Jim- I agree with your point. The only way I can see any validity to suspending these faculty is if they actually impeded, in some non-legitimate way, the rights of the film-maker (like, "beating them about the head and shoulders with a sharp sword!"- which is what the idea deserves, imho). IF all they did was speak out, especially against such a seeming abuse of good taste, they should probably be applauded rather than suspended. But I can't help but wonder if we are hearing the whole story.
Is it possible that the suspended faculty reacted without the whole or accurate information? Or that they acted directly to prevent the filming? Something about this seems fishy- or truly sad! For a number of reasons. Surely, any bright student plus a bit of dis-inhibition could come up with such a sophomoric prank for a film. What state an advisor would have to be in to approve it is another question entirely! In thinking back to the rigorous argument that took place over my thesis and dissertation over picky little details of experimental conditions, etc., in order to gain that necessary committee approval and I can't help but wonder that there is more to this story. Or you are correct that some of what passes as scholarship is indeed wondrous (sic)! Tim _______________________________ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology Albertson College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and systems -----Original Message----- From: Jim Clark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tue 6/12/2007 12:16 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Re: Suspended for defending the disabled? Hi Perverse! 1. Even if you grant that the thesis was acceptable (see pt 2), surely academic freedom includes the right to criticize any topic, even if approved by some academic body. 2. At least on first blush, the thesis itself appears to be a sad commentary on what passes for scholarship in some quarters. The academic freedom to undertake any project surely must hinge on the legitimacy of the standards operating in the field. And in that regard I fear that academia may be lax in allowing too much latitude in standards of scholarship among some of our colleagues. Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> "Christopher D. Green" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 12-Jun-07 12:27 PM >>> According to today's Inside Higher Ed: "The Queensland University of Technology, in Australia, has suspended two senior lecturers for six months without pay because they spoke out against a Ph.D. project that involved making a movie that involved mocking people with disabilities, /The Courier Mail/ <http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21885944-5003402,00.html> reported. The Ph.D. project's film was called Laughing at the Disabled and involved putting two intellectually impaired men in situations they may not have fully understood, such as going to a pub to tell people they were looking for love there. The suspended lecturers spoke out against the film, saying that the university should not have approved the project because the men in the film may not have understood how they were being used. But the lecturers were found by the university to be violating academic freedom by suggesting limits on what the thesis could cover." -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-5115 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ ====================================== --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
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