dealing with prof who obviously dislikes you

[TakeruK]

On a more general note, I don't see how telling someone to their face that you think they're lying does anyone any good. Like I wrote in the other thread, if you have constructive advice then you should go ahead and give it but you have this habit of putting people down and leading the conversation down unhelpful paths. Don't you see that diverting the focus from someone's obviously distressed question to a discussion of their credibility hurts everyone involved?

I agree. I think we should always assume the OP (any poster really) is telling the truth, or as much information as they feel comfortable giving. This is a mostly-anonymous internet forum -- people with questions provide whatever facts they wish to share and the rest of community offers their helpful thoughts based on experience. Claiming that a poster is lying doesn't help anyone. If you don't think the story told is realistic or if you think a poster is trolling, then just ignore them. If you believe that someone has posted information that is incorrect or if you don't agree with their assessment/opinion/advice, then post your own thoughts.

[memyselfandcoffee]

I think the comment about blcak people being less intelligent was insensitive and it was completely inappropiate for her to refer to that research (if it is infact valid!) in class.

But aside from that I think you are over-reacting and thinking way too much about this prof- sorry to say it and I'm sure its not what you want to hear.

the fact of the matter she does not spend a fraction of the amount of time thinking about you as u imagine, she prob has tons of students and you are just one of many. one sends inappropriate (sorry again, but its true) emails and overacts to imagined offences,

if anything she could be being a bit cool with you because you sent that email about personal issues.

i think you forgot this a professional relationship, with far more time thought on your end than hers. sure some profs are very freindly , but that is only after a certain amount of time. its not like she's your supervisor.

stop obsessing over it, assume she's not deliberately out to get you and FORGET ABOUT IT. this is only problem if you think it is, and i am sure none else is thinking about it.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, so sorry.

good luck

[Eigen]

This thread has jumped topics really quickly, but I want to clarify something that is unclear to me from the series of posts:

Did the professor say that she believed this research, and that black people were less intelligent? Or did she bring it up as a point in a broader discussion?

You mention that she said it "neutrally" and you also say that she "sort of said that". I'm wondering if your other negative relations with this professor are making you see these comments with a slant that might otherwise not be there.

We had a very interesting talk recently that discussed early 20th century scientific writing and the development of medicine and one of the areas discussed was this exact topic, and how pre-existing racial biases slanted the research towards skull size/intelligence issues. Everyone seems to be jumping from the professor "sort of saying" that research existed on this point "in a neutral fashion" to saying that she never should have brought up such an insensitive topic with a black student in the class. I'm not exactly sure I follow that line of thought.

[vertices]

ktel, i think you're wrong here. what i said was tempered so that it was professional and vague enough, but under any polite circumstances, the addressee would have replied with an understanding at least or maybe even sympathy...

The professor might feel they are not qualified to make a response to such a message depending on its contents. It can be very tricky to craft a response that does not imply something not meant. If there's no question in the email, they might not respond as a matter of policy.

Also, some professors might see this as a student trying to make excuses and that might irritate them.

Since you've noticed your classmates get checkmarks and compliments, why don't you ask them if you can look over their work. Try to figure out what it is about their work that this professor likes and see if you can incorporate some of their techniques into your own analysis and writing. Take it as a challenge to broaden your ability to write for different audiences.

It's hard to tell exactly what's going on and whether it is 'fair' or not, but since it isn't clear cut, you have to just do your best in the class, take from in what you can (both academically and in terms of soft skills and character development), and continue working towards your goals. You'll meet people from time to time that you don't click with, so try to make the best of it by learning how to make do around them.

Edited December 2, 2012 by vertices

[practical cat]

This thread has jumped topics really quickly, but I want to clarify something that is unclear to me from the series of posts:

Did the professor say that she believed this research, and that black people were less intelligent? Or did she bring it up as a point in a broader discussion?

You mention that she said it "neutrally" and you also say that she "sort of said that". I'm wondering if your other negative relations with this professor are making you see these comments with a slant that might otherwise not be there.

We had a very interesting talk recently that discussed early 20th century scientific writing and the development of medicine and one of the areas discussed was this exact topic, and how pre-existing racial biases slanted the research towards skull size/intelligence issues. Everyone seems to be jumping from the professor "sort of saying" that research existed on this point "in a neutral fashion" to saying that she never should have brought up such an insensitive topic with a black student in the class. I'm not exactly sure I follow that line of thought.

100% this. Context REALLY matters here.

[rising_star]

I too find it hard to believe for this reason. I can't imagine any philosophy (or humanities) professor actually believing brain size corresponds to intelligence level amongst human races. It's just a very backwards, disproven 19th century concept when taxonomy and science was dominated by superficial anatomy instead of molecular science. Even if she has no biology training at all, it just seems so outrageous.

In my first day of class with a famous sociology prof as an undergrad freshman, she basically explained the breakdown of our class and what she expected our performance to be based on where we went to high school and which part of the country we were from. This professor looked at myself and another male student (out of 12 people total) and said, "You two will do worse than anyone. In all likelihood, you won't even graduate from here and if you do, it will take more than 4 years." To our faces in front of everyone in the middle of class. Why? Because we went to public high schools and were both from the US South. Was I offended? Hell yes. Even more so when she basically reiterated the statement when I met with her in office hours to discuss my paper. In my second semester at that school, a professor flat out told me that I was not and never would be capable of writing at the collegiate level. So yea, I can believe that a professor would say something about blacks and race or anything else because I've heard it happen.

But, as fuzzylogician has astutely pointed out, it isn't our place to judge the veracity of the OP's claim. For what it's worth, I think the advice to learn what you can both from the class and from your classmates and get out of there with a good grade, no negative evaluation from the professor, and with your departmental relations intact is the best thing you can do. No one is going to force you to work with this professor in the future so just avoid her if that's what you believe is necessary. That said, I will say that I have had some bizarre undergrad and grad experiences (for evidence, read my posts). I once asked a professor why I didn't get the checkmarks and comments that everyone else got on their weekly response papers. Her answer? My writing was clear and concise and she didn't write much because she didn't have as many critical comments to make. Had I never asked, I might not have known or might have assumed something that wasn't true. Just some food for thought.

[juilletmercredi]

^This. I do this myself - when I grade papers, I have to force myself to go back and write positive comments in places. Unless something is like written gold, I just don't comment on it if it's fine. I comment on it if it needs improvement.

Regardless of whether the professor was being racist or not, OP, I think that you should focus on making your work the best it can be and finishing up. If you really don't understand why she makes the comments she does on your papers, set up an appointment with her to speak to her about how you can improve your writing. Or if you have an advisor, ask if your advisor can help you improve your writing. But if you get out with an A-...so what? That's a good grade.

First of all, the way she said it was neutral; she even cited a scientific journal or some author, and her freedom of speech does let her say such things. Yes, there IS scientific literature that supports what she said, so it's not like she's pulling this out of thin air.

Actually, there's not. This "scientific" evidence was refuted sometime in the earlier part of the 20th century.

[waitinginvain?]

Have you checked the professor out on ratemyprofessor.com? I had one whom I suspected didn't like me. I looked her up on ratemyprofessor and found comments from others who felt the same way.

[PhDreams]

It's just such an outrageous claim to be making. It's hard to believe any professor could get away with saying that kinda garbage with the rest of the class going along with it. If the prof really did say that, then that should have been the preface to the entire thread altogether, not something like "well, she kinda gives me the cold shoulder" or "well, she kinda sorta doesn't support me and say nice things to me."

 

I beg to differ. I've been in classrooms where professors have said things that I have found violently offensive about race and other students just sorta sit there either because they are stunned, apathetic, or because they share the same views. Prejudices are not exempt in academia. In fact, I found that here is were they most thrive.

 

That being said, it sucks to feel like a professor is out to get you regardless of whether this is based in fact or not. Feelings are always real and the discomfort that the OP feels is genuine.

 

However, it really doesn't seem that the professor is out to get the OP. To put things into context, an A- isn't that bad. I've worked hard in some classes and have earned my A-s. If you would have said a B-...well that's another story. That's almost failing. But an A-...I think that you'll be fine and the further you chug along in academia you realize that there will be many characters that you do not gel with. Keep your head high and do your best work. You can do this!