Professors Indoctrinating Students? Not in Our University
I did a masters in special education three years ago to teach children with autism. The “keystone” course–mandatory–was, of course, multiculturalism. We spent a semester praising subcultures and decrying white ones. In the course syllabus, there was a statement that our agreement with the concepts of the course was a large part of our grade. I mentioned to the teacher that if I taught a course called family values, made it mandatory, and placed such a statement such as hers in the syllabus, several of the following would happen: (1) the school newspaper would decry academic McCartheyism; (2) there would be a faculty meeting about my politicization of my class; (3) Wolf Blitzer would loft me into the situation room. Oh yes–forgot to mention: the course slides came from a progressive think tank. I was on shaky ground the whole semester. The only thing that saved me was my constant reminders to her that I would invoke a liberal tradition if she tried to have me expelled: conservatives can sue too.
