May 18, 1999
Dear Dr. Swartz,
By training I am a Christian ethicist – which makes
me a hybrid
between a theologian and a philosopher. I only want to say that
this same atmosphere can often be found in theological circles,
too.
In fact, the "go for the jugular" instincts I learned in graduate
colloquia have had to be painfully unlearned in my four years of
adjunct teaching. I received very negative student evaluations
after I taught an ethics course for the first time (which was
very disheartening since this is my area of specialty).
They reacted very negatively to my comments in grading their
papers – even though I saw myself as helping them to think and
write better. I still believe that our "feeling"-oriented
society has produced far too many beginning students who cannot
take constructive criticism, but there was also considerable
truth on the other side. I have had to work hard to unlearn the
quick debate techniques I learned as a graduate student in
theology and philosophy. Incidentally, I think those bad habits
have hindered my ability to find a tenure-track faculty post. I
was taught how to think well – but not how to disagree gently.
I hope this essay of yours gets wide circulation.
Note: the author's name and address have been withheld at his
request. –Norman Swartz
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