Friday, January 27, 2006

Academic Ignorance

Sometimes I am amazed at how sheltered some people are.

The blog below finds it ironic that a university would like to teach business ethics on a navy base. I think the irony is supposed to be something about teaching ethics to memebers of the military.

What I find so disturbing is the image of the military... killing machines, etc...

Having been a military wife for about ten years, and having actually taught on a military base in Nebraska, I can tell you that members of the military are generally thoughtful, considerate and polite as students. They respect the authority of their instructor and they are motivated to get good grades, as the military won't pay for grades under a C.

In fact, the best class I've ever taught in logic was on a military base and met late on Friday afternoon. They were a cohesive group who could follow directions. They also had a great sense of humor and really seemed to appreciate the fact t hat I would come and teach them at that terrible time of the academic week. I'd teach every Friday from 4-7 if I thought my class would be that good.



http://etaliae.blogspot.com/

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Nope. I'm surprised by the hostility, on my blog and here. My point was, as indicated by the *wording* of my post/title, that the university was advertising for "business ethicists" in an adjunct capacity. That was the contradiction I found, frankly, sadly indicative of too much of academia.

I'm not sure how you figured I was somehow being disrespectful to military students, or to non-military or any other students who might attend this particular course, since I didn't say anything about either. If you have encountered people who were dismissive of your students from any walk of life, I sympathize. I have had many, many military and former-military students, and they have, as you said, been among my finest--intellectually and personally.

I'm concerned that you got so much mileage out of a misreading of my post. I don't mind being taken to task for what I say, but hate to be made a villain for what I did *not* say.

Inside the Philosophy Factory said...

The blog post was actualy vague on the point, as the advertisement was explicitly for a military base...

As my comment on your blog notes, if the irony/oxymoronic naure of the post was intended to point out the contrast between business ethics and having a significantly underpaid adjunct teach it, then I'm with you 100%...

If the irony was about military students learning ethics, then I'm not at all in agreement...