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Denver college professor assigns students to write essay critical of Gov. Sarah Palin...
cbs4denver.com - Metro State Professor Investigated For Palin Essay Assignment (http://cbs4denver.com/local/palin.essay.denver.2.820285.html - broken link)
Shaun Boyd
DENVER (CBS4) ― Metro State College is investigating a professor who asked students to write an essay critical of Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin. One student said the instructor singled out Republican students in the class and allowed others to ridicule them.
The adjunct professor, Andrew Hallam, stayed silent Thursday as he took his class on a field trip to an art museum. Hallam said he would issue a statement Thursday, but none came.
The college said Hallam will continue working during the investigation.
"I was shocked, I was holy cow, this is just an open door for him to discuss politics with us," Jana Barber first told CBS4 Wednesday, a student in the class.
Barber shared the class' first assignment with CBS4 Wednesday. Hallam asked students to write an essay to contradict what he called the 'fairy tale image of Palin' presented at the Republican National Convention.
Barber filed an official complaint with the college which triggered the investigation.
"What the faculty's responsibility is to provide opportunity for critical thinking and civic engagement so bringing something of relevancy into the classroom was the faculty's goal," said Cathy Lucas Wednesday, spokeswoman for Metro State. "Should he have broadened it and included all the political figures, yes."
Metro State officials are investigating claims of bias, harassment and bullying.
One student said the instructor singled out Republican students in the class and allowed others to ridicule them.
Ridiculing is going too far, but I've had professors who have called out students for expressing silly opinions.
See, ProudCapMarine, in college when you hold opinions as far out as yours, you better be able to back them up with reason and complex argument, or you will end up looking like a fool. A lot of people on this forum would run out in tears if they spouted some of the things they profess as fact.
Ridiculing is going too far, but I've had professors who have called out students for expressing silly opinions.
See, ProudCapMarine, in college when you hold opinions as far out as yours, you better be able to back them up with reason and complex argument, or you will end up looking like a fool. A lot of people on this forum would run out in tears if they spouted some of the things they profess as fact.
Now imagine the outrage if this were what happened:
Quote:
DENVER (CBS4) ― Metro State College is investigating a professor who asked students to write an essay critical of Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. One student said the instructor singled out Democrat students in the class and allowed others to ridicule them.
The adjunct professor, Andrew Hallam, stayed silent Thursday as he took his class on a field trip to an art museum. Hallam said he would issue a statement Thursday, but none came.
The college said Hallam will continue working during the investigation.
"I was shocked, I was holy cow, this is just an open door for him to discuss politics with us," Jana Barber first told CBS4 Wednesday, a student in the class.
Barber shared the class' first assignment with CBS4 Wednesday. Hallam asked students to write an essay to contradict what he called the 'fairy tale image of Obama' presented at the Democratic National Convention.
Barber filed an official complaint with the college which triggered the investigation.
"What the faculty's responsibility is to provide opportunity for critical thinking and civic engagement so bringing something of relevancy into the classroom was the faculty's goal," said Cathy Lucas Wednesday, spokeswoman for Metro State. "Should he have broadened it and included all the political figures, yes."
Metro State officials are investigating claims of bias, harassment and bullying.
You KNOW all the Obama supporters, media, ACLU, etc, would be raising the dead over a professor like this. Hypocrites.
There were 5 or so who spoke up, and I saw two different students than the one in this article on the news the other day. I'm sure there were other students too afraid of their grades to stand up as well.
First of all we are talking about college students, professors don't "let" other students ridicule other students. The adults students probably had negative comments and the professor didn't curtail them (probably) because they were apart of a larger discussion.
Secondly, there is nothing wrong with writing a critical essay about a political figure.
The professor let his political leanings affect his classroom dialogue. I'm sure the administration has rules and procedures for dealing with the teacher's misbehavior. The assignment has been evaluated and revised, and I'm sure the school will be following closely the results of the assignment. More than that, I'm not sure what ProudCap would want. Political bias is something that emerges in classrooms and in the workplace. It's not just liberal bias. I've had an employer who only promoted people who attended a specific church, I currently have an employer who is very pro-Republican and who shares numerous anti-Democratic jokes, stories and misinformation on a daily basis. Big deal.
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