Professor pushing politics. Report or leave it alone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. For every one professor pushing conservative views, there are probably hundreds of leftists pushing theirs.

Academic and department chair here. I'd be concerned if the materials being taught showed some form of partisan bias -- if, for example, the guy was assigning Breitbart or something in place of peer-reviewed academic journals, reputable textbooks, and books from academic presses. THis is the only thing that might conceivably be addressed by a higher up. But the general sort of remarks? Frankly, if you're in an MBA program, I"d be asking you why YOU're not raising your hand and disagreeing with the professor if you disagree with him. I'd expect you to do that with a professor on the left or on the right. That's what grad students do. You're an adult. It sounds a bit strange that you're concerned about "the teacher" and that you're looking for a principal or someone to report this too. Are you sure you're actually the grad student and not the student's mother? This sounds like someone who helicoptered through their child's high school and college and now wants to helicopter through grad school with Junior.

It's people like you why I'd discourage OP from doing anything other than providing feedback on the year end evaluation. There are Ahole professors who will lower a student's grade for calling them out in a public setting. As a grad student, I knew who they were and most definitely kept my opinions to myself. Why put my grades at risk when schumcks like you are in charge and don't care what professors do anyway?

[Anonymous]

There’s a reason that you said that business people lean conservative, and it’s because conservative policies are good for business. I don’t know why or even how this could surprise you.

If you’re taking a liberal arts course where they’re endorsing huge social assistance programs and packages and community arts projects and similar, well, all that money needs to come from somewhere. It’s not coming from the non-profits and the unemployed and the minimum wage earners, and it doesn’t grow on trees. It’s coming from business, either directly through corporate taxation or indirectly through taxation for higher earners.

The two philosophies and priorities are literally at the opposite ends of the spectrum almost by definition.

[Anonymous]

I would write it up in his evaluation at the end of the semester.

I take people like this (spewing politics, whatever side) as a chance to learn. You might only learn you don't want to be like that professor, but it is a learning experience. They are teaching adults, not high school kids.

[Anonymous]

Blatantly Partisan/political views have no place in a classroom. One may support policies which are favored by one party, but if you are naming politicians for good or bad, you should be reported. Professional educators are not paid to spout opinions, they are supposed to teach disciplines.

I am a tenured professor myself. For sure write this on the course evaluation. You could also send an anonymous note to the department chair or dean.

[Anonymous]

To the poster who accused another of being “full of shit”...I think you have strong grounds to get a refund on all of that education you claim to have received. You communicate like a very ignorant person, with limited vocabulary and no breeding.

[Anonymous]

Good grief. One professor with a conservative POV vs the hundreds of loudly liberal professors? Sounds like a refreshing change to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give me a break. For every one professor pushing conservative views, there are probably hundreds of leftists pushing theirs.

Academic and department chair here. I'd be concerned if the materials being taught showed some form of partisan bias -- if, for example, the guy was assigning Breitbart or something in place of peer-reviewed academic journals, reputable textbooks, and books from academic presses. THis is the only thing that might conceivably be addressed by a higher up. But the general sort of remarks? Frankly, if you're in an MBA program, I"d be asking you why YOU're not raising your hand and disagreeing with the professor if you disagree with him. I'd expect you to do that with a professor on the left or on the right. That's what grad students do. You're an adult. It sounds a bit strange that you're concerned about "the teacher" and that you're looking for a principal or someone to report this too. Are you sure you're actually the grad student and not the student's mother? This sounds like someone who helicoptered through their child's high school and college and now wants to helicopter through grad school with Junior.

I agree. I took an MBA and one of the best skills I learned was how to question what the professor said, as well as in general learn to analyze and question views on various topics. We're all adults. Just like in the business world, it's time to challenge the status quo and look at new ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

I have never experienced partisanship on this level - openly broadcast and discussed - by a professor while in class.

That is hard to believe PP. Back in the 80's one of my college profs would start EVERY single lecture with a joke making fun of Ronald Reagan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

Wasn't he telling the truth though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

Wasn't he telling the truth though?

He is telling the truth. It's OP who feels the need to crowdsource here on a blatantly liberal forum. She's the one who is out of line. She should be listening and learning, not jumping to criticize when she doesn't even have the life experience to know the basics of econ or business or how capitalism works. She'll look like an idiot complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

Wasn't he telling the truth though?

He is telling the truth. It's OP who feels the need to crowdsource here on a blatantly liberal forum. She's the one who is out of line. She should be listening and learning, not jumping to criticize when she doesn't even have the life experience to know the basics of econ or business or how capitalism works. She'll look like an idiot complaining.

OP here. Here’s my example: we were asked to debate the economic impact of the Green New Deal. My professor kept calling Rep. Ocasio-Cortez “the AOC.” He presented the Green New Deal as an economic disaster (which, frankly, it would be), but wouldn’t discuss the economic impact of climate change. He said he hates that climate change is so politicized, meanwhile pushing his political view of the situation - that any state that’s conceded to more government control has succumbed to tyranny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm an academic (working outside academia right now) and my answer would vary depending on whether the professor is an adjunct or a FT professor. If it's the former, I'd definitely approach the department head and explain that you find the political digressions unhelpful. They may speak to him, they may reconsider his contract, they may do nothing - but this kind of stuff can impact the reputation of a program and hurt admissions.

If it's a tenured or tenure-track professor, you're unlikely to get much if any action based on a complaint like this. Include it in the course evaluation but unless his partisanship is interfering with your learning, there's almost no chance of any consequences for these kinds of childish snipes.

+1. Also an academic. Department chairs evaluate adjuncts every semester and it's easy to not invite them back. For tenured faculty, the most that would happen is a conversation with the dept chair and the professor is unlikely to change behavior. Nothing wrong with complaining to the chair, though. I used to be a dept chair and would get 3-4 complaints from students every semester. So it wouldn't be out of place. Tenure track faculty are more likely to take a conversation with the chair seriously and would probably adjust behavior.

I'd also agree with a pp, though, that this kind of stuff isn't as big of a deal with adults in grad programs. What I would really advise is that you challenge the professor the next time he does it. Make strong, cogent arguments and have a debate! More fun (and more educational!) for everyone.

[Anonymous]

You take notes and write the exams the way he wants you to. Then you move on with your life and your good grade, and someday tell your kids stories about your kooky professor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now you know what it's like to be a conservative in a liberal world. We have to listen to that kind of shit all the time. It's incessant. Learn to ignore it. That's what we do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

Funny, maybe this is the first time that you are noticing the politics in your classroom, since you agreed with all of your liberal teachers and professors until now.