Accuracy in Academia
Jeff Winslow
I can't believe all the fuss about this posting here!
> The AIA is worth sponsering. It may appear to single out
> liberal/leftist teachers, but this is not because of their
> political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major
> source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
Allow me to clear up a few mistakes and ambiguities, OK?
> The AIA is worth sponsoring. It may appear to single out
> liberal/leftist teachers, but this is not because of the AIA's
> political leaning, rather, it is because the AIA is the major
> source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
There. Is that better?
Jeff Winslow
PS to the Real Rich Rosen - your article made it here. Before anything it
referred to did!
Alan Klietz
> In article <20...@sdcsvax.UUCP> cs...@sdcsvax.UUCP (EECS 195) writes:
>
> > The AIA is worth sponsoring. It may appear to single out
> > political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major
> > source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
>
>
> [Jeff Winslow]
I took a survey course in European History. The first quarter
covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
My TA gave our section the following class assignments,
o Discuss the relationship between European serfdom and
modern rural land practices in Guatemala and Honduras.
o Identify some of the immediate and underlying causes of
the rise of the Bourgeoisie in the 13th-16th centuries
and their effects on the working class.
o Compare the role of the Church in the lives of individuals
in the 13th-16th centuries with the role of the state in
a Marxist society.
These were the only assignments given by the TA during the quarter.
Approximately 30% of class time was spent discussing the events in
Nicaragua. We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
;-
>> > The AIA is worth sponsering. It may appear to single out
>> > political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major
>> > source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
>>
>> This person should not be allowed to breed!
>
>Your ideas on eugenics have been tried before -- fortunately the
>Allies won the war.
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)
Good lord! Do you mean I have to fill sarcastic mesages with smilies
for people who can figure it out for themselves.
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)
There, understand now?
--
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| I never make mistakes. I thought I did once, but I was wrong. |
|UUCP: ...!harvard!bu-cs!bucsb!ilacqua |
|ARPANET: ila...@bucsb.bu.edu |
|CSNET: ilacqua%bucsb@bu-cs BITNET: engemnc@bostonu |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Henry Mensch
injustice? Did you complain to department chairpeople or curricula
committees? There *are* places to take care of these problems before
outfits like Accuracy in Academia.
By the way, I'm still waiting for the material that I requested from
them. When I get it, you'll see a summary here in net.college.
Follow-ups will go there, too.
--
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Henry Mensch | Technical Writer | MIT/Project Athena
he...@athena.mit.edu ..!mit-eddie!mit-athena!henry
WD...@cunyvm.bitnet
In article <1...@mn-at1.UUCP>, al...@mn-at1.UUCP (Alan Klietz) says:
>
>I took a survey course in European History. The first quarter
>covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
>
>My TA gave our section the following class assignments,
>
> o Discuss the relationship between European serfdom and
> modern rural land practices in Guatemala and Honduras.
>
> o Identify some of the immediate and underlying causes of
> the rise of the Bourgeoisie in the 13th-16th centuries
> and their effects on the working class.
>
> o Compare the role of the Church in the lives of individuals
> in the 13th-16th centuries with the role of the state in
> a Marxist society.
>
>These were the only assignments given by the TA during the quarter.
a chance to do extensive research, to think about and compare medieval and
modern society, to consider what changes have occurred over the years and
in what ways societies have remained the same or similar.
>Approximately 30% of class time was spent discussing the events in
>Nicaragua.
>We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
Second: What happened to independent study and intellectual curiosity.
Three: The assignments mentioned above would, if done properly, give one
a broad understanding of both the era in question AND a chance to see how
different historical eras connect; how history effects us today , etc.
Draw your own conclusions as to who was the more dogmatic: you or your TA.
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Bill Michtom - work: (212) 903-3685 */
/* */
/* WDMCU@CUNYVM (Bitnet) Timelessness is transient */
/* BILL@BITNIC (Bitnet) */
/* */
/* A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. */
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------*/
Jeff Winslow
>In article <6...@midas.UUCP>, je...@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) writes:
>> In article <20...@sdcsvax.UUCP> cs...@sdcsvax.UUCP (EECS 195) writes:
>>
>> > The AIA is worth sponsoring. It may appear to single out
>> > liberal/leftist teachers, but this is not because of their
>> > political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major
>> > source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
>>
>> This is a joke, right?
>
>covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
>
>My TA gave our section the following class assignments,
>
> o Discuss the relationship between European serfdom and
> modern rural land practices in Guatemala and Honduras.
>
> o Identify some of the immediate and underlying causes of
> the rise of the Bourgeoisie in the 13th-16th centuries
> and their effects on the working class.
>
> o Compare the role of the Church in the lives of individuals
> in the 13th-16th centuries with the role of the state in
> a Marxist society.
>
>These were the only assignments given by the TA during the quarter.
>Approximately 30% of class time was spent discussing the events in
>Nicaragua. We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
So? I don't see any inaccuracy or disinformation there. Or are you now
going to complain about teachers who don't present the subject matter you
expect as well? Sounds to me like the TA, having encountered any number of
classes of bored students, merely tried to liven things up by relating events
in that period to events in this. And, given the capacity of the net to
generate high volume tangential discussions like this one, it doesn't
surprise me in the least that 30% of class time ("class" being what the
TA taught, which was half or less than the total with the lecture, right?)
was spent discussing as controversial a modern issue as Nicaragua.
I'm sure now that it was a joke.
Jeff Winslow
H Hottmann
>I took a survey course in European History. The first quarter
>covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
>leftward-leaning in nature and focussed more on current events
>in Central America than on European history during the Middle
>Ages...]
OK, so you didn't get out of the class what you bargained for, at
least not from your TA. What about the prof? Was his treatment
of the subject any more focussed on the subject at hand (European
History)? Whatever your answers to these questions, did you ever
consider going to the prof to complain about your TA (I'll admit
this would not work as well if the prof were teaching the course
much as you described your TA doing.)?
And what good would Accuracy in Academia do in this instance?
I'm sure the History department has its own internal procedures
for dealing with TA problems (of course you may feel the entire
department is infected with leftward-leaning syndrome :-).
In all of your story, aside from pointing out that you weren't
taught what you had expected to be taught, you didn't say you
were taught opinions in the guise of knowledge. Rooting out such
teaching is (or so I gather from the many postings on the
subject) the job AIA has taken upon itself to do. So WHAT
GIVES!?!?
hagen (as in -Dazs)
mruxe!hh1
H Hottmann
I had mistakenly attributed the European History class story to
you when it was Alan Klietz's story.
hagen (as in -Dazs)
R. James Nusbaum
This appears to be in support of AIA, although it is not explicitly
stated. This however provides an excellent example to show how this
kind of situation should be handled. Mr. Bly would have you report
the professor of the class to AIA. AIA would then print his name up
in their list as a 'bad' professor. The correct way to handle this
(and if you didn't try and correct the problem, then you have no
business complaining) would be to:
1. First talk to the TA. Express your concern about material
that does not match the course description.
2. If (1) fails, talk to the professor. There is a chance
that he has no idea what the TA is doing.
3. If the professor is aware of the material being discussed
and does nothing about it, then talk to the department head. Express
your concerns in an adult, constructive manner.
4. If all else fails talk to the administration. Ask them to
let you drop the class and give you a tuition refund.
Please note that I believe that the issues that were discussed in your
class were important and certainly should be discussed in some class,
perhaps one entitled 'Perspective on Politics in Central America'. It
appears that there was a problem in your class, maybe with a TA who was
letting his politics get in the way of his job, but that is no reason to
involve agencies which use blacklisting and humiliation tactics.
Jim Nusbaum
--
R. James Nusbaum, Duke University Computer Science Department,
Durham NC 27706-2591. Phone (919)684-5110.
CSNET: rjn@duke UUCP: {ihnp4!decvax}!duke!rjn
ARPA: rjn%duke@csnet-relay
James E. Wilson
>> In article <20...@sdcsvax.UUCP> cs...@sdcsvax.UUCP (EECS 195) writes:
>>
>> > The AIA is worth sponsoring. It may appear to single out
>> > liberal/leftist teachers, but this is not because of their
>> > political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major
>> > source of disinformation on campus. At least on my campus.
>>
>> This is a joke, right?
>>
>covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
>
>My TA gave our section the following class assignments,
>
> o Discuss the relationship between European serfdom and
> modern rural land practices in Guatemala and Honduras.
>
> o Identify some of the immediate and underlying causes of
> the rise of the Bourgeoisie in the 13th-16th centuries
> and their effects on the working class.
>
> o Compare the role of the Church in the lives of individuals
> in the 13th-16th centuries with the role of the state in
> a Marxist society.
>
>These were the only assignments given by the TA during the quarter.
>Approximately 30% of class time was spent discussing the events in
>Nicaragua. We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
And what did the department chairman say about this when you confronted
him with it? Politically-oriented instructors sometimes do abuse their
classroom responsibilities in order to propagandize. It is not a joke.
But what the AIA (and some others) forget is that there exist normal
channels for dealing with classroom incompetence, when utilized. (And,
by and large, TA's are sitting ducks.)
I believe, at most schools, the existing channels are sufficient.
Jim Wilson
US Mail: USL P.O. Box 45147, Lafayette, LA 70504; tel. (318)231-6423
UUCP: {ut-sally, akgua}!usl!jew ARPA: usl!jew@ut-sally
Karen Christenson
>>We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.
>
>First: This was a survey course: not everything gets covered.
>Second: What happened to independent study and intellectual curiosity.
>Three: The assignments mentioned above would, if done properly, give one
>a broad understanding of both the era in question AND a chance to see how
>different historical eras connect; how history effects us today , etc.
>
>Draw your own conclusions as to who was the more dogmatic: you or your TA.
>/* BILL@BITNIC (Bitnet) */
I agree that it is a good idea to try to relate the past and the
present. However -
The Protestant Reformation is on my list of the top ten most significant
events of history. The Exploration of the New World is in around the top
fifty or so, and the Rise of Spain is not real far after that (without the
Rise of Spain, you see, the Exploration would have been real different).
DaVinci is a personal favorite, but I suppose you could get by without
talking about him. The Hapsburgs were a major influence in the shaping of
Europe, but you can mention the kings without discussing the clan.
Any course on early modern Europe that doesn't cover the Protestant
Reformation has got one huge, gaping hole. This is not just dogma, this is
a matter of strong historical influence. For instance, without knowing about
the Protestant Reformation, you can't really understand the settlement of New
England and many of the ideas that we have inherited from the first settlers,
like the concept of the "City on the Hill."
Karen Christenson
"Mostly harmless." ...!dartvax!chelsea
Have an adequate day.