My Thoughts on Bias in Higher Education

[BeauJangles]

So, I remember there have been a few threads about professor's biases in classrooms. For an example, see Rip's thread about the professor getting fired supposedly because he's a conservative. I believe that, right now, Ohio is considering legislating what a professor can / can't include in his/her class.

So, of course, all this talking got me thinking and here's what I've realized.

First, Everyone is biased. Teachers, students, maids, CEOs, soldiers, EVERYBODY has their own beliefs about the world and espouses them regularly. When I work, I often talk politics with my co-workers, I talk politics with my friends. In short, these conversations are everywhere.

Second, we cannot remove this bias. Simple. You cannot make an individual completely impartial to the world we live in. ALL professors will have a certain degree of bias. We can also do NOTHING about the problem of bias in classrooms. If you take a class, you will take it with a professor who is bias. Conservative students want to remove bias from higher education, but how are we going to do this? If we hire more conservative professors this doesn't change a thing! Classes will still be biased. You will still have to take class xyz with a professor who's opinions aren't the same as yours. Therefore, we shouldn't change anything. Bias exists in the world.

Third, bias is beneficial, as long as it isn't abused. Having a professor who doesn't agree with you is one of the best experiences you can have as a student! This is only true, of course, if the bias doesn't interfere with your grade or the way in which the professor treats you. The point of going to college, I think, is to figure out who you really are and what you believe in. No other place you will go in your life will encourage you to seek out information and change or modify what you believe. If you don't capitalize on this, you are missing out on an incredible experience.

I know that even participating in this forum has changed some of my views, to an extent.

Basically, what I think this comes down to is, professors should be allowed to say what they want in class - that's their job. If what they believe gets in the way of you receiving a fair grade; if a professor fails you on a paper because you say you hate Bush and he is a Bush lover, then we have an issue and it should be dealt with appropriately. But, beyond the professor's view interfering with your grade, can't we just let them teach? And can't we let our kids go off and be challenged? Even if that means they may have different beliefs than we do when it's all said and done?

So what do you guys think? Is this a resonable position or is there something inherently flawed in how higher education works? Is there some reason that I haven't considered that students shouldn't be exposed to people who don't necessarily share their own views?

Edit: I'm going away until Sunday, so I won't be able to respond, but I'm curious as to what you all have to say.

 

[ciba]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
So what do you guys think? Is this a resonable position or is there something inherently flawed in how higher education works? Is there some reason that I haven't considered that students shouldn't be exposed to people who don't necessarily share their own views? .

Bias is fine. Using the classroom to spread politics rather than teach a subject is not.

I had a number of professors who were openly biased, but taught both sides of an issue. They would explain where different schools of thought differed based on core beliefs or judgement calls somewhere along the way.

I also had a number of professors that taught this way, but kept their opinion to themselves. They just threw both arguments out there so students could think on their own.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
I know that even participating in this forum has changed some of my views, to an extent.

Without bias the above would not 've happened.

Brainwashing is never a good thing.

 

[Buck Armstrong]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
So, I remember there have been a few threads about professor's biases in classrooms. For an example, see Rip's thread about the professor getting fired supposedly because he's a conservative. I believe that, right now, Ohio is considering legislating what a professor can / can't include in his/her class.

So, of course, all this talking got me thinking and here's what I've realized.

First, Everyone is biased. Teachers, students, maids, CEOs, soldiers, EVERYBODY has their own beliefs about the world and espouses them regularly. When I work, I often talk politics with my co-workers, I talk politics with my friends. In short, these conversations are everywhere.

Second, we cannot remove this bias. Simple. You cannot make an individual completely impartial to the world we live in. ALL professors will have a certain degree of bias. We can also do NOTHING about the problem of bias in classrooms. If you take a class, you will take it with a professor who is bias. Conservative students want to remove bias from higher education, but how are we going to do this? If we hire more conservative professors this doesn't change a thing! Classes will still be biased. You will still have to take class xyz with a professor who's opinions aren't the same as yours. Therefore, we shouldn't change anything. Bias exists in the world.

Third, bias is beneficial, as long as it isn't abused. Having a professor who doesn't agree with you is one of the best experiences you can have as a student! This is only true, of course, if the bias doesn't interfere with your grade or the way in which the professor treats you. The point of going to college, I think, is to figure out who you really are and what you believe in. No other place you will go in your life will encourage you to seek out information and change or modify what you believe. If you don't capitalize on this, you are missing out on an incredible experience.

I know that even participating in this forum has changed some of my views, to an extent.

Basically, what I think this comes down to is, professors should be allowed to say what they want in class - that's their job. If what they believe gets in the way of you receiving a fair grade; if a professor fails you on a paper because you say you hate Bush and he is a Bush lover, then we have an issue and it should be dealt with appropriately. But, beyond the professor's view interfering with your grade, can't we just let them teach? And can't we let our kids go off and be challenged? Even if that means they may have different beliefs than we do when it's all said and done?

So what do you guys think? Is this a resonable position or is there something inherently flawed in how higher education works? Is there some reason that I haven't considered that students shouldn't be exposed to people who don't necessarily share their own views?

Edit: I'm going away until Sunday, so I won't be able to respond, but I'm curious as to what you all have to say.

I'm fine with all that, as long as its practiced equally. So I don't want to hear the same university that fired the Christian professor for handing out a book that mentions God, is going to "buy out" Mr. Churchill.

Be fair, and fire both.

 

[Stunt]

Your assumptions are based on the students having pre-formed judgements on the subject prior to the professor then exposing his or her's opinion. This is far from what actually occurs in real life. The average student whether it be in high school, college or university is relatively unaware of many of the political issues present in todays world.

The majority of the population is ignorant to many issues and that is not an uncommon parallel in today's education system. As these people are seen to be intelligent and knowledgable people, a student with little or no understanding on a topic will be less likely to critique or question the point of view. It is for this exact reason that political bias should be left out of the classroom as the other, usually just as credible side is not exposed or explored. While i think bias is inevitable...either from media, friends, family...in a professional setting, the professional has a duty to give unbiased information to stimulate reason and self realization.

Your idea of bringing in more conservative proffessors is utterly useless as we can assume the most qualified professors and teachers are already working. To replace them with less qualified people would hinder education value for minimal social gain. This would be analogous to implementing a far left news agency to counter the teachings of fox, when in reality the profession should be striving for unbiased balanced reporting. So you may ask how do we stop teachers from encorperating their opinions into classroom material?...for that i have no answer.

Is it something that is critically affecting our society?...no. Is it something we should take note of and frown upon?...yes.
I have been exposed to bias in my teachings...but i will tell you right now that this bias represents negligible amouts of class time...and i am not bothered by it...even though i am on the other side of the spectrum in which most teachers stand.

 

[Kibbo]

Originally posted by: Buck Armstrong

I'm fine with all that, as long as its practiced equally. So I don't want to hear the same university that fired the Christian professor for handing out a book that mentions God, is going to "buy out" Mr. Churchill.

Be fair, and fire both.

Just a minor point of fact: Mr Churchill was tenured, the other professor was not, and he was not tenured willingly because he preferred teaching to reseach. The different actions by the same schoolmight have merely been due to the different natures of their respective contracts.

 

[shira]

Originally posted by: Buck Armstrong
I'm fine with all that, as long as its practiced equally. So I don't want to hear the same university that fired the Christian professor for handing out a book that mentions God, is going to "buy out" Mr. Churchill.

Be fair, and fire both.

This post demonstrates yet again the pathetic state of the right-wing "intellect". What else but a pathetically inadequate mind could look at the Ward Churchill and Phil Mitchell situations and see a parallel?

Just to provide a little reality:

Ward Churchill is notorious for an essay he wrote about 9/11, not for teaching inappropriate material in his classroom. The views he wrote are consistent with his area of research. And in case you didn't know, researchers are not required to espouse popular views. It has something to do with freedom of speech.

Phil Mitchell apparently is being let go (and I use "apparently" because I haven't seen a detailed explanation from the University of Colorado) because he DID teach inappropriate material in the classroom, despite having received complaints and having been warned by the University.

If Phil Mitchell were being let go only because he espoused religious beliefs and/or proselytized in essays, speeches, etc, independent of his teaching duties, his termination would be outrageous. But that isn't (apparently) the case.

If the distinction between these two situations isn't clear to the right wing, then they are even more clueless than I feared. To repeat: Expressing unpopular views in a manner not inconsistent with one's official duties is NOT grounds for dismissal. Continually teaching inappropriate subject matter in a classroom is (and, yes, this would, for example, apply to proselytizing Atheism in an English course) IS.

 

[cquark]

So what do you guys think? Is this a resonable position or is there something inherently flawed in how higher education works? Is there some reason that I haven't considered that students shouldn't be exposed to people who don't necessarily share their own views?

Why are these discussions always focused on higher education?

Why don't we look at the enormous bias in high school, where the pro-American government sentiment of the history textbooks is relentless?

 

[Stunt]

I think there is more of a focus on higher education as these people will be the leaders of tomorrow. They will have the power in the coming years, and if you are able to engrain a certain mindset, this might be something that could dramatically affect the country.

But i agree it hits home on all levels...not just school systems, but in business, church, etc. I think the OP recognized that bias in this phrase: "Everyone is biased. Teachers, students, maids, CEOs, soldiers"

Maybe the teachers balance out the media and church, who knows.
I don't advocate any of it.

 

[SuperTool]

If it's not broken, don't fix it. We have a great higher education system. Colleges have been liberal for ages, and US populace is center-right on average. So these arguements that people won't get exposed to the other side are just nonsense.

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
First, Everyone is biased. Teachers, students, maids, CEOs, soldiers, EVERYBODY has their own beliefs about the world and espouses them regularly.

True

Conservative students want to remove bias from higher education, but how are we going to do this? If we hire more conservative professors this doesn't change a thing!

Presumably conservative students don't want liberal bias and liberal students don't want conservative bias. I doubt conservative students are against bias per se, but are just willing to accept a lack of bias, or rather an equalisation of bias, rather than liberalisation of bias.

Classes will still be biased. You will still have to take class xyz with a professor who's opinions aren't the same as yours. Therefore, we shouldn't change anything. Bias exists in the world.

You are making the assumption that since everyone is biased, everyone is equal, aren't you?

Third, bias is beneficial, as long as it isn't abused. Having a professor who doesn't agree with you is one of the best experiences you can have as a student!

You are assuming a confident student who has opinions of his own which are sufficiently worked out to benefit from the attack of a professor. In fact most students come not only with no coherent opinions, but with no coherent questions, and so accepts the questions that are asked by the academy. And once you accept the questions, you will probably accept the answers. Different ideologies/worldviews don't answer the same questions in different ways, but different questions.
Now certainly the renaissance tradition of the university is based on argument and opposing positions. Not only of the university but also of the law. Just as in the law you have the principle of equality of arms, so should it be in the university, if we accept this tradition. It shouldn't be liberal professors against conservative students (and then the liberal students don't get the benefit of argument), but liberal professors against conservative professors - i.e. both biases present.

But, beyond the professor's view interfering with your grade, can't we just let them teach? And can't we let our kids go off and be challenged? Even if that means they may have different beliefs than we do when it's all said and done?

That is an interesting idea. It would lead to a lively environment indeed if professors can profess whatever they like. Probably unworkable unfortunately since departments employ professors to teach certain things, so to that extent the university controls what is being taught.

 

[CycloWizard]

I agree with the OP 100%. Unfortunately, the reality of changing grades based on contradicting viewpoints is very real - it is why this is even an issue.

Originally posted by: shira
This post demonstrates yet again the pathetic state of the right-wing "intellect". What else but a pathetically inadequate mind could look at the Ward Churchill and Phil Mitchell situations and see a parallel?
...
If the distinction between these two situations isn't clear to the right wing, then they are even more clueless than I feared. To repeat: Expressing unpopular views in a manner not inconsistent with one's official duties is NOT grounds for dismissal. Continually teaching inappropriate subject matter in a classroom is (and, yes, this would, for example, apply to proselytizing Atheism in an English course) IS.

It's amazing that someone who waxes intellectual always sees the need to denigrate others using sweeping generalizations.

 

[totalcommand]

I agree with the OP, teachers should be allowed to say whatever they want as long as they are teaching.


Personally, I don't see what the huge deal is. Private colleges and universities are private, and they should figure this issue out for themselves. Public universities I guess though might be a problem. But are the students like sheep or something? Do they just follow whatever their professor says?

The people who complain about bias are the one's who are unaffected by it. Conservative student complainers can spot the liberal bias, so obviously it isn't directly a problem to them if their grade doesn't suffer as a result. The same goes for liberal student complainers in a conservative class. The only thing I can see wrong with biased teaching is that the sheep-like students might get swayed one way or the other. So this huge fight about bias is really just about trying to gather more college students to one political view versus another. It's not about trying to eliminate bias.

Teaching is always going to be biased like the OP said. Science teachers are biased toward a particular research group when presenting papers. History is usually taught from the side of the victor (us). Bias will always exist. Conservatives and liberals alike can keep complaining. It's not going away.

Wait - we could eliminate public universities. That would solve the problem.