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need help plz on essay topic
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| jchung52 |
hey guys im just looking for some help/opinions on an essay for my ethics of professional relationships course. i get to choose out of 3 topics but i think this is the easiest to tackle yet im having some difficulty trying to figure out what exactly to approach. so heres the question. i think this might bring up some nice discussion amongst us students.
"What, in your considered judgment, is the most serious professional failing of university professors in regard to their students? (give an example). What do you think professors need to do to correct this problem and can students contribute in any way to the correction?
In develooping your answers to these questions, you will need to explain precisely what model of the professaional-client relationship your answer assumes (your options are: agency, contract, covenant, advocacy, paternalism, fiduciary, and partial entrustment).
Consider one potential objection to your argument and respond to it as best you can."
thanks guys :D |
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| spitty |
| quote: | Originally posted by jchung52
hey guys im just looking for some help/opinions on an essay for my ethics of professional relationships course. i get to choose out of 3 topics but i think this is the easiest to tackle yet im having some difficulty trying to figure out what exactly to approach. so heres the question. i think this might bring up some nice discussion amongst us students.
"What, in your considered judgment, is the most serious professional failing of university professors in regard to their students? (give an example). What do you think professors need to do to correct this problem and can students contribute in any way to the correction?
In develooping your answers to these questions, you will need to explain precisely what model of the professaional-client relationship your answer assumes (your options are: agency, contract, covenant, advocacy, paternalism, fiduciary, and partial entrustment).
Consider one potential objection to your argument and respond to it as best you can."
thanks guys :D |
uh, to get the ball rolling, why don't you give examples?
whats is a professional failing exactly? like inaccessibility and having minimal contact with their students (all done through tas)
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| jchung52 |
| quote: | Originally posted by spitty
uh, to get the ball rolling, why don't you give examples?
whats is a professional failing exactly? like inaccessibility and having minimal contact with their students (all done through tas)
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ya stuff like that. a few others i thought of language barriers (some profs do not speak english very well creating difficulties with teaching /accessibility) or teaching experience (just because they have a phd does not make them a good professor) |
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| spitty |
| quote: | Originally posted by jchung52
ya stuff like that. a few others i thought of language barriers (some profs do not speak english very well creating difficulties with teaching |
ugh..i have a prof right now that i don't understand anything he says. thank god he basically reads from the txt book anyway, so i don't bother going to class. very annoying to say the least (not the sleeping in part ) |
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| MarkT |
well, it's quite the presumption to assume that the "failing" is on the part of the professor and not the other way around, lol...but I'll go along. (i.e. how many students fail to live up to their end of the bargain!)
I would steer clear of that gross assumption...and perhaps focus on what more clearly exists, which is either covenant or contract between prof and student.
You could argue that a course syllabus is a contract of sorts. The student pays for the course and should be entitled to know what they're "getting for their money". It should list the material to be covered, the lecture topics, relevant dates and the method of evaluation, at the very least. The student enrolls, is provided with this 'contract' and appears to implicitly agree to it by virtue of their remaining in the class.
Most universities (AFAIK) have some sort of policy in place that a prof cannot unilaterally alter an evaluation scheme, prescribed texts and course material, etc. without consent (majority or whatever) of the students.
So what "failing" could arise? the prof could alter the grading scheme, assign materials not contained in the syllabus, evaluate students on info NOT covered in lecture or course materials, not provide specific information on how students will be graded, etc.
I guess you could also approach it from a more abstract angle too...from that of covenant. In the absense of viewing a syllabus as a formal contract, you could argue that there is an implied covenant between prof and student in that the student is trusting the prof to provide the expected "education".
If the prof deviates from the course material, doesn't thoroughly and/or accurately cover the material, doesn't remain current with research and topics in the subject, etc. etc., you could argue that they are failing the students on the basis of not living up to that covenant.
In either scenario, the prof is in a position of trust, just as is a doctor, counsellor, etc. from the standpoint that the student expects a level of expertise and expects that the student's interests are of importance and ought to be considered and protected by the prof. It's a matter of ethical responsibility (as opposed to a legal one) as there is no legislation that specifically covers this relationship.
hope that helps...? |
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| jchung52 |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
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ya def helps. wanna write it for me? lol jk. def opens up another topic. its an 1800 word essay so im just gathering thoughts and stuff and making sure i have enough to argue with. essays arent exaclyt my forte |
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