How do deal with religious philosophy professor?
I am an atheist. I am in university, and I take philosophy courses whenever I have electives. They boost my GPA - I find it comes to me very naturally.
Now, I had one elective this semester, so I took philosophy of religion. I already know all of the arguments for and against god that we're going to study. I'm one of those people who argues about it on the internet, and I guess I've inadvertently educated myself on the entire syllabus.
I've been going to the lectures and the prof is a 70 year old Catholic, who has said that evolution is stupid. The course listing describes it as a philosophy course, and it is offered by the philosophy department, not the religious studies department. We're supposed to be learning about arguments for and against different types of gods and religions, specifically Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
While we do cover material, the profession puts a Catholic spin on everything, and I know for a fact that he is assigning qualities or beliefs to different religions, or atheists, that are untrue.
I decided that I'm going to ask him about his grading policy. In class he said that, and I quote "You can read the entire text book, the notes I assign, and analyze the arguments I've listed [on the course website], and you can still fail this class. What matters is what I say in the lectures."
But some of the information he presents in class is demonstrably false (and I'm not even just talking about what he says about god). The lecture material is literally him preaching to us. I am so disappointed.
I'm scared that if I don't put the answers that line up with his religious beliefs on tests or assignments, that I'll fail the course. The class has just 20 people in it, so the university hasn't assigned him TAs to do the marking, he'll be doing it himself.
I'm going to ask him about his marking policy. If it turns out that he expects the class to adopt his religious beliefs to get good grade, is there anything I can do?
Comments
If you are at odds with how a prof marks and grades your work take it up with the Dean or your faculty advisor. Be prepared to have solid evidence to substantiate your claims.
Specificity, it sounds like you're angry that the information he gives doesn't line up with what you've learned from your internet arguments. I've read a thousand of those arguments and all of them are chock full of bull-hockey that people throw together from things that are true and things that are preposterous claims. Catholicism, like it or not, is the premier source of most information relating to ancient and modern religions. Within it's archives are held the vast majority of information relating to these religions and their heirarchy. Islam itself even rumored to have been converted by the catholic church adopting it's newer single god belief mingled with it's older polytheistic symbolism. There are no authorities on religious philosophy, doctrine, or belief if you are an atheist, so the best thing you can do is suck it up and regurgitate his information.
I used to attend philosophy lectures mutually as on a instructor preparation course 40 years in the past. I thoroughly enjoyed those and the seminars which accompanied. i chanced on that maximum folk of my fellow pupils had in no way seen any recommendations of their questioning tactics, and a few of them flatly refused to connect in discussions of 'Why is something seen acceptable? Who comes to a decision what elegance is? (only between the issues I bear in mind). although, a brilliant form of those years later....i'm questioning 'To what use is philosophical argument placed?' in basic terms a concept...i extremely do no longer understand its purpose....why are there college classes being run to instruct 'philosophy' - extremely having a ideas which questions issues is sufficient?
I agree with myrrh. Kick it up to the Dean.
Make an official complaint?