ENEMY PROFESSOR (No. 15) - Jennifer McGrew

No Indoctrination dot org ^ | 2-12-2005 | dfu

[doug from upland]

How would you like to hear your daughter write home from college that her Intermediate Writing professor showed pornography in the classroom? Yes, according to this student, it did happen at Weber State.
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Record for NoIndoctrination.org entry #259.

Weber State University (WSU)

Oct. 16, 2003

http://www.weber.edu

UT

  Course: ENGL 2010: Intermediate Writing

  Course Catalog Description: Students will build on the skills learned in EN1010. They will focus on argumentation/persuasion, critical thinking, and documented research. Special attention will be paid to the reciprocity between reading and writing and the production of well-developed analytical arguments. Students will choose context-specific projects in which they write to real audiences to accomplish specific purposes. Students will also be introduced to computer technologies and their impact on writing.

  Professor: Jennifer McGrew

  Required? Yes, for all students

  Lecture Bias: Objectionable

  Comments: I cannot disregard my professor’s blunt disrespect as she taught her impudent parables. It was spring semester of 2001 and we were discussing the ‘mood’ or setting of literary works. We discussed techniques used by movie directors to imply fear, loneliness or intensity – by using symbols or changing the sound and lighting. To illustrate this topic, we watched short movie clips. After discussing a horror movie, Professor McGrew excitedly inserted a different movie. She grinned and said, “Let’s see what you think about this one!” This particular film was pornographic and we didn’t know it - we were clueless. After watching bright fluorescent lights flash on the screen and hearing music bearing 80’s resemblance, the screen began to pan up a woman’s leg. I thought, “She wouldn’t show us porn – would she?” I was wrong. Dead wrong. To my disgust, I vividly remember viewing a man reach up a woman’s dress and then touch her naked breast. That is all I saw or cared to see. My stomach jumped and my head whirled. I instantly put my head down. Others in the classroom did the same. As I sat there glaring at the light bouncing off the wood-grained desk, I wondered if it was just a dream. I thought, “Can she do this? Is this real? After a minute or so of continuous play, she finally stopped the tape and turned on the lights. I couldn’t believe it! I was paying for this professor to teach me Intermediate Writing! Did pornography need to be shown? Absolutely not! This class was and is a core requirement for graduation...and she had us watching pornography! She asked, “What did you think of that?” With about fifteen enrolled in the class, there was no response. I believe the students were in utter shock. I don’t recall my educator’s explanation for showing this cassette. I was stunned by her rashness. I remember that she herself seemed uncomfortable...yet awkwardly pleased. As I left the classroom, I observed a few students who vocalized their disgust with the film. I simply wanted to leave. I was too angry to talk. It took me one week to articulate what I was going to say. When that day came I explained how I had made a personal decision to evade this specific ill of society, and how I wished she could have warned us before inserting such filth. She smirked as I talked to her and said she found it interesting that so many of us were offended. She told me she would do all possible to try and “dance the fine line” between what is accepted and what is not – and that by so doing it would ‘open our minds’ and incite talent in our writing. She later scoffed at ‘Utah’ ethics and said “Had I shown it to my previous students in New York, they would have loved me!”

Shortly thereafter, we had an assignment to write an extensive essay about a particular social group whose lifestyle differed from our own. Our quest was to attend a meeting or event where this diverse ‘culture’ gathered and document their behavior and social nature. I was excited for this assignment, and I immediately chose to study the American Cowboy. To generate ideas for diverse cultures, she discussed the possibility of attending a ‘Mormon’ gathering. I assume nearly half the class belonged to the LDS faith. She, however, was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), and found it peculiar. As a member, I put myself in her shoes and thought of the possible fascinating essays one could write. I myself would find it unusual were I not a member. Then, she began to expand. She flippantly explained that Mormons wear ‘special underwear’ that is exclusively worn by only the ‘good’ members. She giggled, “As a matter of fact, I purchased some Mormon underwear myself...I bought it near one of their temples...They’re so cute (referring to the undergarments)...There was a nice old lady there who let me choose what kind of fabric I wanted...there were so many choices...the underwear is so cute...the women’s has cute little frills and lace along the edges.” At the time, she told us her sister was enrolled in the Peace Corp in the Philippines. She continued, “I ended up sending my sister her own very little ‘missionary package’, complete with [Mormon] women’s garments, Twinkies and cookies.” In the LDS faith, there are over 65,000 young missionaries sent all over the world – each for a period of one and a half or two years. A large portion are from Utah, and their mothers undoubtedly and when possible, send numerous letters and packages filled with goodies and clothing. Like all attire, the LDS undergarment wears thin, and needs to be replaced. It is simply not accessible everywhere in the world, and ‘restocking’ is obviously of great importance. Professor McGrew boasted that she sent this ‘missionary package’ and found it amusing to belittle what a large portion of the class respected and wore at that very moment. I particularly don’t care if she or her sister, as non-members, wore the undergarment. To them it was simply clothing. To members of the LDS faith, however, the garment is sacred, treated with reverence and reminds us of Christ. It is worn by choice, by faithful of-age members within the LDS Church. It is similar to the yarmulke, worn by those of the Jewish faith. Muslims have sacred clothing as well. Sacred objects need to be regarded by others as simply that – sacred. I can laugh this situation away if I want, hoping that she doesn’t understand – but as a professor in a university, she is held on higher ground and expected to treat the community with respect. This behavior is simply un-proper. For a professor to mock what a majority of the students hold sacred is unprofessional and dishonorable. Upon retrospect, she never apologized, but simply mocked our morality. I saw her walking on campus a few semesters ago, and I worried. What was she teaching? Is she the same? Does she continue with her disrespect of the LDS faith? Have her students seen the ‘porn-film’ yet?

  Discussion Bias: Excessive

  Comments: See above

  Readings Bias: Excessive

  Comments: Our book of readings was World of Ideas (edited by Jacobus), but we were not required to read all of the book. We had assigned writings by Friedrich Nietzche, writings by Darwin, Nonmoral Nature by Stephen Jay Gould - The Ichneumon fly, some sexual studies, and works by Sigmund Freud. We only had these selected readings and a few more. I must admit I found these essays interesting, but why was everything anti-deity - demoting the existence of a God or supreme creator? All she gave us were readings which disproved and none approved. I wonder if there were 'pro-God' or upbeat essays within that book? What were her intentions?

  General Comments: One who teaches edifies – or should edify.

“Faculty, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon themselves. (Academic Freedom, Section 9-4 • http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/9-04.htm)

“The faculty are entitled to freedom in discussing their subjects, but they should be careful not to introduce in their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.”(Academic Freedom, Section 9-1 • http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/9-01.htm)

I am grateful to my professor for pushing my writing to near perfection, but I cannot dismiss this perverse analogy (of the many) that she used in our class to promote her peculiar agenda. I hope she does not continue to teach in ways that are clearly offensive and will adhere to the general principles of Academic Freedom. I endorse her ability to teach students Intermediate Writing, but pornography and mockery have no part in such an endeavor.

Rebuttal

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[doug from upland]

Whoops, this is No. 15. I hope the Admin Moderator has aleady changed my error in the title. Here is No. 14 -- CLICK.

[hosepipe]

Trolling porn thru the classroom is fishing for what.?.
Dates?

[Getsmart64]

My wife's daughter has a friend that goes to WSU....she's always reciting what her friend has learned in school to my wife. My wife will mention it to me and I usually tell my wife what to say to her daughter about the subject as my wife does not follow politics or anything that isn't part of her little world. She has me to do that for her..:) Makes for some fun conversations. I can understand the students feelings as she is more than likely a good Mormon.

[Cicero]

Yes, it sounds disturbingly like a lesbian trolling for dates. I happen to agree with this student: Watching pornography is bad for your mental health, because visual images have a kind of power over the mind. Once they get in, it's hard to get them out. And pornography is dehumanizing; it teaches you to regard human beings as objects rather than as persons, to be manipulated for pleasure.

This is inexcusable. This professor should be pulled out of the classroom immediately and replaced by someone else for the rest of the semester.

[OldFriend]

My daughter was forced to take a class called Freshman Seminar in English.

The professor brought in a book with all the ways the 'f' word could be used....and proceeded use the word every day in as many ways as possible.

This in a conservative private college.

They're everywhere, sadly.

[doug from upland]

Ping. This series will continue. If anyone else wants to be on the ENEMY PROFESSOR ping list, let me know.

[CyberAnt]

Words are seeds .. when seeds are planted and watered, they sprout. It's that simple. It's to introduce the student to the seeds of doubt about what is normal behavior.

[hosepipe]

True....
Doug has hit on a very good series here.. hope he keeps it up..

[doug from upland]

You're on the ping list.

[hosepipe]

[ You're on the ping list. ]

Cool... Even if most don't see these threads at least some lurkers might.. Amazing how this can go on in Americas colleges with little or no outrage.. What passes for professors in Americas colleges is outrageous generally..

A link to David Horowitz's website or one of the articles there there might be wise.. in the main body somewhere.. Nobody has their tar and feathers all heated up as David Horowitz has.. For me, tar and feathers is far too compassionate I tend to think, rope and a tree would make a better statement.. and object lesson..

[justt bloomin]

I'm thankful I attend Wake Forest University. Although I'm sure there are some professors here who are mildly offensive, I have yet to experience anything like this.

[genghis]

1- nice post
2- as long as gov subsidizes education we should expect this type of craziness
3- what we need is separation between education and state

[cgbg]

Good series you have here.

I hope you have a lot of time on your hands because these wacko profs are probably at least 5% at most universities. :-(

[doug from upland]

LOOK AT THIS --- THE WORD IS SPREADING

[doug from upland]

I received email from the owner of the site. She loves the publicity here.