposed to viewpoints different from their own, their educations suffer.
We aren't talking about being exposed to different viewpoints. We are talking about grades riding on their willingness or not to regurgitate partisan opinon of the professor.
Your responses seem to bear little resemblance to my OP. Are you sure you weren't posting in another thread?
I guess if I were so closed minded that my opinions could not be challenged, I would choose a University that matched my political opinions- Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, etc. for a liberal, Old Miss, Georgia, Oral Roberts, etc. for a conservative. Seems pretty simple to me.
The issue isn't getting beliefs challenged; the issue is being punished gradewise for unwillingness to repeat the professors' opinions on tests like a trained monkey.
I have lived in the county of Colorado's "flagship university" (U of Colorado) since 1982. I have known many professors and other faculty members, have been friends with some. There is a difference in writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper expressing an opinion, which is what the "letters to the editor" section of the paper is for, and running a biased classroom. I agree with the others who say this idea of getting "punished" for your opinions is making a mountain out of a molehill. It's simply not happening in any kind of a big way.
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