Word: thernstrom
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Three students in February brought a complaint about Winthrop Professor of History Stephan A. Thernstrom to the Committee on Race Relations, a non-disciplinary, advisory body of the College. In response, Spence read his brief statement on academic freedom to the full Faculty at its March meeting. The students then met with Thernstrom and gave him a written statement of their complaints about his portion of Historical Study A-25, "The Peopling of America," which he co-taught with Adams University Professor Bernard Bailyn...
...while Spence, Thernstrom and the students decline to discuss the specific charges against Thernstrom, the case has sparked a public discussion of how sensitive issues are presented in the classroom...
...March 8th editorial entitled "A Common Academic Ground," it is suggested that increased faculty accessibility could prevent incidents like that which occured recently in Historical Studies A-25, where students charged Professor Stephan A. Thernstrom with racial insensitivity. If only students and faculty communicated better, says the editorial, then they could define the boundaries of academic discourse and avoid future misunderstandings. Such thinking is seriously flawed...
...Thernstrom incident was not the result of faculty inaccessibility. Professor Thernstrom's door is literally always open and he is more than willing to meet with those who have difficulties with his lectures. However, Thernstrom's accessibility has been to no avail, for the irate students have yet to discuss their grievances with Thernstrom. Instead, the malcontents have bypassed their professor and gone directly to the Committee on Race Relations, and from there the story has quickly found its way into the campus newspapers...
...students making the complaint have refusedto comment since the charges were made public.Other students in Thernstrom's course, which heco-taught with Adams University Professor BernardBailyn, said the controversy stemmed fromThernstrom's comments about slavery, recent Blackhistory, the removal of Native Americans toreservations and the immigration of Hispanics andAsians