Hi Beth,
Great question, and I'm glad you asked it, since I've given this
a lot of thought. Over the years I have tried very hard to become less
transparent concerning my political ideas, though I think complete
opaqueness is probably impossible and not necessary. I did this because I
once witnessed a very conservative professor use his classroom to express
his views, and noted that he essentially made fun of the opposite point of
view. I found myself wondering how free students felt in his class to
express their own opinions. I then wondered how free they felt in MY
class, etc.
I DO believe that we can discuss political ideas in class and even have our
own, but I DO believe we need to model true dialogue to our students, as
they don't see or hear it much these days.
Now, on the other hand, I do have students work actively on social
causes. My social psychology class is going to do a "That's So Gay" week
where we help the campus examine the issue of using the word "gay" to mean
"bad", and what the effects of such behavior may be, if any. To me, this is
part of what I call a "class within a class". Students will answer on their
midterms a question that requires them to design such a program, using
techniques derived from the topics we have covered (conformity, authority,
persuasion, attitudes & behavior) and we will then pick the best ideas and
put some of them to use. I'm telling people that we are simply examining
this issue, but it's pretty clear that I have a bias as to direction; I'm
advisor to the local GLBT group. My students will learn what it is like to
get involved in a controversial issue, what the effect of their own behavior
is on their attitudes, and much about social norms and obedience issues.
So I go both ways. I'd be interested in any reactions, and
thanks for starting this thread.
Joe Hatcher
Ripon College
Ripon, WI
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