there was a really great interview with denis rancourt on rabble.ca yesterday(listen to it here!). denis was fired from the university of ottawa for giving away too many high grades(according to the university). he was a tenured professor and his firing raises a lot of important questions about what tenure even means right now and whether or not it's providing the kind of security needed for academics to be free of reprisal for political or pedagogical 'deviations'.
"Denis Rancourt was fired in March ostensibly for his practice of refusing to grade students in his classes. He explains what he believes is the politics behind his dismissal"
a statement from denis:
"Most students agree to give up their independence of thought and enquiry and to serve the insane system of due dates and senseless assignments in exchange for the certificate (the degree). Most students give up four vital years of their lives in order to be certified persistently obedient. This certificate, in turn, gives students access to a privileged position in the wage hierarchy and professional social status. It’s a trade. But the certificate is not just a certificate. It requires survival and that, in turn, requires both adopting the ideology of the profession (for professional, science, and engineering degrees) and self-indoctrination to drive out the natural impulse to learn (often called setting priorities or time management). Your soul for a place in the sun."1
sign the petition: http://rancourt.academicfreedom.ca/component/petitions/?view=petition&id=4
1 comment:
This is completely misleading. This post ignores basic questions about the true relationship between 'Denis Rancourt' and university president Allan Rock. Get the facts, google rockourt.
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