Is it a violation of religious freedom to turn down a transfer student's religious school credits?

Question

This isn't a rhetorical question. Let's say someone goes to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University and takes a cosmology or physics class, but the class says the universe is 6,000 years old.

Later on, he applies to UCLA, is accepted, but the school makes him retake a slew of classes because Liberty's version of science isn't compatible with the overwhelming opinion of scientists.

Is that a violation of religious freedom? IF it is, do you think it's fair to the student to put him in a class where he's expected to be familiar with traditional physics, but won't be?

This is an extreme example, but you could come up with so many more examples. What if a student goes to a Seventh Day Adventist high school that omits classical literature because (I'm not making this up), they think stuff like Ernest Hemingway is "sinful".

Both of my examples are real possibilities. Is it more important to be sensitive to religious sensibilities, or keep rigorous academic standards?

Answer 1

Transferring courses is not completely a religious question. Universities will allow credits that transfer from accredited universities. Accreditation bodies exist to make sure that students are getting a quality education. There are plenty of religious universities (e.g., Brigham Young University, Loyola) whose credits transfer to other universities because they are accredited schools. Apparently Liberty University isn't accredited? EDIT: Perhaps the equivalency of the course was the problem, as the previous answerer suggested.

Now, as far as the beliefs question: everything that you learn at a university is the belief of the professor or the person who designed the class. Everything. The person who designs the class chooses what material will be covered and why.

However, that does not mean that the students are not free to choose. Students can choose not to believe the things that the professor is teaching. Students can choose not to take a particular course or major program. Students can even choose to study at a different school, or to not study at all. So placing yourself in a particular school or in a particular situation means that you are reasonably willing to tolerate the course material that the professor has selected for you.

That said, professors and scientists do not even expect you to believe all of the material they tell you. Just because you study something doesn't mean you have to believe it. The material taught in all academic fields is simply the most current hypotheses that we have about the world around us. But the whole point of academia is to train people to be independent writers and researchers who will not just believe exactly the same things, but come up with new, more fitting explanations of the world around us. I taught courses on English grammar at a major U.S. university last year. When I taught my students some of my controversial opinions on certain grammar points, I told them that they don't have to agree with my opinion, but they do have to understand it and why I think that way. In fact, the purpose of the tenure process in universities is to secure the rights of the professors to teach what they believe, and not get kicked out of the university just because people don't agree with them. Can you see how this presupposes that people will disagree with them?

In the hypothetical situation that you've mentioned, then, the student would not be forced to believe that the world was more than 6,000 years old. It is, after all, impossible to constrain a person's belief. But he/she would become aware that the professors and other scientists do not believe that. I can't see how realizing that other people have beliefs different from yours could be any kind of threat or surprise to people of any religion.

I have personally experienced this situation, actually. Because of my religious beliefs, I choose not to watch movies that are rated "R". This semester in one of my classes, the teacher showed a movie from that category. I chose not to attend class those days, and as a result, I was taking the risk that I would lose participation points for nonattendance and that I would not be as prepared to write the essay on the exam because the essay talked about that movie.

While my recent experience is a small one, it is actually a very hot topic at my university, because there are some students who have sued the university for similar things. For example, a student sued the university for giving her a scene to perform in a theater context which contained some words she thought was inappropriate. As I recall, when she asked the professor if she could substitute words for the offensive dialogue, the professor told her it must be performed as written.

I personally believe that it is possible most of the time to teach in a way that does not step on people's toes. As an ESL teacher, I have worked with people from many different cultures and religious backgrounds, and I can't recall having any such problems with my students. Part of the university experience is to develop the critical thinking skills that make it possible for us to evaluate and then accept or reject what we are learning. So if a person feels like he/she is forced to believe something that he/she is learning in school, perhaps this individual hasn't learned that skill yet.

Religion and science, after all, both have a common goal: to understand truth.

Answer 2

No, I do not believe so. First of all, there is a seperation of Church and State for all public educational systems. Therefore, transfering credits from a private religious school would be wrong if that school teaches their classes based off of religion. And if you are applying to another private school, well, they have every right to reject whatever they want to reject. They're a private school and get to decide for themselves.

If you want to go somewhere with a real science program, or any program that does not incorporate religion except for classes that study religious literature (The uni I attend has a class that analyzes the old testiment. It's an English class), then you will be expected to learn it the way they have learned it.

Actually, that goes for any school, religious or not. They can refuse your credits simply because they do not feel it meets their own accademic standards. Since this hypothetical school feels what you are taught about science is wrong in comparison to what they want to teach, they have every right to refuse your credits, since you are attending their institution now and are expected to learn things their way.

Answer 3

Was the carrying the Bible in her hand? Does she not have a bag to carry her books? Why would she have it out in hand if not to make some type of "show" or intend to use it in some way. If she had kept it in her bag, the teacher would have never seen it. It sounds like something was left out here. I agree that if the girl was not trying to preach, reading the bible while she was to be doing school work or something then yes she should be allowed to carry it. She can read it during her lunch, or "study period" or whatever, but she should doe snot have to carry it for the world to see the rest of the day. I also agree that any material not related to the class should have been taken, IF it was visible as the bible was. This is a rather fine line, and I can see both sides. Personally I think the young lady should simply learn from the experience and keep her religious texts put away until she is on her own time.

Answer 4

Schools "accept" transfer credit for EQUIVALENT COURSES. A school will review the course description from another school and determine which course, if any, the knowledge maps to. If no course maps, then the next option is to allow the credits as "elective" hours. But, there's only so many electives. After that, the hours don't add any value to the new school's degree program.

It's reality...not a violation of religious freedom. You have the freedom to take whatever courses you want. You also have the freedom to select which school you'll attend. And, you also have the freedom to change schools. The new school, however, is NOT bound by YOUR earlier decisions. You are.

Answer 5

No, it's not a violation of religious freedoms - it's in support of academic progress. If you didn't learn anything about the actual universe or real biology, there's no reason you should get credit for the course. If the course doesn't match anything in your transfer schools' catalogue, there's no reason you should get credit for the course.

If you're taught that fairies created the universe last tuesday, should you be given a BS in astronomy? Of course not. If, as a result of your original bad decisions in college work, you are now not prepared to enter a real college, too bad. Start over.

Answer 6

Universities reserve the right to turn down "any" credits that they deem unworthy. You should always plan ahead when taking classes and know where your headed. Don't assume the university is turning down the credits because they are religiously orientated, I can assure you they wan't no part of a discrimination lawsuit. They do however look for any possible means to make someone retake classes, transfer credits take $$ out of the colleges pocket.

Answer 7

After I became a Christian, I transfered from a very liberal art school in Chicago to a conservative Christian college in the south. All credits were accepted, including classes like "4D." After graduation, I went back to the art school to finish my BFA. They accepted all the the credits from the Christian college, including courses like Deuteronomy, Christ and Culture, etc.

I think as long as the school is accredited, they should accept the credits. However, many schools will not accept many credits within the major you plant to pursue. They want those to be completed through their institution and that makes sense.

Answer 8

Nope. You're free to take any classes you want, and they're free to decide what credits will and won't transfer.

Credits won't transfer from many schools and for many reasons, not just from religious schools. If you're planning on transferring, it's up to you to do your homework ahead of time and make sure the credits for the classes you're taking will transfer to the school you plan to move to.

Answer 9

If a school is accredited----subjects will transfer. If the subjects already taken do not apply to the new curriculum, the classes must follow the new school's guidelines. No one told the student to change to a school where his credits do not apply.

Answer 10

It is not a violation of freedom it is an EDUCATIONAL issue.

The classes at the religious institutes have filled your head will falsehoods and called it truth. You need to become better educated.

Try reading the God delusion by R. Dawkins
http://richarddawkins.net/home