re: Conservatives/Moderates in grad school

quote:

---

So, I made the decision to go back to school for a PhD. I started about a month ago, and everything was very cool during the orientation period- I respect my cohort’s intellect and diversity, and I hope to learn a lot from the smart and thoughtful professors.

So, CSS, I know, but has anyone else been in a situation like this? How’d you deal with it?

---

You asked for advice on how to deal with politicized comments--some directed at you personally--in your doctoral program. You haven't said what your field of study is or where you are doing your doctoral work--that will be relevant to the kind of advice that you need. But let me try to offer some general comments and suggestions.

1. I have seen the phenomenon that you are describing, and it is troubling to see fellow doctoral students personalize this kind of discussion in an unprofessional way. This is happening with increasing frequency in higher education. When I am teaching a graduate seminar, I try to encourage my students to adopt a respectful approach to discussion, and I would not permit a student to belittle another in my class. Regrettably, in some fields of study many professors will agree with the sentiments expressed by the "privilege" student, so you cannot always rely on faculty members to keep their courses on a professional and respectful level. But making a stereotyped comment or insulting another doctoral student is not appropriate under any circumstances, and I would hope that your professors would require students to maintain a level of
courtesy and considerate behavior. Had I been the professor in your class, I would have called the "privilege" student out for inappropriate behavior and required her to demonstrate the validity of her argument using evidence, theory, and logic. Calling out a fellow student for "privilege" is no substitute for critical thinking and analysis.

2. I do think that it is reasonable to try to see the value in viewpoints with which you disagree. Sometimes students (and faculty) will express views that seem crazy at first but that have a strong intellectual foundation underlying them. In other instances students and faculty will express views that are bats**t crazy, but it is not unreasonable for you to make an effort to understand the basis for what they are saying. At the very least, you will need to be familiar with the intellectual basis (if there is one) for the arguments that you hear, if for no other reason to be able to counter those arguments with your own.

3. I would encourage you to focus your attention on your course work and on conducting research in your field of study. If you focus your efforts on doing the right things and making yourself as strong a scholar as you possibly can, then the kind of bad behavior exhibited by the "privilege" student is not important and you can just ignore it.

4. I would encourage you to develop a bit of a thick skin. Many doctoral programs these days have a contingent of faculty and graduate students holding intolerant viewpoints, so you are likely to hear the kind of intolerant viewpoints that you mention here. It is unfortunate that some mainstream viewpoints are considered "counter-cultural" and are subject to intolerant responses by faculty and students, but in many cases you will spin your wheels and waste a lot of time and mental energy trying to combat the kind of prejudiced and intolerant views to which you refer. My advice is just to do your work and become as good a scholar as you possibly can. Find a faculty mentor who is tolerant of a wide range of viewpoints (such faculty mentors do exist!), who is a good scholar him- or her-self, and who is generous in directing students in their research and academic work.

I hope that this helps! Good luck with your doctoral studies!