San Jose professor fired for answering student’s genetics question

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom and Pacific Justice Institute filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of a former San Jose City College biology professor fired for answering a student’s in-class question about heredity and homosexual behavior.

[Rick in Kansas]

For a much more detailed account of this story than the one-sided version linked above:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/ac...

[Al in LA]

Students are in school to learn; teachers are there to inform. A student asked a question and the professor responded with an answer as well as supporting information. The protesting student only filed an informal complaint. What has happened to the quest/thirst for knowledge at San Jose City College?

[fuzi]

The student complaint seems very suspect to me.

[dante2810]

After reading the link that Rick posted, it is obvious that this professor was simply spouting her personal beliefs that have no scientific value nor are the scientifically corroborated.

I cannot imagine she will be reinstated nor will her lawsuit prevail based on her actions.

[LuLu Ford]

dante2810 wrote:

After reading the link that Rick posted, it is obvious that this professor was simply spouting her personal beliefs that have no scientific value nor are the scientifically corroborated.
I cannot imagine she will be reinstated nor will her lawsuit prevail based on her actions.

Sounds like the student has a superior critical thinking ability that the teacher. The old nature versus nurture idea is really tired stuff and a total fraud.

[LuLu Ford]

Al in LA wrote:

Students are in school to learn; teachers are there to inform. A student asked a question and the professor responded with an answer as well as supporting information. The protesting student only filed an informal complaint. What has happened to the quest/thirst for knowledge at San Jose City College?

If you read Rick's link completely you will find the so called supporting information to be lacking in objectivity. What's more, the professor's views were her personal opinion and in fact were unsubstantiated by both classroom texts and statistically valid tests causing her to be dismissed.

[Boony68]

Rick in Kansas wrote:

For a much more detailed account of this story than the one-sided version linked above:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/ac...

Intresting.
While I might not agree with the teacher's views, I dont think she should have been fired.

[fuzi]

Did you people read the same full article as did I (the one Rick posted)? From my reading, it was evident that the STUDENT lacked credibility and that the students descriptions of what the teacher stated contradicted with what the teacher says was stated. I smell a rat and it comes from the student. I think the student had some sort of agenda against this instructor and saw an easy way to accomplish it.

It was clear to me that the instructor attempted to give a very balanced set of information on the subject. The student, however, exhibited the bias.

[BlueLamp]

I don't get it. Were they mad that she didn't say homosexuality was purely genetic or were they mad that she didn't say it was purely developmental???

[Rick in Kansas]

The truth of this story lies somewhere in between the original article (which is an ADF press release for the case they are mounting) and the scienceblog article that quotes from the complaint. I think this student took away from the professor's answer more than was actually said and that was being a lesbian is more or less a figment of her imagination. The complaint seems to be more based on inference of what the student thought the answer meant rather than on the answer itself. Personally, I think the professor has a legitimate grievance seeing that her firing seems to be based only on a single complaint. If her attitudes were as far out of the mainstream as the complaint maintains, certainly something would have been heard from someone else out of the class session where them material was actually discussed, but it wasn't. I have a feeling the college had better settle, quick.

[Gay]

The teacher was correct. The student should have been suspended or expelled.

[Cpetr13]

If the student's account is correct, then this person should not be teaching genetics; none of the points she made were psychologically or genetically valid. But this needs a thorough investigation.

Any teacher who actually says there are no REAL lesbians is not qualified to teach science.

Gay wrote:

The teacher was correct. The student should have been suspended or expelled.

[larry g]

fuzi wrote:

The student complaint seems very suspect to me.

The student has issues and the school is stupid

[skidmark]

"A student asked Professor Sheldon what causes homosexuality in women. Professor Sheldon promptly replied that there aren't any real lesbians. According to her, women simply get tire of relationships with men and pursue them with women."

I'm betting that some of those men are tired of their relationships, too - I mean, the way that they BEG for their partner to go a round or two with another woman ... if they can watch.