When war broke out two weeks ago, winter quarter final exams were being given at UC Davis. Davis policy requires all undergraduate courses to conclude with a final exam. But two UC Davis anthropology professors decided that they would be asking too much of their students if they compelled them to take the final at such a difficult and complex time.

One cancelled the exam outright: Professor Suzana Sawyer told the 300 students in her Anthro 2 course to take the test on their own and to check it against a posted key; she then used the scheduled two-hour exam period to conduct a discussion about the war (about one hundred students stayed and participated). Sawyer's exam was originally suppossed to count for 30 percent of students' grades.

Professor Monique Borgerhoff-Mulder gave the sixty students in her Human Ecology course a choice: they could take the exam as scheduled, substitute a take-home exam that would be due several days later, or skip the test entirely and take the average of their midterm grades for their final grade.

Borgerhoff-Mulder was not available for comment, but Sawyer was candid with the California Aggie about her reasons: "It is a horribly inappropriate time to simply follow routine," she said. "I could not ignore the fact that the outside world was, as it still is, under intense turmoil ó turmoil that necessarily affects our lives, our teaching." In recent decades, pedagogy on college campus has turned increasingly toward therapeutic models of interaction and assessment. How students feel about issues is often more important than--or synonymous with--what they think about them; enormous amounts of money are spent to ensure that students "feel safe" on campus and that they have a "supportive" learning environment. Students whose feelings have been hurt by the comments of peers or professors can file complaints; those who do the hurting can be sanctioned under various repressive speech codes and harassment policies. The emphasis on feelings effectively dampens the climate of free and open inquiry that is supposed to be the lifeblood of higher education; "sensitivity" is a cleverly disguised means of placing clear limits on what people on campuses can say and even, by extension, on what they can think.

A surprising number of teachers buy into what is ultimately a deeply anti-intellectual imperative, and will even compromise their professionalism by putting the hypothetical trauma of their students ahead of the real obligation to teach them. Sawyer's decision to cancel her final exemplifies this mentality, suggesting not only that the turmoil of the world is necessarily the inner turmoil of her students and herself, but also indicating that neither she nor her students should have to try to function in a time of intense international disturbance. The notion that it is more important than ever to function at such a time, and that it is the height of self-indulgence to use the war as an excuse not to meet one's obligations, does not enter into this particular world view. It was more important to Sawyer to lead her students in a rap session than it was to give them the opportunity to show what they had learned; encouraging them to share their thoughts--and feelings--about the war took precedence over requiring them to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding they had acquired in her course.

The Dean of the school does not share Sawyer's idea that sensitivity justifies an abdication of responsibility. When he learned of events in the anthropology department, he stressed how important it is that people "carry out business as usual," and he criticized the professors both for violating university policy and for unfairly disadvantaging students who did not prepare for the final. But Sawyer, who has the support of Anthropology chair Carol Smith, is unmoved and unapologetic: "An interesting analogy is that if this had been September 11, that exam would have been canceled,î she said. "We need to think about how this event, which is taking place over much longer period of time is just as traumatic, if not more so." The Aggie appears to have resisted the temptation to ask Sawyer if school should be cancelled until the war is over.

Thanks to Emoo for the link.

It all boils down to one simple argument. The instructors JOBS are to teach and conduct classes and examinations. It is their paid profession. I too have a job - and I don't my my bosses would consider my freedom of expression or bow to my claims of intellectual freedom if I decided to modify my duties based on international affairs or if I just took some time off to calm my fears.

It's not just a job; it's a calling!

If she's so stressed, maybe she should just quit for the duration of the war. Poor sensitive flower.

You linear thinkers out there are all so mean! What's a girl to do when what she really needs is a good cry?