Just looooooooool at the music that starts this vid...can't possibly be that dramatic

edit: lolllllll the idea that India and Pakistan will nuke us over global warming is pretty hilarious tho, good post

over the line.

i saw the "young conservatives of lousiana" and stopped watching. im sure its not bias or anything

that guy seemed like a real rocket surgeon.

It depends on the course.

A professor pushing an agenda? Noooooooooooooooooo...... Never..... I like dots.........................

lol @ complaining about a professor pushing an agenda

College is less about text books and more about taking in alot of information, ideas, agendas, and wading through the bullshit yourself. I'd be offended if a professor didn't have a strong belief in something, cuz what the fuck is his purpose and me even being in the class. Country is getting fucking soft.

loooooooooool

I came here to post that I went to LSU for undergrad and rip on the "young conservatives" group. but I finally watched the video and it blew me away because I actually had dr. schaeffer for astronomy 1000 sophomore year.

he has a way of turning every topic into a discussion that draws everyone in whether they're the type to participate or not. he would lecture in every class period on a wide range of topics so that he could show you how semi-related subjects/methods fit together. I always appreciated his perspective in that way. I found myself understanding things I would have ignored in other classes directly because of his teaching. you'll have to trust me on this, the "blood will be on your hands" and similar comments are all tongue-in-cheek from this guy. he has his own strong opinions but he's obviously setting up a mock debate in the class. the questions are designed to be provocative and eye-opening, get over it.

the dude went to MIT and he's obv vvv intelligent. he is a little eccentric tho, the type of guy that's so genuine he might not understand the backlash from this. he taught the only class I ever had that graded on a true curve with only top 20% getting A's. he does a lot of work outside the university too... my memory is a little sketchy but he was paid $1M by one middle-eastern government for an astronomical calendar he made. he was the 1st that could pinpoint the exact time the jewish holiday began, whatever the jewish holiday is that starts on a full moon (ramadan? not real sure). apparently this was super valuable to the crazy foreigners and he's the kind of guy that can bridge the gap between broad philosophical discourse and the real issues at hand.

this is really weird because I've always said he was my favorite prof during undergrad. dr. schaeffer won't have any problem getting another job at a better school if the conservatards get their way. the guy openly leveled with us one day that he was only at LSU "because of the latitude." just lol at chasing away one of the true academics at your 3rd tier school.

edited to add that schaeffer and his wife (a geology prof also at LSU) decided not to have kids because of the implications he was spelling out in the video. that was the only time it ever felt a little uncomfortable to listen to him lecture.

i couldnt pay attention to what he was saying because i was too mezmorized by that kid's graphic tee

 

Originally Posted by killingbird

there is a reason the video is edited. He broke the class up in to groups and told them "this is what you will be arguing today". He is explaining to the different sections of the class the ridic points they will be arguing.

So then why is he mocking those he disagrees with? I don't really care about this tbh because it's just par for the course on Universities across America, but to act like he isn't trying to push his absurd views is loltastic.

I can still remember a professor calling me a bad person because I'm pro-life.

I made it about 3 mins through. I thought the best part was the chubby red head with that stupid graphic T-shirt wearing sunglasses while on his computer.

 

Originally Posted by gamma21

First of all that type of comment shouldn't be made by a professor that is being paid by tuition from students and tax dollars from citizens. Btw, I'm pro-life, but believe it's a moral issue/decision and I don't want to outlaw the practice. My professor was wrong and completely out of line.

Yup, sounds like your prof was out of line.

As for his comment, I think it is exactly the kind of thing they should be saying and is what I hope all of my sons profs (of all politicals slants) will do to challenge him and his thinking when he goes to college.

 

Originally Posted by gamma21

I don't really care about this tbh because it's just par for the course on Universities across America

LOL... right....

Anyway, back to reality. One of my favorite profs was basically a professional devils advocate. Lady could play both sides of the coin like a pro. Really kept you on your toes -- if you were going to take a position, you had better know how to back it up. That's an crucial part of learning. I like professors that have passion and energy.

 

Originally Posted by gamma21

What's the point of having open dialogue if you're just going to ridicule the opposing viewpoint? Kids pay good money to learn, not to be ridiculed for their personal beliefs. Personal attacks have no place in the college classroom imo.

First of all. He ridicules everyones, not just those with different beliefs. And my understanding is that these students are not in groups based on their personal beliefs. The teacher puts the chart up (shown at the beginning of the video) and says "for the purpose of this discussion, if you are sitting in this section of the class, you think this way. If you are sitting in this section of the class, you think this way." Its like being in debate class, where one team has to argue one perspective and the other team has to argue the other perspective.

Also, i agree with most everyone here. If you did not have some teachers in college who challenged your belief system and, frankly, pissed you off on a regular basis....then you got a shitty college experience imo.

 

Originally Posted by gamma21

The post you quoted from me is clearly me talking about my experience and not the LSU situation. Challenging someones position is completely different than attacking someone on a personal level. Calling someone a bad person in front of a classroom full of their peers accomplishes nothing imho. I wouldn't imagine a debate team being coached to call the opposition a pos in an attempt to further their position.

I dont think it was clear that is what you were talking about, but if so, then we are on the same page and I agree with you.