The Syllabus

“The modes by which we transmit these beliefs and values are not just like we walk into the room, and we announce, ‘You only get an A if you write a paper that conforms with my preferred worldview,’” says Connecticut College philosopher Simon Feldman. In this week’s episode of The Syllabus, Feldman and his colleague Afshan Jafar join Mark Oppenheimer to talk about what professors’ politics should and should not mean in the classroom—and how the right, they feel, has distorted the topic. Guest Bios: Afshan Jafar: Afshan Jafar is the chair of the sociology department at Connecticut College. Professor Jafar was the 2021 recipient of the Helen B. Regan Faculty Leadership Award, the 2015 recipient of the Feminist Activism Award, and the 2014 recipient of the  Helen  at Connecticut College  at Connecticut College . She is the author of Women’s NGO’s in Pakistan and her public scholarship has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, LA Review of Books, Inside Higher Ed, and Ms. Magazine, among others.  Simon Feldman: Simon Feldman is an associate professor of philosophy at Connecticut College. Feldman received the Connecticut College 2010 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

Show Notes

“The modes by which we transmit these beliefs and values are not just like we walk into the room, and we announce, ‘You only get an A if you write a paper that conforms with my preferred worldview,’” says Connecticut College philosopher Simon Feldman. In this week’s episode of The Syllabus, Feldman and his colleague Afshan Jafar join Mark Oppenheimer to talk about what professors’ politics should and should not mean in the classroom—and how the right, they feel, has distorted the topic. 


Guest Bios:

Afshan Jafar: Afshan Jafar is the chair of the sociology department at Connecticut College. Professor Jafar was the 2021 recipient of the Helen B. Regan Faculty Leadership Award, the 2015 recipient of the Feminist Activism Award, and the 2014 recipient of the  Helen  at Connecticut College  at Connecticut College . She is the author of Women’s NGO’s in Pakistan and her public scholarship has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, LA Review of Books, Inside Higher Ed, and Ms. Magazine, among others. 

 

Simon Feldman: Simon Feldman is an associate professor of philosophy at Connecticut College. Feldman received the Connecticut College 2010 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

Creators and Guests

AJ
Guest
Afshan Jafar
SF
Guest
Simon Feldman

What is The Syllabus?

Every week, a different guest joins Mark Oppenheimer to talk about politics on American college campuses. Politics are roiling college campuses across the United States. Whether the topic is the Middle East, affirmative action, Title IX, or something else, students and faculty seem to have controversial opinions—and they aren't being very civil in talking about them. To cut through the noise, and to find out what teachers and students really think, journalist, historian, sometime professor, and college administrator Mark Oppenheimer is joined by teachers, students, and administrators to give their uncensored view from the ground (or the quadrangle, or the fraternity or sorority house, or the dining hall, or the dorm, or the playing field). The Syllabus is produced by the Office of Open Learning at American Jewish University in partnership with Inside Higher Ed.