Student suspended for not blaspheming...

[Panacea]

Okay, now this makes more sense. I wonder how it was handled - if the teacher explained it correctly and the answer they gave to students who refused to do it. Did the teacher actually try to force the student to step on "Jesus", or did the student fly off the handle and go into a rage?

I wonder the same thing. It was a Communications class, and an exercise like this would help students understand what symbols communicate to some people.

We're missing a piece to this story. Initially I was stunned, but now I feel like I need to know more to have a real opinion.

I agree it needs context. Still, I wonder why a lesson like this is even in the manual frankly. You are asking for incidents like this. Just get a teacher having a bad day who pushes it too far. Or a kid having one who JUST got asked to blaspheme against something they take very seriously. Not to mention, some students aren't yet on speaking terms with their professor so they'll go ahead with it just to not rock the boat.

IMO, you can just as easily discuss this phenomenon without demonstrating it. I'd probably toss that as a lesson. Debate it. Discuss it. Move on. It's not like the fact that some people are unsettled by certain acts is exactly revelatory.

I disagree. The act is what empowers the emotion. If you don't empower the emotion, then the symbol may not gain context or meaning to the student. This was a Communications class; understanding how symbolism motivates people is very important to Communication.

I think this is a very useful exercise: when performed by a professor who is aware of how students might react, and prepared to deal with strong emotions on either end of the faith spectrum.

Problem is, we really don't know if that was the case in this instance or not.

[Kheldarson]

I think this is a very useful exercise: when performed by a professor who is aware of how students might react, and prepared to deal with strong emotions on either end of the faith spectrum.

Problem is, we really don't know if that was the case in this instance or not.

That's the major problem I have with this article and everything I've read about the incident. We have the student's side, but we don't really have what's on the professor's or the school's. I will say that if the student is right, then the professor obviously didn't understand his own lesson or somebody had an agenda.

And I'm going to bet it's the latter. Cause, honestly, I had a professor who pulled similar crap like that because he had to be the "hip" teacher in his old age. And if it weren't for the fact that he thought being "hip" meant talking about sex bluntly, openly, and as part of every single lecture we had no matter the topic, I wouldn't have had a problem.

And he nearly reported me for being a "danger" like the Tech shooter after I came to him with a complaint about it (specifically, he had shown a movie that had very explicit scenes with no warning. I wasn't happy, but would've appreciated a warning at the least, so that's what I asked about specifically).

So, again, if the student is telling the whole of it, prof is out of line. And the fact the school seemed to jump on the student so quickly seems to support it. But there's probably more than meets the eye here.

[Pixilated]

I wish the story had included context. Does nobody writing news articles ask WHY anymore?

Not from what I can see. And either I missed something, or the reporter didn't even try to get the professor's/school's POV. (When you do that, and are refused, the standard practice used to be to write "X declined to be interviewed about the incident." Then your reading public knows that you at least made the attempt.)

Have to admit my initial reaction was shock and anger as well, and I'm not even particularly religious. However, some of the later posts have made some excellent points: there seems to be a lot of holes in this story.

[Andara Bledin]

For those asking for the other side, here is an article at the Miami Herald.

FAU professor Deandre Poole, who asked students in his communications class to write down the name Jesus on a piece of paper and step on it, claimed Rotela was reprimanded for balling his fists while telling Poole he wanted to beat him.

Another article at the Broward Palm Beach New Times.

Students were free to opt out of participation.

Another article by the same author with more details.

Apparently, the letter the student received states that he was suspended for violating the school's code of conduct, which he did by threatening the teacher.

[s_stabeler]

OK, balled fists could merely be frustration or anger at being told to blaspheme, but threatening the teacher? yup, suspension-worthy.

[crashhelmet]

OK, balled fists could merely be frustration or anger at being told to blaspheme, but threatening the teacher? yup, suspension-worthy.

Here in Nevada, having "balled fists" gives me adequate threat to legally kick someone's ass in self-defense.

[s_stabeler]

if they are held up ( in other words, in a fighting position) then yeah. if they're down by your sides, that's generally not actually a threat.

[Nyoibo]

See, that reaction right there I would have thought would have been perfect for the exercise and the class, asking why they felt that way and using it as a perfect example pf a reaction to a symbol

[Panacea]

Here in Nevada, having "balled fists" gives me adequate threat to legally kick someone's ass in self-defense.

If raised, I agree. That would be the case here in North Carolina as well. If not, not.

Still, either way, the student violated the Student Code of Conduct if he said he wanted to beat Poole. Threatening language is not permitted.

See, that reaction right there I would have thought would have been perfect for the exercise and the class, asking why they felt that way and using it as a perfect example pf a reaction to a symbol

For all we know, Poole tried to handle it that way (which I would have done as well), but the student was not listening.

Interesting that none of the other students have come forward to talk about what happened. Wonder if they've been ordered to keep quiet?

But here's the interesting part. The instructor is black. The student is white. The instructor does have some support from the faculty, as a pointed letter to the editor was published in the Chronicle for Higher Education, a very well respected weekly newspaper for higher education.

Of course, Rick Scott that bastion of morality (oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in US History before becoming Governor of Florida) had to put his two cents in.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/letters/p...rs-reputation/
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/je...governor/57651

[jackfaire]

Even when only getting things from the student's POV while reading through this I was on the Teacher's side. I have met Christian students who would love to see schools discontinue Comparative Religions class a social studies class my high school offered that discussed religions worshiped by various cultures in the world and never pushed a religion or anti - religion agenda.

They would have loved an exercise like this and protested re-branding the exercise as their teacher's attempt to "stomp out Jesus"