COLUMN: Is your professor biased or is it just you?
by Paul Cruse III | Daily Illini (University of Illinois)
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: News
(U-WIRE) — Many students feel victimized by their allegedly biased professors. Students with conservative viewpoints feel more ostracized by their professors' "liberal" lectures than others. Some of these people feel as though their professors' personal convictions have no place in a productive learning environment. But attempting to eliminate all "biased" ideas from class only hinders a professor's ability to effectively convey the subject at hand.
Who gets to decide what is biased and what isn't? Furthermore, students — conservatives and liberals alike — are too quick to label a professor as unfair and one-sided.
Nowadays, everyone expects their educators to be leftist and even possibly socialist or communist. We enter class with expectations of hearing speeches focused on the negative aspects of globalization and how horrible of a president George W. Bush is. Far too frequently, students have preconceived notions of what should be taught in certain course.
But these predetermined expectations are almost always flawed. The point of attending a particular class is because you are not informed on that specific topic. If you knew all the points to be discussed, then what would be the point of taking it?
Some argue that classes should stick to what is described in the course catalog. The course catalog is nice addition to helping students register for classes but it is very difficult to give an accurate description of a semesterlong class in just a few sentences.
Furthermore, certain classes are unable to present an unbiased opinion of a topic. How do you give a balanced presentation of the Holocaust? What's an unbiased opinion of black slavery and civil oppression? What were some positives effects of Japanese internment camps? Some subjects don't have a "bright" side to them.
Certain things are just inherently negative and immoral.
Students put too much weight on the views of their professors. We end up wasting time and mental energy searching for hints, clues or subtle signs that indicate which political party our professors belong to. We should be focusing on the topic in question. Students should listen intently not for political cues, but rather for points of discussion.
Who gets to decide what is biased and what isn't? Furthermore, students — conservatives and liberals alike — are too quick to label a professor as unfair and one-sided.
Nowadays, everyone expects their educators to be leftist and even possibly socialist or communist. We enter class with expectations of hearing speeches focused on the negative aspects of globalization and how horrible of a president George W. Bush is. Far too frequently, students have preconceived notions of what should be taught in certain course.
But these predetermined expectations are almost always flawed. The point of attending a particular class is because you are not informed on that specific topic. If you knew all the points to be discussed, then what would be the point of taking it?
Some argue that classes should stick to what is described in the course catalog. The course catalog is nice addition to helping students register for classes but it is very difficult to give an accurate description of a semesterlong class in just a few sentences.
Furthermore, certain classes are unable to present an unbiased opinion of a topic. How do you give a balanced presentation of the Holocaust? What's an unbiased opinion of black slavery and civil oppression? What were some positives effects of Japanese internment camps? Some subjects don't have a "bright" side to them.
Certain things are just inherently negative and immoral.
Students put too much weight on the views of their professors. We end up wasting time and mental energy searching for hints, clues or subtle signs that indicate which political party our professors belong to. We should be focusing on the topic in question. Students should listen intently not for political cues, but rather for points of discussion.
Be the first to comment on this story