ENEMY PROFESSOR (No. 3) - Richard Lowy

No Indoctrination Dot Org ^ | 1-31-03 | dfu

[doug from upland]

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Record for NoIndoctrination.org entry #85.

University of California, Riverside (UCR)

Dec. 4, 2002

http://www.ucr.edu

CA

  Course: ETST 001: Introduction to the Study of Race and Ethnicity

  Course Catalog Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. ETST 001 will introduce students to major concepts and controversial issues in the study of race and ethnicity and shall provide a general overview of topics to be covered in more specialized Ethnic Studies courses.

  Professor: Dr. Richard Lowy

  Required? Yes, for my major or minor

  Lecture Bias: Excessive

  Comments: In an attempt to justify the uneven socio-economic conditions of African Americans in the United States today, the professor blamed the conditions on overt racism everyday by white people all across the nation. The professor essentially defined racism as an opinion or attitude of a white individual toward an individual of color. I then asked him, “Does this mean that an individual of color in America can not be racist?” He responded, telling me that was correct. Based on the oppression that African Americans experienced in America, they could not be racist. The professor was so excessive on this perspective that some of the black students in the class actually told me that he made them uncomfortable. White racism was absolutely the theme of every lecture. Since the professor believed only white people could be racist, naturally the whole course was about white racism. At one point in lecture the professor came across as outright religiously persecuting. He was talking about how Christians were engaging in systematic racist works. He talked about how they were associated with Neo-Nazis and KKK. As a Christian I found this shocking and personally offensive. However after reading the texts I realized that he was referring to extremist groups in the Christian Right, like the Christian Identity and Christian Reconstructionists. When I confronted him after class on the difference between these two groups he was apologetic for the confusion but it didn’t remedy the fact that he had already given his misleading lecture to the entire class. I still feel that not differentiating in this case was part of his personal agenda and a direct violation of the UC’s statement of Academic Freedom, restricting teachers from using their course “as a platform for propaganda." He also poked fun at the intelligence of George Bush and compared him to a monkey in appearance. I found this to be rather conflicting with his self-proclaimed goal of open intellectual debate. He also went on to make fun of Bush’s “primitive” belief in moral absolutism, a value I believe in very strongly. To deliver this personal belief to a classroom of still shaping young minds is also a violation of the UC’s statements of Academic Freedom, "To convert, or to make converts, is alien and hostile to this dispassionate duty.”

  Discussion Bias: Objectionable

  Comments: The discussion was objectionable because the TA also supported the professor’s assertions about how only white people can be racist. She told us that people of color could be prejudiced toward whites or other people of color. However they were not in a position to be racist. It was really unusual, as if they were redefining these words for their course. None of the teachers actually discouraged classroom participation or argumentation on this matter. However to make the point that black people can not be racist in a course that had disproportionately large black enrollment, prevented most disagreeing students from being eristic.

  Readings Bias: Objectionable

  Comments: Here is a list of the primary texts for the course. They were both left wing extremist and offered little variety of opinions or balance to the course.

1) Chip Berlet & Matthew N. Lyons, Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. New York: The Guildford Press, 2000

2) Joe R. Feagin, Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, and Future Reparations. New York: Routledge, 2000

  General Comments: N/A

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

[doug from upland]

For clarity about authorship, this was done anonymously by a student at UCR.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Mr. K]

good post, but did these comments fall on deaf ears?

leftist are lIn my experience, leftists are liars. Did they use this to dicover discontent so they can stamp it out?

[doug from upland]

This is a fairly new website that was created by the mother of a San Diego State student. It recently made the front page of a San Diego newspaper. I have been sending info to college Republican groups. It is time to out all these leftist American-hating propagandists. I hope it can help make a change for balance.

[jackd]

Does this idiot "professor" have a legitimate doctorate or is he an Internet "doctor"? Having obtained his "doctorate" from the internet for a price from a fictitious university? Or maybe he is one of those "professors" from the "university of hard knocks" or just another street punk with a big mouth. It would be interesting to debate this idiot. If by some miracle this response should reach him he can find me at this address. Bring it on, Tyrone! I am ready anytime you are!