What I will be saying on the first day of class

DUdes,

I am a college professor at a midewestern and prestigious business school. On the first day of class each year, I talk about the course and then, for a while, about the relevancy of the course to the students' lives in general (trying to create a link between theory and practice, so that they will LEARN instead of just memorize).

Well, there is always a part of this class that turns to the students' future careers. Inevitably, the conversation turns to the subjcet of their future employment, and what I can do to help them gain a successful career path.

This year, however, will be different. This section of the talk will be much shorter and pointed.

WHY? Because...since last semester, I have discovered DU.

I will deliver a single message to 120 kids this year between the ages of 19 and 23. IF YOU WANT A JOB WHEN YOU GET OUT...VOTE * OUT OF OFFICE. AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO MOBILIZE AND DO THE SAME.

I will be spending at least 25 minutes on this topic.

How you can help me? SEND ME STUFF. Things I can use as visuals to illustrate the DISASTER that * is to our country and their job prospects.

Any other suggestions, I will take'm. In the meantime, know that this PhD is going to use all the power he has to secure 200+ votes for the good guys.

Peace out.
Dr A

I have gotten my 18 and 20 year old children fired up sbout getting the clown out of office too. My daughter registered even before she turned 18. Didn't know you could do that, they send you your registration info after your birthday.

What topics do you intend to cover?

I suggest you join a yahoo e-mail group, several if possible. These groups read like crazy and share what they read by posting articles and web sites.

I moderate one - Democracy Depot - which has over 320 members and is an excellent source of information.

Please take a look! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DemocracyDepot/

In that group we have a storehouse of links located on the left hand side of the home page. Click on links.

It is not as up-to-date as it should be, but it is still excellent.

Here is an interesting link to an in depth list of statements made by the administration on the Iraq war - a source to show how they lied and misled the Congress and the American people.

The Bush Administration on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities
http://www.ceip.org/files/projects/npp/resources/iraqintell/adminquoteshtml.htm

Please e-mail me privately if I can be of help at tennessee_gal655@yahoo.com

on long-term budget deficits
http://www.brook.edu/views/testimony/gale/20030724.htm

If you're a business teacher, I'm sure you can produce more than enough material showing why you feel the way you do.

Please don't reinforce every conservative's stereotype of the liberal professor who dogmatically enforces his opinions on his students. The more you bash Bush in your class, the less any self-respecting student with a shred of independent thought, liberal or conservative, will respect you.

As a student at a liberal arts college in New Hampshire, I had to deal this past year with an otherwise great government professor's biased hit-pieces on Blair and Bush. Trust me when I say that nothing in her hit-pieces (no matter how well argued they were) was convincing to anyone in that class. We want to learn; we don't want to hear partisan political rhetoric in your class, and your obligation as a professor is first to your students, and not to your own sense of self-satisfaction.

As a liberal student who, unlike the Fox News Channel, really does believe in a fair and balanced presentation of facts and ideologies, I would be among the many rolling his eyes throughout your entire diatribe.

I think your point is an interesting one, but I also think the Truth in this case (the Bush administration) probably sounds like partisan political rhetoric to some. Or, put another way, as Harry Truman put it: I just tell the truth about Republicans and they THINK I'm givin' them hell.

In fact, I think between us we've just hit on something important the Professor might want to discuss with his class. Let's tear this apart a little, shall we? (My own defs -- others may shoose to consult a dictionary.)

Partisan -- characterized by pertaining to one political party over another. Often used unflatteringly to connote "unfair" or "biased." Also used by opposition to imply that the comments or criticisms being they're characterizing are intended only for the political gain of those doing the critiques. Neither of these two connotations are necessarily accurate.

Political rhetoric -- Usually used to demean or diminish the comments of others. However, the denotation of the term is merely "talk about politics."

The Republicans are very quick to lob that phrase -- partisan political rhetoric -- and others similar whenever they are being challenged on the truth and facts and merely want to deflect the objective criticism by dismissing it as just so much politics. It's a very clever ploy of theirs, and the Dems never seem to have quite the right response.

There IS an important role in government for criticism by the opposition party. Our whole government is set up as a series of checks and balances and part of those checks and balances stem from having at least two political parties elected to office. When the complaints and criticisms of one party are stifled by this thin-skinned and dishonest countercharge, we get very poor government indeed. In fact, we get the effect of a single party without the inherent checks and balances that at least 2 parties would provide.

If you watch the news carefully, and compare things to when the last elected President was in office, and are HONEST, you'll notice that this administration gets away with murder (sometimes literally), whereas the Clinton administration's feet were held to the fire about everything, all the time. I think an argument can be made that GOOD government would come not from either extreme, but somewhere in the middle for all administrations of whichever political party.

I have another comment. I find this paragraph of yours troubling, for two reasons:

As a student at a liberal arts college in New Hampshire, I had to deal this past year with an otherwise great government professor's biased hit-pieces on Blair and Bush. Trust me when I say that nothing in her hit-pieces (no matter how well argued they were) was convincing to anyone in that class. We want to learn; we don't want to hear partisan political rhetoric in your class, and your obligation as a professor is first to your students, and not to your own sense of self-satisfaction.

First, IMO you don't necessarily have the right -- and oughtn't expect it -- to be spared your professors' biases. AFAIC, that's part of what your education is all about -- being exposed to a panoply of different thinking on many different subjects. Further, if you don't have the criticial thinking ability at this point in your life to sort through what you consider "partisan political rhetoric" and come up either with pointed questions, counter arguments or, if those aren't allowed in the class, your own views ANYway (which you can argue with among your friends), then you maybe shouldn't be in college.

Or perhaps you picked the wrong school if you only want to have your own views mirrored back to you.

Eloriel

I think your point is an interesting one, but I also think the Truth in this case (the Bush administration) probably sounds like partisan political rhetoric to some. Or, put another way, as Harry Truman put it: I just tell the truth about Republicans and they THINK I'm givin' them hell.

In fact, I think between us we've just hit on something important the Professor might want to discuss with his class. Let's tear this apart a little, shall we? (My own defs -- others may shoose to consult a dictionary.)

Partisan -- characterized by pertaining to one political party over another. Often used unflatteringly to connote "unfair" or "biased." Also used by opposition to imply that the comments or criticisms being they're characterizing are intended only for the political gain of those doing the critiques. Neither of these two connotations are necessarily accurate.

Political rhetoric -- Usually used to demean or diminish the comments of others. However, the denotation of the term is merely "talk about politics."

The Republicans are very quick to lob that phrase -- partisan political rhetoric -- and others similar whenever they are being challenged on the truth and facts and merely want to deflect the objective criticism by dismissing it as just so much politics. It's a very clever ploy of theirs, and the Dems never seem to have quite the right response.

I know it's a phrase used commonly by the Republicans, but the fact is, if you look at what the words mean, it's exactly what he's doing. The fact is, an intelligent debater can argue any way he or she wants on political matters - there are, despite the wishes of many on all sides, facts and arguments which can effectively be used to argue all angles of any issue. To present only criticism of Bush is intellectually dishonest, and frankly, a waste of the money of the students who don't want to hear an attack, but would rather learn something.

There IS an important role in government for criticism by the opposition party. Our whole government is set up as a series of checks and balances and part of those checks and balances stem from having at least two political parties elected to office. When the complaints and criticisms of one party are stifled by this thin-skinned and dishonest countercharge, we get very poor government indeed. In fact, we get the effect of a single party without the inherent checks and balances that at least 2 parties would provide.

You could be a little more condescending in your explanation.

If you watch the news carefully, and compare things to when the last elected President was in office, and are HONEST, you'll notice that this administration gets away with murder (sometimes literally), whereas the Clinton administration's feet were held to the fire about everything, all the time. I think an argument can be made that GOOD government would come not from either extreme, but somewhere in the middle for all administrations of whichever political party.

Oh. That's better. That's definitely more condescending. BTW, I tend to agree that a GOOD government would be somewhere in the middle, although I do agree, as a liberal, that my 'middle' would be skewed toward the left. Which is why I don't believe an outright attack on a political figure is an effective way to teach intelligent human beings.


First, IMO you don't necessarily have the right -- and oughtn't expect it -- to be spared your professors' biases. AFAIC, that's part of what your education is all about -- being exposed to a panoply of different thinking on many different subjects. Further, if you don't have the criticial thinking ability at this point in your life to sort through what you consider "partisan political rhetoric" and come up either with pointed questions, counter arguments or, if those aren't allowed in the class, your own views ANYway (which you can argue with among your friends), then you maybe shouldn't be in college.

I recognize I don't have the right to be spared my professor's biases - I completely understand that and expect it. I'm not, despite what seems to be your thoughts to the contrary, an idiot. Hell, I don't even mind a biased professor - as long as the biased professor doesn't use his or her classroom as a pulpit, which is what it sounds like the original poster wishes to do.

Or perhaps you picked the wrong school if you only want to have your own views mirrored back to you.


Where did I say that? WHERE DID I FUCKING SAY THAT? I swear to God, that sort of statement grasps at straws like a Freeper would. It's a rhetorically dishonest thing to say, and you know it. I clearly stated that I don't want ANY political rants in my class. As a liberal who believes in fairness toward EVERY political view, even the ones I disagree with, even the ones I hate, I cannot support a professor who uses my freetime, which I help to pay 36,000 a year for, for his or her own personal political ends, unless said professor presents counterarguments. Using one's power as a professor to enforce dogma is an absolutely disgusting thing to do.

There are NO facts that effectively argue for the GW Bush side of economic management.

UNLESS your idea of economic progress involves an economy that hemorrhages jobs and the only progress made is in industries that profit from hot wars.

While I can provide reams of data to support this, I have better things to do; it's been done ad infinitum.

I will if I have to; but I'm kinda busy with this recall thing. It seems these bastards don't have enough; they want MORE.
:grr:

Isn't it a teacher's job to help students think and make decisions for themselves? Provide them facts and the ability to digest them and let them decide how to vote for themselves.

Does your school permit you to tell your students who to vote for?

will barely know who * is, let alone why they should vote him out of office.

In 1976 I was attending a junior college on the east coast. On election day my psych professor said to the class: "Today is election day. It's very important that you exercise your right to vote. However, for those of you in the class who are Republicans, I want to remind you that a small voter turnout favors Republicans. So if you're a Republican, don't vote."

I was the only person in the class who laughed. The rest of them (all 19 year olds to my 28) simply looked befuddled.

And it's not as though conservative professors out there hold out on expressing their views in class, so go for it.

And report back on any reactions you get.

Liable to catch some grief over this.

As effective would be to
a) certainly encourage them to vote most college kids will vote dem anyway
b) demonstrate the connection to presidential choices and subsequent economic shifts

In this way you acknowledge that they have a brain and can put two and two together. Preaching to them will alienate some and piss people off.

You're a PHd, use those smarts, a blunt instrument you should not be.

...maybe 5 minutes at most, rather than 25 minutes. Keep the course content closely tied to the basic subject matter. A few handouts and a 5-minute spiel at the end of the class can make a good 'take-home point.'

Try the following charts about the deficit as a handout.

http://pearlyabraham.tripod.com/htmls/gop-charts.html

You will likely receive a few very conservative assessments but will also get some good material as well.

In the meantime, I will keep this thread bookmarked and search for items that may be of value.

Welcome to DU :hi:

I understand your frustration, but I think there are better approaches than the one you contemplating. I believe the single best thing you can teach your students is how to think for themselves. If you can do this, I think that you will still get 200+ votes for our side.

What do you teach? A book that I think would make an excellent text is "Understanding Power, The Indispensible Chomsky." If your students read that, I think you will find that it will open their eyes.

Think That Voting Doesn't Matter?



This is what NOT voting got you…

1. Lousy schools
2. Dirty air
3. Polluted water
4. Hate radio on 24/7
5. Infotainment instead of news on TV
6. Payola for Politicians
7. Expensive medicine
8. War for the sake of oil
9. Institutionalized poverty for veterans
10. Unaffordable medical insurance
11. Low interest rates for the rich, high interest rates everyone else
12. High food costs, but poor small farmers
13. High cable bills
14. High phone bills
15. People making $400,000.00 (1%) or more getting 50% of tax breaks
16. Corporations taking Good jobs away from America, to avoid paying decent wages
17. An insane drug policy that mainly benefits private prisons
18. A shrinking middle class..
19. A hatred of America that is spreading around the world like a virus
20. Unemployment
21. Pension plans morphed into 401-k’s only to be stolen by greedy CEO’s
22. Laws that NEVER favor “the little guy”
23. Higher property taxes, as states lose federal funding
24. Union busting with a vengeance (low paid “wage slaves” are the ultimate goal)
25. Government spying on your every move
26. When they need cannon fodder, it's not the rich kids who go..

How did your absence at the polls make these things happen?? Well, while you were voting for “Kelly” instead of the other singer or you were stressing about whether Ross & Rachel would get back together, the politicians in DC were busily stuffing money into their pockets , and passing legislation that screws YOU and favors the guys with the big bucks..

How can you stop it?? Get informed… Vote the bastards OUT.. Take back YOUR government.. Do it from the ballot box.. Newspapers, radio & tv companies are ALL OWNED by the same few rich guys who just want you to buy their stuff and shut up.. Get your news online… Read foreign newspapers.. Find out what is REALLY going on..

Quit whining about how miserable your life is, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !!!

If I heard of anyone doing that in class -- of either party -- I'd be on the phone to the president of the college instantly.

But you have no right to try and indoctrinate those you teach.
This thread is such an enormous stereotype. It's just sitting there, waiting for one of the many winger talk show hosts to grab it and remind America that THIS is what happens at school.

My daughter caught all kinds of crap in school during the Clinton/Gore years from the right wing teachers. One even refused to allow the class to watch the Presidential Inaugeration in 1996, which I found to be outrageous. When I was in school we always watched historical events like an inaugeration.

I figured they'd do it even without a thread. They've got the media but if we've got the schools, well - maybe it's an option worth considering. I'm not saying I support it, but philosophically it's an interesting question IMHO.

teaching economic concepts that don't work based on political agenda?

If a conservative gets a B or C in your class, he will scream bias all the way and apparently rightfully so.

feel free to use anything you may find at http://GlobalFreePress.com

It is too early in the morning for me to point to anything specific - just got in from driving 10 hours and fixing some computer problems - right now but there are lots of interesting media up there for you to browse.

I am always glad to hear of our EDUCATORS taking note and action to focus attention on the dangerous path we are on.

:toast: :loveya:

peace

This post was started by a disruptor who has been banned.

pmbryant
DU Moderator