Do professors look down on evangelicals?

[Beth]

http://kansas.com/194/story/73937.html

I thought this was an interesting article. Any comments?

My own thoughts were that the two groups that had the highest rate of unfavorable ratings were the two groups that try hardest to force their religion onto others.

 

[Upchurch]

I think the example they presented from MU does show an unfair prejudice towards evangelicals, but I have to wonder what that professor was thinking making it an assignment for students to write their congressmen about a specific issue. I think there must either be information missing about this story or this particular prof. is loon. I'm favoring the former possibility.

In general, there is a lot about academia that is counter to the evangelical view of the world. Asking questions about the world and learning about other points of view are antithetical to an orthodox and/or fundamentalist mindset. If this is what is considered "looking down" on evangelicals then, to paraphrase Stephen Colbert, "Education has anti-evangelical bias."

 

[Beth]

I think the example they presented from MU does show an unfair prejudice towards evangelicals, but I have to wonder what that professor was thinking making it an assignment for students to write their congressmen about a specific issue. I think there must either be information missing about this story or this particular prof. is loon. I'm favoring the former possibility.

Clearly, not all information is included. At the end of the article, they mentioned that the professor who created the assignment did NOT require the student to sign and send the letter to their congressman. Presumably, he only required that they write the letter and turn it into him for a grade. I did find the results of the outside audit to be distressing but that is only one department in one university, it is not necessarily representative of all academia and the auditor recommended extensive change.

In general, there is a lot about academia that is counter to the evangelical view of the world. Asking questions about the world and learning about other points of view are antithetical to an orthodox and/or fundamentalist mindset. If this is what is considered "looking down" on evangelicals then, to paraphrase Stephen Colbert, "Education has anti-evangelical bias."

"Looking down" in the context of this article means having an unfavorable view of the group as a whole. Why college professors hold an unfavorable view of evangelical christians is an interesting question, but one that the surveys quoted in this article did not attempt to answer. Instead, the survey results provide support to the perception of evangelicals that they do face bias against their religious views. That perception isn't just due to professors that insist on asking questions about the world and that students learn about other points of view.

 

[joobz]

only if they are really really short.


All kiding aside, I teach engineering courses and generally don't have problems with evangelical students. In truth, the question never really comes up. I only once had a student explain to me (outside of class) that radioactive decay wasn't constant, since that was the only way to explain the world was made in 7 days. I simply said, "let's just assume that it's constant from this point forward...."

 

[Upchurch]

All kiding aside, I teach engineering courses and generally don't have problems with evangelical students.

Not an evangelical, but when I was doing the undergrad equivalent of TA'ing for a basic level physics class, I had to work with a student who wrote a paper that included the phrase "holographic interconnections between inner and outer space". As long as I live, I will never forget that phrase because I worked and worked to try to understand what the hell he was trying to say.

When I finally met with him it turned out to be some New Age garbage that he basically threw scientific sounding words at in order to help these stupid physics professors understand what the universe was really like.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Not an evangelical, but when I was doing the undergrad equivalent of TA'ing for a basic level physics class, I had to work with a student who wrote a paper that included the phrase "holographic interconnections between inner and outer space". As long as I live, I will never forget that phrase because I worked and worked to try to understand what the hell he was trying to say.

When I finally met with him it turned out to be some New Age garbage that he basically threw scientific sounding words at in order to help these stupid physics professors understand what the universe was really like.

It took you a while to realize that? Add in a quantum or two and you would have the platonic ideal of meaningless new age crap.

 

[Upchurch]

It took you a while to realize that?

I was in college. I hadn't been introduced to hardcore woo-iness yet.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I was in college. I hadn't been introduced to hardcore woo-iness yet.

I just think it seems like such obvious random throwing together of buzzwords that it is obviously BS. I also think that when I was also TAing physics labs if I had read that I would have had the same reaction then.

 

[RationalReverend]

Asking questions about the world and learning about other points of view are antithetical to an orthodox and/or fundamentalist mindset.

I come from a conservative Baptist background, and in my experience this is not the case. Let it also be noted I live in Texas, deep within the Bible belt. In the Bible Studies and homegroups, sometimes tough questions are asked and addressed. Personally, I read literature from all sorts of viewpoints. I have read Russell many times, and I've even read a Sam Harris book! And yet, I'm still a conservative orthodox evangelical. I'll read any atheist book you suggest as long as I don't have to dole out the moolah.

 

[fuelair]

Clearly, not all information is included. At the end of the article, they mentioned that the professor who created the assignment did NOT require the student to sign and send the letter to their congressman. Presumably, he only required that they write the letter and turn it into him for a grade. I did find the results of the outside audit to be distressing but that is only one department in one university, it is not necessarily representative of all academia and the auditor recommended extensive change.



"Looking down" in the context of this article means having an unfavorable view of the group as a whole. Why college professors hold an unfavorable view of evangelical christians is an interesting question, but one that the surveys quoted in this article did not attempt to answer. Instead, the survey results provide support to the perception of evangelicals that they do face bias against their religious views. That perception isn't just due to professors that insist on asking questions about the world and that students learn about other points of view.

If you recognize that a viewpoint (ecs for example)stems from lack of knowledge/inability to/or choice to not think, I find it difficult to see that as a bias except in the sense "I am biased toward breathing, having food and water, reasonable sunlight and using my thinking ability to think."

 

[c4ts]

It took you a while to realize that? Add in a quantum or two and you would have the platonic ideal of meaningless new age crap.

Don't forget to polish it with cool sounding phrases like "dynamism of inquiry" and "psycholinguistic theosophical capacity of man" to make yourself appear part of an established academic community with its own jargon. That ought to fool the so-called experts!