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From: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum)
Newsgroups: net.college,talk.rumors
Subject: Re: Accuracy in Academia
Message-ID: <8577@duke.duke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Sep-86 17:43:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: duke.8577
Posted: Tue Sep 16 17:43:51 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Sep-86 23:55:04 EDT
References: <15485@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <15492@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <652@midas.UUCP> <171@mn-at1.UUCP>
Reply-To: rjn@duke.UUCP (R. James Nusbaum)
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Organization: Duke University, Durham NC
Lines: 69
Xref: mcnc net.college:1519 talk.rumors:18

In article <171@mn-at1.UUCP> alan@mn-at1.UUCP (Alan Klietz) writes:
>In article <652@midas.UUCP>, jeffw@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) writes:
>> In article <2066@sdcsvax.UUCP> cs195@sdcsvax.UUCP (EECS 195) writes:
>> 
>> >    The AIA is worth sponsoring.  It may appear to single out 
>> >    liberal/leftist teachers, but this is not because of their
>> >    political leaning, rather, it is because they are the major 
>> >    source of disinformation on campus.  At least on my campus.
>> 
>> This is a joke, right? 
>> 
>> 					[Jeff Winslow]
>
>I took a survey course in European History.  The first quarter
>covered the end of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
>
>My TA gave our section the following class assignments,
>
>	o Discuss the relationship between European serfdom and
>	  modern rural land practices in Guatemala and Honduras.
>
>	o Identify some of the immediate and underlying causes of
>	  the rise of the Bourgeoisie in the 13th-16th centuries
>	  and their effects on the working class.
>
>	o Compare the role of the Church in the lives of individuals
>	  in the 13th-16th centuries with the role of the state in
>	  a Marxist society.
>
>These were the only assignments given by the TA during the quarter.
>Approximately 30% of class time was spent discussing the events in
>Nicaragua.  We did not cover Da Vinci, the Hapsburgs, New World Explo-
>ration, Rise of Spain, the Protestant Reformation, or anything else.

This appears to be in support of AIA, although it is not explicitly
stated.  This however provides an excellent example to show how this
kind of situation should be handled.  Mr. Bly would have you report
the professor of the class to AIA.  AIA would then print his name up
in their list as a 'bad' professor.  The correct way to handle this
(and if you didn't try and correct the problem, then you have no
business complaining) would be to:

	1. First talk to the TA.  Express your concern about material
that does not match the course description.

	2. If (1) fails, talk to the professor.  There is a chance
that he has no idea what the TA is doing.

	3.  If the professor is aware of the material being discussed
and does nothing about it, then talk to the department head.  Express
your concerns in an adult, constructive manner.

	4.  If all else fails talk to the administration.  Ask them to
let you drop the class and give you a tuition refund.

Please note that I believe that the issues that were discussed in your
class were important and certainly should be discussed in some class,
perhaps one entitled 'Perspective on Politics in Central America'.  It
appears that there was a problem in your class, maybe with a TA who was
letting his politics get in the way of his job, but that is no reason to
involve agencies which use blacklisting and humiliation tactics.

Jim Nusbaum

-- 
R. James Nusbaum, Duke University Computer Science Department,
Durham NC 27706-2591. Phone (919)684-5110.
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