Academic Freedom and Robert W. Jensen
Robert E. Jensen at Trinity University
The main purpose of this document is to quote Robert W. Jensen's teaching philosophy which is quoted at the bottom of this document. Robert W. Jensen is a journalism professor at the University of Texas in Austin. He has used the media, especially television, to call for the dismantling of the U.S. military and U.S. the capitalist economy of the U.S. He is best known in the public for portrayals of U.S. business and government as an Evil Empire that needs to be conquered. My analysis of his actions and words is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/hypocrisyEvilEmpire.htm
If he literally wants the United States dismantled to oblivion relative to other nations, he's certainly not provided a viable blue print for what should become of the United States afterward, at least not a realistic view point of how a non-business economy can sustain itself. Nor is it clear how an impotent America would protect itself without an army. My conclusion is that he really doesn't take literally to the extreme dismantling that he's preaching about. But he provides us with an interesting starting point for analysis at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/hypocrisyEvilEmpire.htm
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Hi David,
For some time I've had a statement about Robert W. Jensen at the front of my main Website. Your quotation below has inspired me to possibly add bit to that statement --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
My fear in Texas is that some redneck with a gun rack in a pick up will gun me down in mistaken identity.
Robert (Bob) Jensen
Jesse H. Jones Distinguished Professor of Business
One
Trinity Place #65 Trinity University San Antonio, TX 78212
Homepage: http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/
-----Original Message-----
From: David R. Fordham Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 2:11 PM
Subject: New Application for Wireless Technology[Early part of message deleted] --- Oh, and another of my colleagues, one who is much farther to the right than Paul Williams is to the left, yesterday emailed me a far-right e-pub called "The Patriot". This issue, under a heading titled "Village Idiots", attributed a rather comical quotation to one "Robert Jensen, Journalism Professor at University of Texas at Austin", -- to the effect that the "evil American empire" needs to be dismantled and conquered before it ruins human life on the planet.
I was about to respond to my colleague about the lack of factual reporting, pointing out that Robert Jensen is not a journalism professor, he is an accounting professor, and he's not at U.T. Austin, he's at Trinity in San Antonio, and his attitude had been misrepresented by the quotation, ... er, um, when I paused, and decided to practice what I preach, and check out the real truth of the situation. I went to University of Texas at Austin's website and did a search, and lo and behold, there really *IS* a Robert Jensen there who is a journalism professor! I was taken aback that his positions exemplify the apparent left-leaning bias in academia that the list has been, um, er, discussing recently.
(Needless to say, I cancelled my response to my colleague, happy that I narrowly avoided a red-faced incident, and felt somewhat humbled by my close call. For about five minutes, anyway.
Bob, were you aware you had a younger (and relatively liberal) namesake up the road a piece?
David Fordham Comment
Tater James Madison University
February 3, 2005 message from Jagdish Gangolly [JGangolly@UAMAIL.ALBANY.EDU]
Bob,
I found the following passage from the other Bob Jensen's (Robert W. Jensen from the University of Texas) teaching philosophy fascinating. I hope we all could say the same about our own biases.
We live in a free society, and dissent in any form is to be respected for, who knows, we too may be at the other end of the stick some day. There are other ways to disagree and even express our displeasure at ideas we do not share than to use code phrases such as liberal, left-wing, neo-conservative,... When we use them we ignore the argument advanced and the labels become ad hominem. It is tantamount to ignoring the message and shooting the messenger.
Jagdish ____________________________________________________________________
A quotation from Robert W. Jensen --- http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/home.htm
I try to teach critical thinking by engaging what I consider to be the crucial issues for the world in which I live, which usually means advancing positions on controversial issues that go against the conventional wisdom. I make no claim to neutrality, and I make my own positions clear -- not always at the beginning of a class, but more often in the course of discussions. I do that not to win students over to my analysis but to model critical engagement.
Whenever I talk about a controversial subject -- corporate domination of the culture, for example -- I begin by highlighting that what I am about to say is my position based on my experience, research, and reasoning. I point out that, like every position, it is based on assumptions, some explicit and some implicit, but all of which are open to critique. I tell students I will offer evidence for my position and describe the reasoning by which I reach my conclusions. I repeat several times that no aspect of my argument should be taken on faith or authority -- everything is up for grabs, and challenges to my claims are not only allowed but encouraged.
My goal is to make the process of critical thinking transparent. I do not want students simply to endorse my opinions or duplicate my thinking process, but to engage with and critique those opinions. Even if they come to different conclusions, I want them to see that it is possible to challenge the conventional wisdom, to be passionate about ideas and politics, to stand up for one's point of view but still be open to criticism.