A professor at Metro State College in Denver, CO is being criticized for assigning an anti Palin essay for his students. Andrew Hallam told his students to write an essay with three criticisms about Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention. They were told to undermine and criticize her speech and posture. Only a handful of students objected to the very biased assignment.
I want my kids to benefit from a liberal arts education but I expect it to be unbiased. Open to discussion certainly, even heated debate is fantastic but it needs to be balanced.
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When I heard this, the saddest reality for me was that I wasn’t the least bit surprised. In talk radio, if I brought on a guest who was anti-this-or-that, there would be a guest on that was in favor of this-and-that.
I do not understand what’s happened in this country with respect to liberals in higher education believing they are the living, breathing Oracle at Delphi with respect to the way they disseminate knowledge to their students.
What’s happened to laying out a fair and balanced argument and allowing, as you suggest, open discussion…even heated debate? Allowing – no, forcing – students to arrive at their own conclusions, not the ones their professor prefers them to embrace, is the foundation of critical thinking.
I’d have applauded Professor Hallam had he split the class in half and asked one group to offer critical analysis of Gov. Palin’s speech and the other half to ofer the same critique of Sen. Obama’s speech at the DNC in Denver.
It would have been even more remarkable if the comparison and critique was between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
This is an historic election, we should all be proud to be part of it. We shouldn’t be encouraging the taking down of one candidate over another. We should be in awe that we are finally seeing not only an African American but also a woman seeking such a high office. With no disrespect to either Geraldine Ferraro, Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.