ENEMY PROFESSOR (No. 6) - Donald Hodges

NoIndoctrination.org ^ | 12-2002 | anon

[doug from upland]

CLICK THROUGH TO WEBSITE

Warning: Postings are only opinions. (See Terms of Service)

Record for NoIndoctrination.org entry #66.

Florida State University (FSU)

Dec. 2, 2002

http://www.fsu.edu

FL

  Course: PHM 3331: Modern Political Thought

  Course Catalog Description: An examination of the five most consequential political ideologies of the modern world (Liberalism, Democracy, Communism, Socialism, Fascism). The emphasis will be on their political rather than civic content, on their historical succession rather than normative rankings, on their informal as well as formal significance, on their mutations and hybrids, on their changing positions within the Right-Center-Left political spectrum, and on their competitive struggle for world domination.

From the syllabus: This course warns students against taking the literal meaning of the political text at face value. Political theories (a mask for ideologies) are notoriously the work of intellectuals (professionals). So it is a fair guess that they represent professional interests in on or another guise. If so, then liberalism, democracy, socialism, communism, and fascism share in one degree or another the same objective of meritocracy. Since the consequences of these doctrines speak louder than words, we turn to the historical record for confirmation.

  Professor: Dr. Donald Hodges

  Required? No, purely elective

  Lecture Bias: Excessive

  Comments: From the description in the syllabus and in the course catalog, the course appears that it would be fairly interesting. It is, but for the wrong reasons. Instead of a thoughtful deciphering of various political philosophers, the professor attempts either to show how each political philsopher from Machiavelli on had some hidden pro-Communist/Socialist agenda or attempts to completely discredit them as mere tools of the ruling elite. He presents an entirely warped view of each political philospher we studied in a manner that is almost ludicrous. Dr. Hodges told us that according to Machiavelli, traitors are those who send their fellow man to fight. Patriots only fight in direct defense of their country on their own soil. He then went off on a tirade (to almost the entire class he appeared to shift from Machiaveli to his own point of view) lambasting the current administration and past ones, attacking many presidents both democrats and republicans for sending citizens to fight on foreign soil. Then, he started talking about terrorism. He said that every American President, except for two, have been terrorists. In that through their actions, innocents have been killed, making all but two indistinguishable from terrorists. A statement to the effect that murder should be legalized in America, then we could kill all of the gentleman, was said under the context of Machiavelli and communist/socialist theory. It would be funny except that he is not joking. This is from a man who self-admittedly was almost imprisoned in Argentina for aiding the Communist rebels and helped found a center for the study of dialectical materialism, or something like that, here is the USA. Even if from a far out Marxists perspective, many courses can still be interesting and fun. However, he merely drones on and on each class period attempting to indoctrinate the class with his beliefs.

  Discussion Bias: N/A

  Comments: Class discussions do not exist because he does not allow them to happen. Hands were raised about a total of ten times. I raised my hand about five of those times, only for him to make some snide remark and then attack my position or ignore my comment or question entirely. He does not appreciate anyone who says anything unless they agree with him. Even then, poeple are too scared to say anything.

  Readings Bias: Excessive

  Comments: The reading list is quite interesting. - The Literate Communist - 150 Years of the Communist Manifesto - Argentina's National Revolution & Resistance - Intellectual Foundations of the Nicaraguan Revolution - Sandino's Communism (most of the above were written by the professor) - Social and Political Philosphy (by Somerville)

  General Comments: It is not modern political philosophy. It is a course in Communist philosophical brainwashing. i.e. His only real requirement is that everyone attends class without exception. There is no homework except for the readings and the tests are jokes. He just wants the students to be at class to listen to his diatribes without any sort of intellectual exchange. Its not teaching but indoctrination.

The opinions expressed within NoIndoctrination.org are not necessarily those held by NoIndoctrination.org
Copyright © 2002-03, NoIndoctrination.org

[doug from upland]

ENEMY PROFESSOR ping list.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[dennisw]

btttttttttttttttt