HEllo, Colleagues,
I've been away from campus for a couple of days so have returned to find this interesting exchange of email about civility.
As is often the case, I find much to admire in the expressed thoughts of my colleagues.
First, please allow me to join the praise of Amy's solution to bad student behavior.
Second, let me thank Achim for raising the issue of occasional problems between faculty. They are not the norm at SUNY Oneonta, but they certainly exist, and they are often detrimental to our students.
The problems that Achim and others have described deal with unfortunate verbal or written exchanges between faculty. Even more harmful, I believe, are discussions or accusations about faculty that are NOT face to face (or keyboard to keyboard) since this indirect type of attack leaves no chance for rebuttal, or, when necessary, apology.
Last week, I was among those fortunate people who heard Roger Sullivan's "Last Lecture" in Hunt Union. I was deeply moved by the description of kindness and achievement that he gave about many of our faculty and staff colleagues. At the end of his lecture, he distributed several wristbands with the motto "Pay It Forward." Some of you may recall this was the message from a movie in which a boy devised a plan to pass along acts of kindness. I have several of those wristbands in my office and will be happy to give one to anyone who would like to help this effort grow on our campus.
Thanks
Janet
Dr. J. Nepkie
SUNY Distinguished Service Professor
Professor of Music and Music Industry
Music Department
State University of New York College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820
Ph. (607) 436 3425
Fax 607 436 2718
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching Breakfast List on behalf of Michael Koch
Sent: Thu 4/30/2009 5:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: response to Achim: a boor's perspective
Dear Colleagues,
I will be, to use Billıs term, a boor.
Let us think about what a boor is. A boor is a farmer (³boer²). Why do
people not want to be farmers? Because farmers are not polite (³politus²:
smoothed out).
Polite societies (and polite people) are not necessarily nice people. They
act nice, but, because they are polite, they may not say (especially in
public, especially to oneıs face) what they really think.
The boor tells you what she believes. Accusations of ³loutishness² are often
used to suppress discourse that makes individuals uncomfortable. Farmers are
accustomed to being uncomfortable. Boorishness is particularly disagreeable
to those who are not used to being uncomfortable (polite society).
Insistence on politeness is often used as a tool to maintain existing
structures of power. It is boorish to (to use a cliché) speak truth to
power.
For example, what if someone in a meeting (say in the College Senate) says
something that is plainly false? The lout or, in my case ³the boor², will
say, quite simply, that it is false. The polite speaker of untruth will feel
uncomfortable. ³That was so uncivil!² But such discomfort can be
therapeutic. Perhaps next time the person will take care to get the facts
straight. Or that person will raise concerns about the lack of civility.
One of the problems in Senate, for example, is that there often is too much
civility. So much of the discourse is allusion (and, thus, elusive) rather
than direct.
Civility has its uses, but it is not, in my view, intrinsically good.
As Bill wrote, if we are to engage in discourse we need to listen or read
intently and sympathetically to what others say or write. But we should also
question or challenge.
I also want to note, although this is an overly long email, that Amyıs
original post was about a very specific issue: respectful discussion on a
discussion board in an online course. I agree with Achim that the medium of
exchange influences what is communicated. A classroom situation (online or
not) is also a peculiar environment. The professor may act as
Parliamentarian. In other arenas of discourse there is no authority a
priori. Authority and standards are worked out discursively. One of the
really interesting things about Amyıs class is how she had her students work
out these norms. After which it only makes sense for them to agree to them
and (mostly) follow them.
It seems a really nice job of anticipating a problem and using the potential
problem as a means to educate. Thanks Amy.
Best Regards,
Michael
From: Joanne Curran <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:12:21 -0400
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: response to Achim
I agree with Paul. Billıs response was impressive. Joanne
From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Paul Conway
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 12:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: response to Achim
Bill -
Your thoughtful and articulate response to Achim's inquiry deserves praise.
Thanks,
Paul
Paul Conway
Professor of Political Science
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, NY, 13820 - USA
Office phone: 607-436-3923
From: Teaching Breakfast List on behalf of William Proulx
Sent: Thu 4/30/2009 11:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Taylor Piece in NYT
Hi Achim,
We have often found ourselves on the opposite side of discussions and
issues. However, I canıt recall a single time when the discourse hasnıt
been civil. As you once commented, ³ it takes place without the presence of
poison.² Hence, I have always walked away having equal to greater respect
for you as a colleague. I wish others could enter discussion with the same
poison-less passion.
In my opinion, the medium is not the cause. Rather, it only provides the
opportunity for the boorish to manifest their true characters. A truly
civil individual will be consistently civil regardless of the time, place,
or situation. On the other hand, a boor will cloak their lack of civility
to one degree or another but eventually their churlish inclinations will
come to light. Fortunately, civil discourse is a learned skill and
behavior. As teachers and citizens we must teach and model that it is
possible to be frank without being loutish and to disagree, even strongly,
with civility.
We should help our students and others understand that the goal of any civil
discourse is for both sides to offer their opinions with honesty and
frankness and listen intently to what the other side has to say, and when
the conversation is done, despite passionate disagreement, we have a better
relationship for having done so.
Respectfully,
Bill
William R. Proulx, Ph.D., R.D.
Associate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics
Department of Human Ecology
205D Human Ecology Building
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820
607-436-2147
From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Achim Koeddermann
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Taylor Piece in NYT
Dear Collegues,
lately, I tried to move, as chair, some of the dept. discussions to the
internet.
My experience was bad, to say the least.
Two fractions oppose each other re. email discussions: the one which likes
the "fankness" or the all but civil discourse, and the other that feels so
offended by it that to mend fences becomes almost impossible.
Problem: do you archieve the (flaming) exchanges? Especially junior faculty
feel vulnerable in this, and it is not truly a free exchange. We also have a
generation gap: how to include the non-media literate oldtimers?
Now, in my SUNY Senate expereince, none of this became an issue: the
listserves have been very sucessful.
My STUDENTS seem to navigate this medium (not facebook) much more
cautiously.
In my view, for the colleagues, the electronic medium is causing a decline
in civil discourse.
What is your expereince?
Achim
"Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind."
Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, ³Transcendental Logic,²
Introduction, # 1
Dr. Achim D. Koeddermann, Chair, Philosophy Dept.
SUNY-Oneonta, NY 13820
"Gedanken ohne Inhalt sind leer, Anschauungen ohne Begriffe sind blind"
From: Teaching Breakfast List on behalf of Jim Greenberg
Sent: Thu 4/30/2009 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Taylor Piece in NYT
Some (many) or even all of you may have read the Taylor piece in the NYT on
the end of the university. The link to it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html
The piece itself has generated a lot of discussion, but this email is on a
different issue. While reading the comments on this piece, I noticed there
are many hostile remarks back and forth and wonder about "the decline of
civil discourse." What has been your experience with students involved with
electronic discourse in your courses? What about outside courses? What has
been your personal experience? Is the electronic medium causing a decline
in civil discourse?
Thanks.
Mr. James B. Greenberg
Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
Milne Library
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820
blog: The 32nd Square at http://32ndsquare.blogspot.com
<http://32ndsquare.blogspot.com/>
wiki: The 32nd Square at http://32ndsquare.wikidot.com
<http://32ndsquare.wikidot.com/>
email: [log in to unmask]
phone: 607-436-2701
fax: 607-436-3081
IM: oneontatltc
Twitter: greenbjb
"Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever"
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