In the wake of the Penn controversy (which I’m sure every SN reader is quite familiar with by now), I can’t help but being appalled by the public reaction it has spurred. Make no mistake, I am not at all surprised by that amount of attention it has received. For some reason, which I don’t completely understand, political views in this country are held as an almost sacred creed and any slight towards a particular viewpoint is seen as a personal attack. I am appalled, however, because it took an anti-republican rant and the resulting media torrent to finally bring attention to the real issue here: the lack of objectivity in pedagogy at this university.
A truly effective education consists of confronting a student with as many different viewpoints and belief systems as possible and allowing him or her to synthesize their own opinions from them. In doing so, however, it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure students understand that what they are being exposed to is not necessarily objective truth; it is simply theory or opinion. It is also crucially important that the instructor present to his or her students all the objective evidence that exists supporting a particular view, theory, or opinion in order for students to make the most informed decision on what they choose to believe.
I can say with complete honesty that it was through this exposure, in and out of that classroom, that I have been able grow so much personally and intellectually in my four years here at MSU. This is why I am so deeply saddened when I see students being subjected to biased and subjective instruction. They are missing out on the one of the most under-appreciated joys in life; being able to think for oneself.
To be fair to Dr. Penn, it is not clear from the recording whether or not the lecture in question was prefaced by any type of disclosure explaining that the its purpose was simply to provide a certain viewpoint to analyze. Also, it is impossible to ascertain from the video whether or not Penn later provided any evidence to support the assertions he presented. Regardless, let’s use this situation to address the real issue at hand. I have too often seen professors ridiculing, mocking, or commenting rudely on the ideas and opinions of students. The very professors who are supposed to be guiding students to truth and objectivity are too often laughing in their faces. How is this type of intellectual bullying conducive to true and virtuous learning? While living in a society that already excels at manipulation and indoctrination; let’s teach students how to think for themselves and stop perpetuating the cycle.
Mitchell Goheen is a genomics & molecular genetics senior.