Politics Of The Polarized Classroom Essay - 1666 Words

Politics of the Polarized Classroom A Popular Trope By now, one must have already heard or read about the story of a young man standing up to his professor in philosophy class, the latter being a self-professed atheist. Simply put, the professor claimed that it was stupid to believe in God because there was no empirical proof of God. The young man, however, wittily retorts that since the class really had no empirical proof of the professor’s brain, then they really had no business believing him. The same trope is basically used in a more elaborated rendition in the recent Christian film God’s Not Dead (2014). There, an atheist professor challenges a Christian student for his irrational beliefs, but suddenly comes to terms with the irrationality of his own belief system by the end of the movie (Noble). An average movie at best, it can be said that richer meaning might be found in the circumstances of its creation. Movies, after all, mimic aspects of reality regardless of genre, so that the political realities described th erein are hardly fictional in nature. Simply put, â€Å"to create a film is to participate politically† (Christensen and Haas 6). Here, it is profitable to point out the three things both texts have in common: (1) both feature an atheistic professor; (2) both feature a Christian student who avidly believes God; and (3) both occur in the classroom. These factors are important to note, and the third point needs stressing, as it is central to the plot of both texts.Show MoreRelatedEvery Generation Is Defined By Something. Baby Boomers1417 Words   |  6 Pageswell-intentioned but it has ignored the harsh reality that while diversity is a good thing, everyone’s ideology is going to be different. While our support of tolerance did not intend to limit speech, students worry about sharing dissenting ideas in a college classroom because they run the risk of offending another student who may feel compelled to report them. I notice myself being careful to ensure my words aren’t minced and my ideas aren’t misconstrued. Last year when I was driving my neighbors to school whenRead MoreA Brief History Of Multicultural Education2246 Words   |  9 Pageseducational opportunity, while at the same time, encouraging students to critique society in the interest of social justice (http://www.nameorg.org/definitions_of_multicultural_e.php).† Why Multicultural Education? The educational climate in the US is polarized, with a politically-driven need for high-stakes, standardized assessments in public education. Textbooks, by sheer economies of scale are determined by Texas and California (M. Penick-Parks, personal communication, July, 2014). Educational policiesRead MoreA Critique on the Character and Citizenship Education 2380 Words   |  10 Pagesplaced on how good civic values could be practiced to achieve communal cohesion social harmony. In 1984, â€Å"Religious Knowledge† was initaited - a perceived departure from secularized values education (Tan, 1994) but it was discontinued as fear of polarized religious loyalty would compromise national ideology on shared values its outcome of social cohesion (Tan, 1994). Yet this was not exactly a moment of aberration, Chua suggested that the introduction of â€Å"Religious Knowledge† was itself an effortRead MoreOrthodoxy and Progressivism: America’s Battle over Education and a Silent Majority3201 Words   |  13 Pagesincomprehensible actions of our leaders to self-proclaimed â€Å"No Spin Zones† that offers up scoops of opinion(s) and rhetoric only to support its own cause, all the while leaving the core issues unchecked. The silent majority, formed by default of the polarized left and right sides, is the mass of humanity that have not claimed a side. Basically, those caught in the middle, which also have a stake in the outcome of the ID debate but have not trumpeted an opinion. Interestingly enough, our journalisticRead MoreAmerican Education Is Vital For The Future Success Of Any Nation2499 Words   |  10 PagesAmerica has fallen far below international standards. This poor performance has caused a recession to the innovations America once made in industries such as engineering, science, and health; Thus making it the most important topic among American politics. America is persistently investing in education to keep up with the competitive nations, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. By understanding the current system used in America, as well as those used in the countries that out perform us, weRead More Stereotyping of Arab Muslims in the New York Times for the Past Forty Years3589 Words   |  15 Pagesthis is the drive that leads Kahn to do her experiment. Kahn went though great extremes to prove her point. Kahns theory is consistent with the significance of negative stereotyping. Negative stereotyping is one form of propaganda, which effects politics. Negative stereotyping in the New York Times is hypothetically used to instill hate and desensitization in people young and old. Negative stereotyping is as equally a serious issue when it is used against people as a result of their religiousRead MoreIndian Caste System5772 Words   |  24 Pagespopulation derived by assuming Muslim OBC population in same proportion as Hindu OBC population) The massive 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests In some rural areas and small towns, the caste system is still very rigid. Caste is also a factor in the politics of India. The Government of India has officially documented castes and sub-castes, primarily to determine those deserving reservation (positive discrimination in education and jobs) through the census. The Indian reservation system, though limitedRead MoreCollective Behavior11901 Words   |  48 Pagesunderstanding yo, dude seems to be increasing. These diverse actions fall within the area sociologists call collective behavior. Some fields in sociology are relatively easy to define and their meaning can be grasped immediately, e.g. the family, deviance, politics or organizations. Collective behavior is not one of them. It includes an enormous array of behaviors, processes, structures and contexts. It encompasses parts of many sociological sub-fields. It tends to focus on a particular kind of  behavior, ratherRead MoreCollective Behavior11916 Words   |  48 Pagesyo, dude seems to be increasing. These diverse actions fall within the area sociologists call collective behavior. Some fields in sociology are relatively easy to define and their meaning can be grasped immediately, e.g. the family, deviance, politics or organizations. Collective behavior is not one of them. It includes an enormous array of behaviors, processes, structures and contexts. It encompasses parts of many sociological sub-fields. It tends to focus on a particular kind of  behavior, ratherRead MoreWireless Technology Essay16392 Words   |  66 PagesIt was during this time he was able to prove that electrical energy could be transmitted at the speed of light in the form of electromagnetic waves. One of the biggest outcomes from this finding was his ability to learn that these waves could be polarized, refracted and reflected which is similar to light. Hertz used an end-loaded half-wave dipole as the transmitting antenna and a resonant half-wave receiving loop operating at a wavelength of 8 meters to produce what is known as short radio waves