CU-Boulder investigates prostitution lecture

[George Taylor]

9NEWS obtained a video of professor Patti Adler's lecture, which included teacher's assistants dressing up as six different kinds of prostitutes from sex slaves to high-end call girls.

It fit the topic of the class on deviance from the norms of society. The university said the problem is more than one person complained they felt pressured to dress up as prostitutes.

I think professor Adler could solve this issue by coming here and hiring the real thing.

http://www.9news.com/news/article/369521/188/CU-Boulder-investigates-prostitution-lecture

[urfan]

typical of the leftist totalitarian regime of the People's Republic of Boulder known as CU. clueless undergrads feeling 'pressured' to 'dress like prostitutes' - really? She's been teaching with her admittedly in-your-face style since before they were even born. if the mandate of a university education isn't to challenge student perceptions of the world, then what is it? it isn't like she was taking the little darlings on a field trip to Fascinations.

once again, political correctness run amok. i weep for the future.

[Barbi Dahl]

It is very sad that people have allowed others in society to get to this point by even acknowledging such non-sense complaints...There are just too many people who want to regulate everything that others do and say and use the term politically correct...There are things in life which should not be political, nor will they ever be correct, however this is not the case here...But once again it is simply the minority cries and complains louder then others so they get things done...

You might ask yourself when will this type of thing is going to stop...

And there are basically two possible answers to that;

1. Probably never, or
   
2. Once we have completely lost the few freedoms we have left...
   

By then it will be too late to do anything about it and there will be nothing left for us to say...With the exception of how we miss the good old days...

Honestly, few realize that complacency is just as bad as the problem itself...When we say nothing, it is the same as saying we agree with such things...

So, if you feel the university's actions are out of line, take a moment out of your busy day and call or email them letting them know how you feel... You might be surprised how effective this actually is...And it is the only way to reverse this disturbing trend which has become common place in our everyday lives...

Well, it's just a thought anyway...

Have a great evening everyone and a beautiful day tomorrow...

Barbi

[tehotherdude]

I don't think this can just be brushed aside as political correctness. This is just stupidity on everyone's part.

[Bit Banger]

I think professor Adler could solve this issue by coming here and hiring the real thing.

http://www.9news.com/news/article/369521/188/CU-Boulder-investigates-prostitution-lecture

Did anyone else notice the disconnect?

She was asking teaching assistants, i.e. paid staff, to dress the parts, not members of the class. (Granted - They are probably students, too.) Maybe she would get better support if she did take volunteers from the class. Definitely more accuracy if she hired from local boards.

BTW: Just what does a "prostitute" look like? Can you pick the prostitute out in a crowd?

?!!? Really !??!

[Guest hgritstoo]

if the mandate of a university education isn't to challenge student perceptions of the world, then what is it?

Nothing pisses me off more than the claim that a university's job is to "challange your perceptions of the world." BULLSHIT! Their job is to pass on the knowledge and skills one requires to succeed in whatever vocation one has chosen.

The question here is context. If this was an accounting or English Lit class, the prof should be drawn and quartered and then fired. If this was a class on sexual deviancy relating to one of the psychology majors, the prof was well within her rights and probably deserves kudos for presenting it in an interesting way.

As usual, the reporter was focusing on the prurient nature of the subject and fails to mention what the context was. This reporter should be force fed excrement for the next month as punishment for making us read this shit.

BTW: Just what does a "prostitute" look like? Can you pick the prostitute out in a crowd?

?!!? Really !??!

My best guess? It's that one....over there. The sultry wench with the fire in her eyes.

[Guest]

This is interesting. It doesn't tell you if this is for a psychology or sociology class, of course either one would be fine and both teaches about social norms and deviants. ALL of us here on this board are deviants by definition, and by engaging in this activity we are straying away form the "social norms". I actually like the idea the professor put together, and I believe she did it in a way to get people to think before they judge. The news channel however fucked up the message.

The only thing I am not sure I like about this is what does a prostitute wear? I would like to assume the professor did some research on the subject before hand, but assuming makes and ass out of u and me so who knows. I would like to be in on that lecture to see how accurate it is.

[Guest moose]

Did anyone else notice the disconnect?

She was asking teaching assistants, i.e. paid staff, to dress the part

Chances are, one or more of the teaching assistants have actually worked as an escort anyway.

[Guest AbigailFox]

The class is titled Deviance in Society, and yes, I personally found it to be a great class. She is a little outside the norm, but CU is well aware of her previous research methods and teaching methods, so I find it a little unclear as to why this is all of a sudden a scandal.

This was not the first time she had performed this particular lecture either.

[FuriousInch]

This illustrates how our society is becoming the very thing that caused us to leave Merry Old England, in the first place. The irony is that the same "liberal left" that precipitated our exodus from King George is now propagating this PC-based repression. Everyone is so busy worrying about losing our 2nd amendment rights that they don't realize the erosion of the 1st amendment. Fuck political correctness!

[Bit Banger]

... Everyone is so busy worrying about losing our 2nd amendment rights that they don't realize the erosion of the 1st amendment. Fuck political correctness!

At the risk of getting slapped for politics, the rest of our rights (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.) are also in serious jeopardy!

[Guest]

I guess I see this much differently from how most folks who've posted see it.

It seems the salient point of the controversy has been missed, which to me has less to do with the content and intent of the professor's class and more to do with more than one of her TA's expressing discomfort in being expected to participate in skit(s).

Liberalism, 2nd amendment rights, 1st amendment rights, political correctness, etc. aside for a moment, if these TA's felt undue pressure into taking part, they were fully within their rights to voice their concerns. I saw or read nothing to suggest they wanted to stop the professor from offering up this part of the syllabus; they just didn't want to be expected to participate actively in its production.

If the professor's peers review the presentation and conclude they have no objection to the content (or intent) of the class, they can simply recommend that in future presentations the good professor ask for volunteers to play the roles of the prostitutes, instead of assigning the roles.

[Kinkster]

Nothing pisses me off more than the claim that a university's job is to "challange your perceptions of the world." BULLSHIT! Their job is to pass on the knowledge and skills one requires to succeed in whatever vocation one has chosen.

An interesting question: What IS the point of a college education these days?

Is it an enlightened mind or a marketable skill?

If the former, then your point falls apart. There is much to learn about history, other cultures, & ways of thinking that are decidedly not "skills one requires to succeed in whatever vocation...." For example, learning a language. It gives an insight in the thought processes & priorities of different cultures. The classic example is the Inuit cultures & their 1000 different words for snow.

However, if the goal is "knowledge and skills one requires to succeed in whatever vocation..." then college may not even be necessary. The European tradition of apprenticeship is a system that teaches necessary knowledge & skills for career success; it would never be confused with a college education.

In college I learned to read critically, write succinctly, & speak persuasively. I learned a language. I learned about & experienced a different religion.

None of which I use at my job.

So respectfully I say, being an educated man who works with his hands does not make my college years a waste.

[limey]

Only thing that's missing in Jerry's comments is this. Ta's DO NOT have the choice to not do the assignment. Depending on the professor, it may be the last TA assignment they get. My son being a professor and having many years as a TA has explained this many times over time. Professor pressure.

Colleges often are liberal centers. In most cases professors push students to excel in learning. In this case she probably overstepped authority when students or TA's, usually one in the same complained. Seems like the professor did what she thought would impact, put didn't think about the ramifications. Seems like she may have the sense of an animal cracker. At least in this case.

[Bit Banger]

Granted, her TAs did have a hard choice, perform the skit or quit being her TA. Many of us have had to do something distasteful in order to maintain employment. And yes, some would consider filing sexual harassment (sexually hostile work environment) charges, especially in the PC environment where no one's feeling should get hurt.

But the thrust of the news piece which started this discussion was a CU investigation (peer review) with the possibility of eliminating the lecture from the professor's syllabus. With the associated firestorm, a likely occurrence. They'll feel pressure to eradicate smut from the curriculum. So much for any rational discussion about the sex trade, in all its variants.

[limey]

Point given and point taken.

A member or academic society should be able to discern the revelence of sexual harassment

in the workplace. Especially a 20 year tenured professor. But this gets away from the point

I do believe that there should be discussions on the topic but she took chances that have compromised her. Such an important topic in my mind, it's too bad that her footwork has made the discussion fall on its face.

[macho]

No deserves to dress as a hooker. Not even Prostitutes.

[urfan]

i dunno where you went to college, grits, but i've been to 2 of 'em and that was their stated mandate. probably doesn't help that they were both PRIVATE institutions, so they had the luxury of choosing their poison - so to speak.

fwiw, if my perceptions hadn't been challenged early on, i'd probably be jest another flabby-ass republican gaming the system instead of the urbane, erudite social anarchist i am today

[boink36]

i dunno where you went to college, grits, but i've been to 2 of 'em and that was their stated mandate. probably doesn't help that they were both PRIVATE institutions, so they had the luxury of choosing their poison - so to speak.

fwiw, if my perceptions hadn't been challenged early on, i'd probably be jest another flabby-ass republican gaming the system instead of the urbane, erudite social anarchist i am today

It would be best to continue this discussion on the TOB government and political forum.