Yea, that’s what I expected. The instructor’s obviously been getting away with this for a while, and there’s no way the Dean couldn’t have known before, so the Dean’s obviously okay with it. Next step is the next higher-up on the chain, if you want to keep pursuing it. Part of me wants to encourage you to do it, but part of me knows that nothing you do will matter.
Nice to know that some of the neediest people in the mental health system will be getting counselors trained like this. I weep for the future.
I would go back to the Dean and say, “Let me have a five minute rebuttal.”
Stand up in front of the class and give them a brief history of Scientology, explain that they have created this video and add that most people find them less than credible (or you could be blunt and say most people find them to be batshit nuts)."
I think when asked what I want to happen I’d want to say that I want entire course audited/reapproved by the CAADAC. If I were you, I’d probably give them a call myself. In fact if you really want to go all out, call the relevant associations in other states as well (or whatever people are the ones that say 'you took a class approved by the CAADAC, your good to go here as well) and tell them what you are being taught in this ‘approved’ class. But that might be a little much
Yeah, this might be the only way to get anyone to take action. I would sneak a little tape recorder into the class to prove what is being said and taught, then go to the local news outlets with it.
It’s important to fight this because even if you know better than to believe it, it will reflect badly on you when your future employers see these other people coming from the same school spouting ignorant nonsense. When they see on your resume that you came from the same school, they’ll assume that you aren’t any better.
It may be too late for this to be helpful, but: When the dean asked what you wanted to happen, I would have said that I want equal time for an equally well-produced opposite viewpoint. Not necessarily a direct rebuttal to the Scientology crap, but somewhere out there there has to be a well-produced documentary or educational film about Psychiatry that shows why it’s legitimate, shows the medical science behind the chemical imbalances that the Scientology nuts deny is real, shows why drugs DO work and ARE beneficial, has real case studies, interviews with real people that have been helped, etc., etc.
If the dean believes that the professor was presenting that viewpoint to spur discussion, then the dean (or the professor) couldn’t possible argue against also presenting an alternate viewpoint and then having a class discussion about which might have the valid points.
If it’s not too late, go online and do some searching. Ideally, you’d buy some Psychiatry DVD and present it to the professor and/or the dean and say, “Here’s an alternate viewpoint to what you showed before. Let’s watch this one and then have a class discussion.” If you don’ want to buy it, at least point the professor and dean to it and urge that they live up to the educational ideals of letting both sides be heard.
I would take another tack. I agree that you should not tape a lecture unless there’s no other option. As an academic, that sort of thing chills me.
Roadfood has it right. Are you reading or watching propaganda, perspectives, or actual peer reviewed, empirical research? If all you’re getting is “perspectives” I think you have a right to have the professor expose you to the research in the field. As long as it’s rigorous and peer reviewed.
You need to blast this prof in the evaluation. CC faculty are typically teaching on year-to-year contracts, and the course evaluations are a major part of the decision to bring (or not bring) them back. Give specific examples of how she hasn’t lived up to your expectations as an instructor.
I see this as less of an issue about a prof’s beliefs and more about the lack of scientific rigor in the course.
Allow me to inject a note of caution into this discussion. I think the behavior of this professor is appalling, and I applaud **Soul Brother Number Two **for going to the Dean. However, I think taking a more confrontational approach–confronting the teacher in the classroom, going to the press, etc.–is not necessarily a good idea. To quote the first paragraph of the OP:
Emphasis added by me. **SBNT **is more or less dependent on this teacher in his future progress through the program. While this teacher sounds like a disgrace, the reality is that **SBNT **can’t afford to alienate her. If I were he, I would carefully document her failings, and then upon graduation, send a letter to the Provost and President, with a cc to the Dean, explaining the teacher’s malfeasance and the Dean’s unwillingness to address it.
I am a professor, and the behavior of professors like this is a disgrace to the profession. But we cannot expect students to make martyrs of themselves to police our profession.
Some friends and I purchased a NarcAnon house from the Scientologists. They forgot to clean out a closet full of documents, including numerous procedure manuals.
What it came down to, according to the manuals, was that there were three aspects to the treatment. First and foremost was repeatedly interrogating the patient to determine what financial resources the person’s family had available. Second was ongoing pitching of Scientology, with lots of e-metering, and selling of different levels of Scientology progression. Third was locking the patient in a room in the basement whenever the person was not involved in #1, #2, or being escorted to the toilet or the dining table.
Another option is looking into another CC program to transfer into. If this instructor is the program, what value will it be to you to have a certification from there?
I find it very hard to believe that he said that. As far as I know he was a Scientologist until the day he died. No way he would have used the word cult.
I agree that, having taken it to the dean with an inadequate response, you may want to take it to the certifying body. Theatrics such as rebuttals, going to the press, etc. are overly dramatic for this stage of the complaint and are going to make you look like the crazy one. Not having been there, I can’t evaluate whether the instructor can credibly say that she was presenting a variety of perspectives or not. Unfortunately, chemical dependency training often has an anti-collaborative, anti-multiple perspectives bent. I say this as a person who teaches chemical dependency courses. Also, every instructor will at some point make statements that you believe to be incorrect or overgeneralized; I’m not sure it helps make your case to compile a list of hers, though I understand you’re trying to demonstrate the context. You don’t want your message to be lost in a list of “evidence.” In addition, I don’t know what your teacher’s or school’s policy is, but if you taped me without my permission, you’d be out of the class and into the student conduct policy. You don’t need to tape her–if you are able to bring the complaint to a point where she has to describe her behavior, either she’ll say “yes,” which speaks for itself, or “no” or “you didn’t understand,” in which case you are in a good position to ask that she therefore clarify for the class.