tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post115951224084449021..comments2023-10-23T09:10:21.726-07:00Comments on Darwin's California Cat Presents Last Days of My Career as a College Professor: Pedagogue or Panderer?....J.Michael Robertsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748774253168313345noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159796469438317452006-10-02T06:41:00.000-07:002006-10-02T06:41:00.000-07:00I second the last comment - just don't answer the ...I second the last comment - just don't answer the questions. People are not required to provide any personal information, they can simply deny the request. We should be encouraging these kind of assignments for students instead of running away from them because they are too risque.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159720688390658292006-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:002006-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:00Don't people have a choice whether to participate ...Don't people have a choice whether to participate in an interview? If they think the questions are too personal can't they say no or remain anonymous? Is it because you are asking for their name and she? Heck your students can interview me for the story. Although bachelorhood by choice isn't the same as virginity pledge.<BR/>Sent via BlackBerry from T-MobileAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159703797832521472006-10-01T04:56:00.000-07:002006-10-01T04:56:00.000-07:00I must admit my mouth dropped when I read the assi...I must admit my mouth dropped when I read the assignment. Knew you were in for trouble. You are a brave soul.<BR/>GloAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159636769779539572006-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:002006-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:00I like Brother Lagreid's last paragraph. It's a de...I like Brother Lagreid's last paragraph. It's a desired "outcome."....J.Michael Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15748774253168313345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159601618169313242006-09-30T00:33:00.000-07:002006-09-30T00:33:00.000-07:00Funny how a San Francisco Chronicle reporter could...Funny how a San Francisco Chronicle reporter could get away with this, but a journalism professor (despite being a contributor to major newspapers) and journalism students (who might one day be contributors to major newspapers) can't. Seems to be a fault of proximity.<BR/><BR/>Anonymity is a wonderful place sometimes, especially in journalism. It doesn't matter so much if you've taken a virginity pledge or slept with half the soccer team when you don't know the interviewer and your name won't be used. But when the question comes from a student or co-worker, and may be published in a campus medium, all of a sudden you might as well be screaming "Professor Jones is a dirty whore and I have proof" from the top of University Center during dead hour.<BR/><BR/>(I think the implications of a reporter's proximity to a story has been discussed in other forums. If not, it should be. Soapbox is being returned to the closet now.)<BR/><BR/>Likewise, in the back-and-forth saint/slut world we live in, it's unfashionable to be one or the other. There's negative connotations to both, and depending on your circle of friends or the immediate world in which you work/live, declaring yourself as either could result in upsetting the norm of the larger group.<BR/><BR/>I understand why a person would be hesitant to answer the questions; most everyone wants to be accepted in their communities, and few would want to risk tarnishing the image that they think people have of them. If I think that you think I'm getting an acceptable amount of action, why correct you?<BR/><BR/>I do worry though that something like this might get taken out of context and hurt the ability of students to do things like this - hopefully the higher-ups are on board and support these kinds of exercises.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully everyone involved remembers that it's not about how busy your bedroom is, but giving students the experience of asking uncomfortable questions and developing skills to get people to answer them.Patrick Lagreidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687111109657567811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159564006754773802006-09-29T14:06:00.000-07:002006-09-29T14:06:00.000-07:00That's ridiculous! It isn't a bad assignment, it's...That's ridiculous! It isn't a bad assignment, it's a perfectly legitimate one. Anyone who's picked up a newspaper in the last three years will have read an article about virginity pledges and all the results that show they don't work. <BR/>Now, with that said the questions the students are posing take skill to ask without offending. I remember when I first started I would just blurt out questions from my list. It took me a while to learn how to start a conversation and then go into the questions so people were at ease and we had developed a rapport. I can see how someone might be put off if they were asked point blank if they are a virgin and if they've pledged to stay that way. But that's where the teaching/lesson portion comes in. <BR/>Good for you for assigning tough assignments to them.<BR/>Those are valuable lessons to learn. I think the criticism is coming from people who have forgotten the real-world outside the idealistic halls of academia's ivory tower (I'm trying to see how many cliches I could fit into that sentence :> ) Out here we have to ask questions that might embarrass people but we learn quickly how to do so. Having those skills learned in college will help the kids in the future. <BR/>Teach On!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158350.post-1159553772103263382006-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:002006-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:00If I were you, I would keep my head down. In today...If I were you, I would keep my head down. In today's litigious atmosphere, you don't want to be accused of creating a "hostile atmosphere."B. Lundiganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01011339087001421348noreply@blogger.com