Letter: If relevant, politics should be talked about in class

Editor,

When I was at UNM, I opted to major in political science, and while one would expect the department of political science to be a liberal haven, I found most professors - with the exception of one - to be fairly apolitical or not willing to share their political opinions.

However, to address both Darren Wood and Jessie Miles, I have heard stories similar to the suppression of conservative ideas Wood wrote about from my friends from UNM days, but since I was not in class with them, I cannot attest to the accuracy of their accounts.

My only concern is the course content itself. While I always feel an open discussion is welcome, the question always should come down to this: Are the classes in question geared toward an open flow of discussion and ideas?

I think one concern lies in whether there is an attempt to introduce matters into a class that are not related to the subject at hand. According to the American Association of University Professors' 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, instructors are entitled to a free hand in their classrooms with regards to presenting their subject but should be cautious of introducing controversial subject matter not related to their subject. There should always be a free flow of ideas in any classroom, assuming they have bearing upon the matter at hand.

Rather than getting into bias and political persuasions, one should examine whether any view, conservative or liberal, is pertinent to the course at hand. In cases of domestic politics courses and comparative politics courses, these are views necessary to exchange because they are at the fundamental core of the debate over the role of government and how government mechanisms respond to the role of interest groups and the mood of the nation at any given time.

In a course on business or technical writing, on the other hand, these are matters that are best left for other times.

Brandon Curtis

UNM alumnus