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YCT Watchlist Mission Statement:The Professor Watch List is a resource to the student body of the University of Texas provided by the Young Conservatives of Texas. This report includes professors who push an ideological viewpoint on their students through oftentimes subtle but sometimes abrasive methods of indoctrination. The Watch List is not intended to single out professors who express political opinions. While total objectivity is an oftentimes valuable method of education, it does not follow that complete objectivity is always desired. Rather, professors are singled out for an unwillingness to tell both sides of the story or a propensity to saturate their course material with one-sided propaganda that is designed to create a predetermined mindset in the student. The Watch List considers not a professor’s ideology but whether the professor respects and strives for intellectual honesty in his or her classroom through presenting a fair and balanced delivery of information. Classroom presentation, instructor attitude and reading material are among applicable measurements of this standard. In addition to a repeated or overall theme of bias in any given class, we require submissions to include one documented experience to illustrate a professor’s bias. The submitter must include a date and preferably direct quotations of the incident. In all cases, professors will be contacted for rebuttals. Additionally, some professors will be listed on our Honor Roll. These professors embody an intellectually honest classroom or teach a subject we feel is important to higher education but is oftentimes downplayed, shunned or forgotten about by largely liberal campuses. The Young Conservatives of Texas does not advocate retaliation against listed professors, nor do we demand they change their teaching style or that the University of Texas make any attempt to censor these professors. Our goal is to apply free market principles to higher education. We believe that through openness and accountability, everyone in the University community will benefit from an improved educational product. The Watch List includes the name of the instructor, their department, the course evaluated by the Watch List and, if available, the courses the professor is teaching for the upcoming semester. The Young Conservatives of Texas wish to produce a professional document, so please write your submission in a respectful and thoughtful tone. Emotional attacks against a professor’s character or teaching style will not be tolerated because it detracts from the credibility and purpose of the Watch List. When making a Watch List submission please write complete and grammatically correct sentences. Please send your submission to Alan Crider. Contact Information:
*required Documented Abuse:
I ___Your Name___ certify the above to be true. The Young Conservatives of Texas also wish to promote intellectual honesty in the classroom, and so we would like to honor professors that are fair and objective in their class and lectures.
Honor Roll:
I ___Your Name___ certify the above to be true. Previous ListsThe Professor Watch List is designed to be a resource to the student body of the University of Texas. This report includes professors who push an ideological viewpoint on their students through oftentimes subtle but sometimes abrasive methods of indoctrination. This List does not target professors for their opinions in or out of the classroom, and professors are not judged by their politics alone. They are not noted for presenting their opinion. What is considered is whether the professor respects and strives for intellectual honesty in his or her classroom through presenting a fair and balanced delivery of information that is not crafted to produce a certain mindset within the receiving student. Classroom presentation, instructor attitude and reading material are among applicable measurements of this standard. Additionally, some professors will be listed on our Honor Roll. These professors embody an intellectually honest classroom or teach a subject we feel is important to higher education but is oftentimes downplayed, shunned or forgotten about by largely liberal campuses. YCT members have personally visited classes from all professors listed below. We do not advocate retaliation against listed professors, nor do we demand they change their teaching style. YCT members have made every effort to produce a non-partisan list. The Watch List includes the name of the instructor, their department, the course evaluated by the Watch List and, if available, the courses the professor is teaching for the Spring 2004 semester.
Watch List in Microsoft Word XP format Spring 2004 Watch List
Instructor: Robert Jensen In a survey course about Journalism, one might expect to learn about the industry, some basics about reporting and layout, the history of journalism, the values of a free press and what careers make the news machine function. Instead, Jensen introduces the unsuspecting student to a crash course in socialism, white privilege, the "truth"; about the Persian Gulf War and the role of America as the world's prominent sponsor of terrorism. Jensen half-heartedly attempts to tie his rants to "critical issues" in journalism, insisting his lessons are valid under the guise of teaching potential journalists to "think" about the world around them. Jensen is also renowned for using class time when he teaches Media Law and Ethics to "come out" and analogize gay rights with the civil rights movement. Ostensibly, this relates somehow to his course material.
Instructor: Clement Henry Both books that are required reading present a pro-Palestinian bias. Dr. Henry could have required the class to read one Pro-Palestinian and one Pro-Israeli book. He consistently employs a negative tone when talking about the U.S. or Israel, and attempts to belittle students who disagree with him. Dr. Henry has been consistently critical of Israeli and American policies while hardly mentioning the atrocities committed by Arab suicide bombers and espouses ludicrous Jewish conspiracy theories.
Instructor: David Edwards Dr. Edwards allows his hatred of conservatism and capitalism to permeate his entire curriculum. His videos reflect the left-wing viewpoint nine times out of 10. He teaches one side of the story, and uses examples of Bush's policies for nearly every criticism of political actors. The articles he highlights from the New York Times are almost always criticisms of capitalism, free trade organizations or the Iraq war.
Instructor: Steve Bronars Dr. Bronars acknowledges that one of the reasons he teaches economics is to get more people to agree with his opinions on it. He champions the free market system and believes in minimal government intervention. Although he may try to offer a liberal perspective on economics early on, he will admit that his class focuses instead on efficiency. He is very good at teaching economics, but sometimes his opinions are the main things that shine through in his lectures. You probably wouldn't take a free market economics class if you didn't already believe in capitalism, but Dr. Bronars may try to do the thinking for his students without challenging them to question why they feel the way they do.
Instructor: Edmund T. Gordon A black student in the class who held conservative politics asked what was wrong with being black and conservative, and Gordon implied that if you're black and conservative, you're not black enough, and you're not doing what's in the best interest of the black community. He's called himself a radical and displayed a political agenda of changing students' minds toward a far left ideology. Most of what's taught consists of how blacks were and are oppressed, which would seem to deprive students of other important elements of black culture.
Instructor: Gretchen Webber This introductory sociology survey course is taught by Dr. Webber primarily from a conflict theory perspective, although Webber, the textbook and the readings do deal with competing sociological perspectives such as functionalism, symbolic interactionism and feminism [Yes, that IS considered a sociological perspective.]. Webber and the readings’ emphasis on conflict theory mean that a certain interrelated set of premises are assumed at the outset of the course: A nation’s economic wealth is finite; there is "conflict" over this finite wealth along race, class, and gender lines; racial, class, and gender oppression and exploitation result from the dominant group - wealthy, white males - subjugating "subordinate" groups in an effort to hold onto their finite wealth and "perpetuate the status quo;" and finally, challenging racial, class, and gender inequality should be America’s number one policy objective. None of the readings advocate much of a role for an individual’s free will; instead the readings postulate that economic and social forces "determine" most people’s position in the "social hierarchy."
Instructor: Jennifer Suchland Since all GOV 312 courses fulfill the second half of the Texas Legislative requirement for 6 college credit hours of U.S. government, not all 49,000 UT students are required to take a GOV 312 class that deals specifically with race, class, and gender issues; there are other GOV 312 sections. However, since GOV 312 is a required class, many UT students may enroll in this section anyway, particularly if it fits their class schedule. This class deals with race, class, and gender issues primarily from a conflict theory or, more accurately, a historical-materialist perspective, as originated by Hegel and Marx, not from a classical liberal worldview. Although during class discussions Suchland allows dissenting ideas, all of the course readings greatly accentuate oppression and exploitation in the U.S. along race, class, and gender lines. If you believe in the American Dream and that the U.S. is a land of great opportunity, nothing in the readings from this class will confirm that belief.
Instructor: Thomas Garza Dr. Garza uses his position during lecture to make cheap verbal attacks on American foreign policy and the Bush administration. During one class session he made a vague, yet acidic remark, stating that the past actions of certain moral conservatives are hypocritical because the United States is a nation "that bombs people from other countries for no other reason than the fact that they look different than us." On another occasion, he referred to President George H.W. Bush as "...you know, the President Bush that was actually elected," thus making the implication that the current President holds his office illegitimately. None of these statements were relevant to the subject material, nor did they come with any qualification whatsoever-- he arrogantly offered these remarks as if they were simply a matter of common knowledge.
Instructor: Dr. Harry Cleaver While Dr. Cleaver tends to admit his bias occasionally throughout the semester, he floods the course material with a plethora of views from the postmodernist agenda. The former 1960's and 70's Marxist radical slightly refined his views throughout the last few decades and now seems to promote a not so left-wing agenda. He is still highly critical of most political establishments in the country and oftentimes gives a one-sided analysis that is more critical of free-market thinking than the more authoritarian economic philosophies. He is, however, a great lecturer and is well informed.
Instructor: Penne Restad Dr. Restad's goal is not to encourage objective inquiry into the history of this nation, but rather to indoctrinate students with highly subjective, emotional reactions to historical events. The class disposes of the concept of examining history from different perspectives in order to reach our own conclusions in favor of studying one side of the study in order to let someone else make up students minds for them. The subject matter was presented through texts that represent the same narrow and far left interpretation of American history. Spring 2004 Honor Roll
Instructor: J. Budziszewski The University is blessed to have one of the nation' most prominent voices on Natural Law among its ranks, and Budziszewski's (pronounced "BOO-jee-shef-ski") course is a virtual prerequisite to fully understanding the philosophical underpinnings of Western culture and American government. A nihilist turned Christian, Budziszewski eloquently defends the natural law through foundational thinkers of Western culture including Aristotle, John Locke and St. Thomas Aquinas. He runs an intellectually challenging yet fair classroom to students of all ideologies.
Instructor: Rhonda Evans Case In a particularly difficult subject to treat in a fair and balanced manner, Evans-Case, while personally liberal, doesn’t let her politics get in the way of classroom discussion. Dissenting opinion is welcome, and she presents herself as a very respectable and professional lecturer. Evans-Case successfully achieves a balance between her personal beliefs and presenting the facts to allow students to decide for themselves.
Instructor: Bruce Buchanan Dr. Buchanan is one of the rare professors who so well hides his own beliefs from the classroom that one if forced to wonder if he has any political leaning at all. While the value of complete objectivism is debatable, Buchanan’s even-handed approach to evaluating presidents is so disarming that even the most hardened ideologue will take his criticisms of their favorite politicians to heart. Rather than simply teaching history under different presidents, Buchanan uses history to explore different models of presidential leadership and behavior in a class that makes students better participants in democracy without persuading them to their educator’s personal views. |
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