Grabbing My Fucking Pitchfork
Dec. 4th, 2007 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talkingsoupI have problems expressing myself sometimes when it comes to things that really mean something to me. So I'm going to try and be as concise as I can and not let this degrade into a rant.
I found out today that my Global Conflict and Terrorism professor, a woman I highly admire and whose class is one of the best I have ever taken in my entire school career, has been under personal attack by other professors in the Sociology department. Apparently this has gone on for years, and has degraded to personal attacks on herself, her politics and her family. Worse than that even, apparently last year when she applied for tenure, some of these people actually sabotaged her file and circulated rumors about her, which effectively shot down her attempts to get tenure. And further, this year has apparently been worse than ever, as even people who were on her side before have started attacking her as well.
The reason I decided to pursue a major in Sociology was because I fell in love with the field after Soc 101. It seemed so open-minded, so broad and multi-faceted--Sociology looks at the way that people and societies interact, and how everything connects and works together or against each other. It looks at the roots of the world's problems--global conflicts, politics, racism, inequality and so on--and at ways to try and solve them.
And now, here I am, finding out that in the very department of the field I fell in love with is using discriminatory, political and racist tactics to attack a woman on a personal level. Why? For no discernible reason other than the fact that certain high-level faculty members simply dislike her. And certain others, students included, dislike her grading system (she refuses to place major stress on grades, and I guess that's outside the comfort zone of some students).
My professor is teaching us things no one else has the courage to teach us. She tells us the truth. We learn about places and people the rest of the world chooses to ignore. It infuriates me that this woman, who really, truly cares about teaching her students, has been suffering like this for years. And apparently any time a student tries to speak up, they're just ignored.
I don't know what I can do, but I'm going to do something. A club, maybe. This kind of things happens too often in this country and around the world; people who dare to tell the truth are attacked and defamed. What we need is a Truth-Speaker Anti-Defamation League.
And also, maybe I should just drop out of the Soc major, and my my reasons explicitly known. I've been upset for awhile with the fact that I need to take such specific and stupid classes for the major.
At any rate, I'm not going to fucking sit down anymore.
I found out today that my Global Conflict and Terrorism professor, a woman I highly admire and whose class is one of the best I have ever taken in my entire school career, has been under personal attack by other professors in the Sociology department. Apparently this has gone on for years, and has degraded to personal attacks on herself, her politics and her family. Worse than that even, apparently last year when she applied for tenure, some of these people actually sabotaged her file and circulated rumors about her, which effectively shot down her attempts to get tenure. And further, this year has apparently been worse than ever, as even people who were on her side before have started attacking her as well.
The reason I decided to pursue a major in Sociology was because I fell in love with the field after Soc 101. It seemed so open-minded, so broad and multi-faceted--Sociology looks at the way that people and societies interact, and how everything connects and works together or against each other. It looks at the roots of the world's problems--global conflicts, politics, racism, inequality and so on--and at ways to try and solve them.
And now, here I am, finding out that in the very department of the field I fell in love with is using discriminatory, political and racist tactics to attack a woman on a personal level. Why? For no discernible reason other than the fact that certain high-level faculty members simply dislike her. And certain others, students included, dislike her grading system (she refuses to place major stress on grades, and I guess that's outside the comfort zone of some students).
My professor is teaching us things no one else has the courage to teach us. She tells us the truth. We learn about places and people the rest of the world chooses to ignore. It infuriates me that this woman, who really, truly cares about teaching her students, has been suffering like this for years. And apparently any time a student tries to speak up, they're just ignored.
I don't know what I can do, but I'm going to do something. A club, maybe. This kind of things happens too often in this country and around the world; people who dare to tell the truth are attacked and defamed. What we need is a Truth-Speaker Anti-Defamation League.
And also, maybe I should just drop out of the Soc major, and my my reasons explicitly known. I've been upset for awhile with the fact that I need to take such specific and stupid classes for the major.
At any rate, I'm not going to fucking sit down anymore.
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-05 03:00 am (UTC)It is upsetting but I think you're destined as a Soc major, you have a lot of innovative ideas to share and dropping out would definitely be a huge loss to the environment of Soc. classes - but you should do whatever's right for you and if you are passionate about another major or this one really doesn't feel like a good fit, then moving on may be best.
I wrote a letter for that Professor's tenure file explicitly stating that she should be judged on the basis of her performance as a Professor and not based on her political beliefs... among other things -- you could write one too, I know she'd appreciate it. Or even write a letter to The Ithacan/talk to Buzzsaw... or maybe I could do a story about it for iMPrint... or you could write a letter to the Dept....
She is a great professor and without her the Soc. Dept. would be severely lacking. It's in their best interest to give her tenure! Students love her. If only those denying her could see past their discrimination and intolerance for new ideas and see the TRUTH.
I joined your facebook group :) We should talk more about this sometime, perhaps in person?! :)
no subject
Date: 2007-12-05 04:44 am (UTC)I hope the professor gets the respect I'm sure she deserves.
Oh, and have you thought about getting a petition for the chair of the department or something? I dunno.