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Paul@BYC

On 10/27/2010 4:43 PM, I am Tosk wrote:
In ,
says...

On 10/27/2010 9:53 AM, I am Tosk wrote:
In ,
says...

On 10/27/2010 9:23 AM, I am Tosk wrote:
In ,
says...

On 10/27/2010 8:18 AM, John H wrote:
On Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:51:18 -0400, wrote:

On 10/27/2010 7:13 AM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:45:47 -0400, "Paul@BYC"
wrote:

Sure, I'm progressive. I believe in progress, in moving forward, in
extending rights, in scientific development, in opening doors, in making
sure the "play" is fair. I don't believe in scapegoating, in blaming one
ethnic group or another for our society's failures, or in trying to get
ahead by scaring large blocks of nervous people.

Now you've done it - sit back and watch the fur fly.

Are you a sociology professor studying internet behavior?

That's pretty funny!

If I were, some posters here would make for an interesting study group,
I'd bet.

My underpinnings and teachings are more classical, and less
trade-schoolish, not that there is anything wrong with learning a trade.
In my classes, you might learn what some great thinkers thought, why
they thought that, how those thoughts evolved, how they influence us
today. You'd also be required to write many long papers.

Must the papers be of a certain 'bent' to recieve a good grade?

Of course not. What we like to see is evidence the writer properly
prepared himself by reading and assimilating pertinent works, and spent
significant time thinking and writing so as to present a logical,
coherent paper. In class discussions, any ideas are welcome, but the
presenter has to be able to defend them. We try to teach our students to
think logically and to develop and use their wits.

Yes, "must be able to defend them". Against who? A professor with a
liberal bent that might not challenge one side as vigorously as the
other... Especially if that professor doesn't feel one side needs
defending at all... Watched three kids come through the system, and my
mom was a school administrator for almost 50 years, I know how it
works...

You appear unfamiliar with the process of "defending" one's papers,
thoughts, presentations as it is done at the college/university level. I
say that because you are injecting partisan politics into a process that
has nothing to do with partisan politics. The exercise is intellectual,
not political.

No offense, but you seem eager to point fingers and make accusations,
even on subjects about which you know little or nothing.

The challenges to the presenters come not from me, but from fellow
students chosen at random and given a copy of the paper a few days
before the class discussion. The object of the exercise is to develop
logical thinking processes, not to insult the presenters or the
challengers. My role is that of sometime moderator, to keep the
discussions on track and within the time limitations.

I trust you have the best intentions... I just know how tough it is for
my kid to be in a Social Studies class with a openly regressive teacher
who's car sports a bumper sticker saying "impeach Bush, torture Cheney".
She is a bright kid and knows how to play the game, she has the highest
grades in the class and it's not even her they are grading

You present an interesting paradox. On the one hand, you lament what you
perceive as a decline in freedom of speech and on the other hand, you
lament your kid's teacher expressing his or her freedom of speech on a
bumper sticker.

Nope, the problem comes when the teacher brings that radical/militant
attitude to the classroom, but you know that is what I meant, didn't
you?

To be brutally frank, no. You didn't say that, nor did you imply it.
I don't know what "openly regressive" means, either. I don't understand
your comment about "not even her they are grading." What does that mean?

Perhaps we might have better understanding if you just came out and said
what you mean, instead of obfuscating. I read through some of your long
post on your kid's motorcycling adventures before I gave up because I
didn't understand much of the lingo you were using. I'm a big fan of
standard English.

It is too late to impeach Bush. :)