To send this email to my professor and CC the department head?

[LettertoHermioneGranger]

I'm working on a degree in Education. I'm in a class involving different theories of art education. We have a weekly discussion on various assigned academic journal articles and the like about different educational theories.

Every single class turns into a bunfight of massive proportions. It would make some MN threads look like a basket of kittens. There are two students in particular who are extremely opinionated. However, their opinions often have nothing to do with the topic, or are simply telling other students they are wrong, or that the teacher is wrong. This is not respectfully disagreeing, which I would be fine with. They often shout and talk loudly over others, and some of what they say is truly outrageous. It is not only in our discussions about theory and articles, but as well as any time the student or professor says anything they might not fully agree with.

The professor does nothing to deter these fights, and in fact has said she does not feel every opinion deserves respect and will not ask us to show respect for other opinions in the class, and that education is a passionate subject and this simply can't be avoided. She will not reign in any student who oversteps bounds. There is no regulation of discussions, which go so wildly off topic we learn nothing about the theory being "discussed".

It came to a head in our last class. Me and another student were actually threatened by one of the two students. She said she was "warning us" that if she heard us speaking again she "wasn't going to hold back." She also told us we were not allowed to comment on a particular topic because of our race. The professor did nothing. Several of us told her we were not comfortable in class. She thanked us for telling her, but made no indication things would change.

I'm thinking of sending her an email, addressing what is going on in classes and that I do not feel safe or comfortable. I plan to CC the department head. Is this the right move? I feel like there needs to be a 'witness' to this email. I'm worried, well, that it might affect me in the class if the professor feels she's being 'told on'. My other options are to email the professor only and risk nothing changing, or to lodge a formal conduct complaint against this other student, resulting in an investigation.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Oh, phew.

The way it read I thought you were saying it was unprofessional of her to bring race into it!

[Katkins1]

It was a little, as a student, she said she was being singled out for race.

She was, in fact, singled out for her terrible attitude, which she then demonstrated in two separate shouting matches on two separate issues with students and staff.

The two issues were not related, but in my view, both director and student were as unprofessional as one another. However, the director was in a position of authority, so it was ultimately, his responsibility.

Thinking it over, op, talk to the professor. The students are their responsibility, as is their classroom.

[falulahthecat]

This would never have been tolerated at my uni, I thought you were talking about 12/13 year olds or something at first :/ I can't believe she and others are allowed to go on like that. She would've been politely asked to leave and come back when she'd grown up/calmed down.
Especially with the racist comments, it always confuses me when people think racism only works in one direction

Unfortunately some people cannot put personal issues to one side when discussing subjects academically, which is fine until it starts to impact on other people.

I think you definitely need to do something, the only problem is, if the professor/lecturer is making money for the uni with research etc. it can be very hard for anything to actually be done about them, it depends on how deeply rooted they are within the faculty.

YANBU. Good luck!

[Katkins1]

Fulalah, that was the hardest module for me. I was diagnosed with PTSD shortly after, a combination of personal circumstances and constant stuff like that. I'm moving to another uni for post-grad. Bullying is rife at ours, as is skewed ideology. Though I have taken to pointing it out, because I'm nearly done there, and couldn't care much what other students think anymore. Especially when they behave in that way.

[iamsoannoyed]

I would speak to a named/pastoral tutor and see what they can do to help.

It might also help if a small group of those who are fed up with the behaviour of some of the group, and the constant de-railing of discussions so that learning is compromised, could get together and draft a letter. That way they can't dismiss it as one disgruntled student, or perhaps just you being over sensitive.

No student should be made to feel threatened in class. Nobody should be told they cannot have an opinion based on their race. You can explain why you think it's wrong, but you cannot tell someone they are not entitled to an opinion on something purely because of their race. That is racist- regardless of the race of either person in this encounter.

[FairPhyllis]

Yes, actually if you haven't met her in person privately, do that before sending an email. I thought you said you had done that already.