Update on the Argumentative Professor and Her Defenders
[guest post by JVW]
As a follow-up to last Friday’s Weekend Open Thread, Kevin M. updates us with news that the adjunct professor who demonstrated that she was incapable of calm, dispassioned debate regarding the police has been dismissed from the faculty, triggering outrage among United Faculty of Cypress College.
I note with amusement that Christie Diep, professor of English and the Cypress College faculty union president who is the one quoted as lamenting the adjunct’s firing, is widely considered to be an easy (and perhaps lazy) professor on RateMyProfessor.com. Her reviews include the following gems [note: quotes are verbatim (verscribim?) including the lack of apostrophes in the contractions]:
“Ive taken Diep before, and to me she seems like a very easy English professor. Shes nothing special tbh, but I know when I take her, Ill get an A.”
“The professor is so lazy she doesnt even grade the HW and gives you an A+.”
“She does not lecture or provide any original thoughts of her own – she assigns readings in the textbook, and has you answer the questions at the end of the stories. If you do what she tells you to do on the syllabus, you will get an A.”
“There’s a reason for why 40% of students dropped. The WORST online experience.”
“She would cancel class very often even if there were assignments due that class. She lectured on subjects that she didn’t know that well like other people’s cultures.”
Let me reiterate here for clarity’s sake that Prof. Diep is not the adjunct professor who was let go for her boorish behavior in class, she’s the professor who heads up the faculty union. Granted, there are those students who report a positive experience in her class, but more often than not it’s because they acknowledge the course is an “easy A.” And while it is indeed true that RateMyProfessor tends to draw comments largely from people who either love or hate the professor which leads to extremes in the reviews, I note that both Prof. Diep’s admirers and her detractors mostly agree that her classes aren’t particularly taxing. Isn’t it so appropriate that this is the type of person who rises to the head of a public employee union and finds herself vigorously defending the intellectual banality of a colleague?
– JVW
Don’t worry: some other institution of higher education will no doubt pick up the argumentative professor, especially since everyone is doing her the courtesy of not divulging her name.
JVW (ee64e4) — 5/7/2021 @ 2:18 pmPlay stupid games; win stupid prizes. I certainly think she was reasonably let go.
I look forward to the right wing media fever swamps lamenting this latest victim of cancel culture, and going after the REAL culprit here: whoever leaked that video footage.
Oh, wait, they won’t bat an eye because they don’t actually care about that as a principle.
nate_w (25619c) — 5/7/2021 @ 2:34 pmHa! Great post, JVW.
felipe (484255) — 5/7/2021 @ 2:38 pmOh, wait, they won’t bat an eye because they don’t actually care about that as a principle.
To be fair, neither did anyone but the student at the start. The professor was canceled for attacking someone who criticized cancellation, and the union defended cancellation in general while lamenting the actual cancellation.
https://patterico.com/2021/05/06/win-some-lose-some/#comment-2514854
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/7/2021 @ 2:45 pmI didn’t watch the video, but I haven’t seen it alleged that she threatened, demeaned or verbally abused the student himself.
From what I’ve read she contradicted his thesis about police being heroes very aggressively, including using the false claim about policing and slave patrols.
Unless she had previous incidents of unprofessional behavior, firing (as opposed to a reprimand and counseling) seems harsh to me.
Dave (1bb933) — 5/7/2021 @ 2:58 pmhate to break it to you nate_w but if your identity is protected and you get another comparable job in the same profession, which she will, you aren’t cancelled
JF (e1156d) — 5/7/2021 @ 3:09 pmJF (e1156d) — 5/7/2021 @ 3:09 pm
Heh! Point to JF.
felipe (484255) — 5/7/2021 @ 3:30 pmOf course, that went over one head. [don’t worry about it]
felipe (484255) — 5/7/2021 @ 4:06 pmHow much was her ticket, anyway?
Chances are it wasn’t a Mayberry-Barney-Fife-$10-fine.
DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 5/7/2021 @ 4:58 pmI didn’t watch the video. . . “
If it’s a community college instructor’s duty to continually interrupt her student, refuse to let him make his point, blurt out wild allegations that are (as you noted) untrue and insulting, and then finally end the session outright rather than let him complete his argument, then this adjunct did a bang-up job and ought to be made full-time immediately.
You’re right that we don’t know her history on campus, but based upon what I saw on the video I doubt if she often acts as the voice of calm and dispassionate reason in the classroom.
JVW (23cbc2) — 5/7/2021 @ 6:32 pmAs I’ve said before, like drunk driving it is rare that this stuff is exposed on its first occurrence.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/7/2021 @ 6:40 pmWhat’s the story here? “Professor has easy class”?
Leviticus (3695c8) — 5/7/2021 @ 7:02 pmWay2Strawman
Dave (1bb933) — 5/7/2021 @ 7:38 pm