Do some college professors mix their own personal propaganda with academic disciplines?

Question

Is it harmful to young minds to have a college professor influence them with biased personal opinions not part of the educational objective!

Answer 1

Of course they do! The same way art teachers transfer their own personal styles into their students' works. Whether or not it is harmful is subjective to each student.

Sandy

Answer 2

Professors are people. They have opinions, like everyone else. The difference is, that the professors have spent many years studying a subject in extreme detail, and have discussed it over and over. So, they have heard every possible point of view about that subject and had a chance to mull it over.

The end result is that they have come to some position based on a huge amount of research and thought, so what do you expect? - they are going to give you the end result of that process, not pretend that they never thought of the subject before! Students sometimes are annoyed because the professor's viewpoint varies from what the student thinks - but in the vast majority of cases, the student is truly ignorant of the topic and his opinion is based on prejudice, hearsay and ignorance.

There is no distinction between the professor's personal opinion and the educational objective... the professor is the one who defines the educational objective. That's the way the American college system works, and that freedom of the professor to say what he thinks, not what some politician tells him, is the reason why the American universities are respected around the world. On the other hand, the elementary schools and high schools are a world laughing stock because in those schools the teachers have to teach what some politician tells them....

Answer 3

Everyone comes into any profession with a certain outlook on life. This is what shapes them. Professors do as well. But professors do have an obligation to keep the forum of the classroom open and not to be a dictator in the learning environment. But you can always learn from a professor without subscribing to his/her views. Challenge your professor. That doesn't mean attack him/her because he/she has a certain viewpoint. Be able to back up any claims that you have with real evidence.

By the way, I've taken courses through doctoral study and there are always a couple of bad professors for whatever reason. I've had three total, and only one that fits the profile that you've laid out. The great preponderance of professors are very thoughtful and have your best interests at heart.

Answer 4

Yes, some professors do inculcate their own agenda in the mind of the students. It would be wise for the students to learn only academic curricula. However if some great thoughts of philosophers are told to the students, they may also get the same insight.

Answer 5

This question is in the media lately, so of course everyone thinks this is rampant on college campuses, as if they are brainwash institutions out to corrupt all who enter the hallowed halls.

I'm sure there are a few "bad apples" in faculty who cross the line and are too aggressive in inserting their own bias into the course. They are a tiny minority. The vast majority of college professors want students to be active questioners who think for themselves and don't readily accept an answer just because someone says it is so.

Is "personal propaganda" harmful to young minds? Only if you think most kids in America are scarred for life by learning Santa isn't real, the tooth fairy is Mom, and the Easter Bunny doesn't lay eggs. At various stages of our lives we are given biased statements or easy answers because it helps us cope. When we are ready to examine complicated subjects more closely, we peel away such "knowledge" and seek the truth for ourselves. Guess what? That is the propaganda promoted by the vast majority of college professors.

The world is a complicated place. The best way to educate students for a positive role in business and society is to help them learn to look at issues from multiple viewpoints, and to learn how to seek information and develop an opinion that is substantive rather than blindly accepting.

Does that mean a professor is never allowed to share personal views, or that doing so is always inappropriate? No. For instance, in leading a discussion, a professor may carefully insert comments because doing so encourages others to open up and do the same. Or a professor (such as a friend of mine who teaches Philosophy) may purposely insert opinions that are contrary to what most people seem to think simply because it gets people motivated to question him and challenge him--and to develop their own thinking on the subject.

In cases such as these, someone who was resistant to being challenged or to considering alternative thinking on a subject might complain about "personal propaganda" from the professor. Sadly it is more a statement of rigidity from that person than it is an instance of bias. If a professor does cross the line, and multiple students become upset in multiple courses and lectures then the situation needs to be examined. But one or two students who go running to complain because they are being forced out of their comfort zone is NOT a valid indicator of personal bias on the part of the professor.

The world is infinite shades of gray. It is not black and white, right or wrong, yes or no. College is supposed to be a place to learn how to think independently and understand the nuances of complex information. This is the most important thing a student learns in college.

Answer 6

The absolutely do, of course. So do instructors at any level.

However, at the college level, the students are there to learn how to THINK, not just memorize what they are spoon-fed in class, right? Don't you think that it's appropriate to expect the college student to begin to distinguish between personal opinion and academic material? At that point they should be beginning to ask, "That doesn't sound right ... is it ?" and look it up to learn for themselves. In the past, 18 year olds (typical first year undergrads) were considered adults... not children to have their education monitored and censored.

Answer 7

This is very prevalent. I think some of it is from professors trying to show their personal experience in relation to the subject matter. There is also some that is an attempt to spread their personal ideology to their students, and this type happens more in liberal arts areas of education.

Answer 8

great question
I don't think it is harmful at all as long as there is an attempted balance of different opinions at hand for the students to make their own minds up about.. reminds me of Borges's story 'the Circular Ruins' where the wizard creates a classroom of potential minds, and the student he chooses to mentor is the one who does not answer 'yes' immediately to all of his questions. He is seeking a student that thinks for himself.

It also depends on the course.

My philosophy professor had very strong views against war as a veteran himself, so many of his classes became a platform for him to speak his views , but instead of closing off the argument, as we knew he was smarter than us all and could have, it became one of my favorite classes, as everybody had their own strong views on the subject, and that opened very stimulating and intelligent debate between people.. Plus he managed to stay within the realm of philosophy!
This kind of discourse is imperative to a generation that might instead mistake the mud-slinging that takes place on television news programs and in politics as reasonable...


Bring your opinions to class, but then you MUST encourage students to bring theirs as well. Otherwise certain ideologies or opinions could be mistaken for fact. We all see what happens when professors from universities go 'lib' on their students. Some have been fired with plenty of media attention to detail. It's a shame actually that this might discourage what is most important in a young mind - free thinking as your own identity begins to take shape. Very rarely today in the US, except in strict catholic or boarding schools, are children told to feel or think a certain way. Diversity was encouraged when I went to high school and college, and I'm sure many people had the same experience.

And I personally benefited from discourse more than sermon or lecture. I find that what is harmful to young minds is to tell them to shut up and listen!

Answer 9

Yes they do.. The cool thing when your going through your higher education period is that you start seperating what you feel is not correct and start forming your own opinions on life. So many regurgitate what they hear but the true thinkers learn to come to their own conclusions. Goodluck. Have fun. Learn hard! Have your own mind!

Answer 10

It happened in middle school and perhaps earlier too.