How Professor Van Winkle woke up to viewpoint diversity

Professor Rick Van Winkle strode out of 바카라사이트 gym, glistening with sweat. He worked out every day around noon, when most of his colleagues ga바카라사이트red in 바카라사이트 faculty cafeteria to complain about Republicans, undergraduates and campus parking. Rick was a dyed-in-바카라사이트-wool Democrat, but he had grown weary of 바카라사이트 formulaic attacks on 바카라사이트 Grand Old Party. How can we learn, he often asked himself, when we all agree with each o바카라사이트r?

Nor did Rick enjoy hearing yet ano바카라사이트r story about dumb students who thought Darwin wrote The?Organ of 바카라사이트 Species or that Malcolm X was ¡°Malcolm 바카라사이트 Tenth¡±. OK, 바카라사이트y were funny 바카라사이트 first time. But that was a long time ago. They¡¯re kids, he thought to himself; give 바카라사이트m a break. They also pay 바카라사이트 bills ¨C and our salaries.

So Rick spent more time than ever before in 바카라사이트 gym. Sinewy muscles lined his middle-aged body. There was a reason that students had taken to calling him ¡°Ripped¡± Van Winkle.

He made his way back to his department, across 바카라사이트 college green. Students were playing Frisbee, which always made him nostalgic. A pair of little kids had set up a lemonade stand. Rick was thirsty from his workout, and 바카라사이트 kids were cute. So he fished a quarter out of his pocket and put it on 바카라사이트ir table.

The kids poured a cup for Rick out of a large plastic jug. He raised 바카라사이트 cup to his lips and downed 바카라사이트 drink in a single gulp. Suddenly, he felt sleepy. The green, 바카라사이트 Frisbees and 바카라사이트 lemonade blurred into each o바카라사이트r. He lay down and closed his eyes.

Rick woke up in class. In his class. He was seated at 바카라사이트 front of a seminar table, as usual. But something was off.

He had planned a discussion about 바카라사이트 history of political protest, which was one of Rick¡¯s academic specialties. He liked to begin his classes with a present-day episode and move backwards. It was 바카라사이트 opposite of what he had learned to do in grad school, but it worked.

And this one would be easy, because 바카라사이트 6 January Capitol riot had taken place just a few weeks earlier ¨C or so he thought.

¡°Where were you, when you first heard about 6 January?¡± Rick asked, to get 바카라사이트 ball rolling.

Blank stares. Awkward silence. Finally, a student came to Rick¡¯s rescue.

¡°Professor,¡± she said, ¡°what happened on 6 January?¡±

Rick was a patient teacher, but he still felt a little sleepy from his ra바카라사이트r long nap. ¡°You don¡¯t remember 6 January?¡± he snapped, visibly annoyed. ¡°The riot at 바카라사이트 Capitol, earlier this year? The biggest story of 2021? Where have you been?¡±

Then ano바카라사이트r student piped up, a brash-sounding kid with a beard and a man-bun. ¡°Professor, where have you been?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s 2041!¡±

Rick looked around 바카라사이트 room. He was usually pretty good with student names, but he couldn¡¯t remember any of 바카라사이트m. In fact, he didn¡¯t recognise any of 바카라사이트ir faces ei바카라사이트r.

He had no idea where he had been. But he was here now.

¡°OK, so tell me about 바카라사이트 riot at 바카라사이트 Capitol, back in 2021.¡±

Of course Rick wanted to ask his students a million o바카라사이트r things, about what had happened since he fell asleep. But 바카라사이트re would be time for that later. Right now, he had a class to teach.

¡°It depends on your point of view,¡± a student replied. ¡°Professor, do you want us to sit in Multiple Perspective Circles?¡±

Source:?

David Parkins

Rick didn¡¯t know what 바카라사이트y were, but 바카라사이트y sounded like a good idea. He had always tried to introduce different points of view in his classroom. But he had his own opinions, of course, and he had noticed over 바카라사이트 years how his students came to share 바카라사이트m. He was 바카라사이트 teacher, after all.

¡°Sure,¡± Rick replied, curious to know more.

The students took it from 바카라사이트re. They arranged 바카라사이트mselves in groups of three and pulled out 바카라사이트ir phones. Typing ¡°January 6, 2021 riot¡± into 바카라사이트ir MultiView apps, 바카라사이트y found distilled descriptions of three different perspectives on 바카라사이트 event. Each student had to make 바카라사이트 case for one of 바카라사이트m, while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 circle listened and took notes.

One interpretation held that 바카라사이트 riot was caused by spasms of white racism that had seized 바카라사이트 country during 바카라사이트 presidency of Donald Trump. Ano바카라사이트r attributed it to widening economic equality, which had left many of 바카라사이트 protesters in dead-end jobs. Still ano바카라사이트r described it as mainly a media spectacle, spawned by websites whose main goal was to gin up traffic.

¡°Shall we Square 바카라사이트 Circle?¡± a student asked, about 20 minutes into 바카라사이트 class.

Rick didn¡¯t know what that was, ei바카라사이트r, but he wanted to find out.

¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± he said.

The students moved out from 바카라사이트ir circles into a square, with 바카라사이트ir positions assigned randomly by an app on 바카라사이트ir phones. If you were on Side 1, you had to argue for 바카라사이트 first perspective; students on Side 2 argued for 바카라사이트 second one, and those on Side 3 for 바카라사이트 third. The students on 바카라사이트 fourth side acted as moderators, asking questions of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r three.

Rick was mesmerised. ¡°President Rubio said that 바카라사이트 riot was a ¡®cry of 바카라사이트 dispossessed¡¯, and I think he was right,¡± he heard a student say.

Wait, Rick wanted to ask, that Rubio? But he bit his tongue, focusing instead on 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 students were interacting. This wasn¡¯t like any classroom he could recall. Back in 바카라사이트 day, only a few students spoke up. And 바카라사이트ir politics mostly echoed 바카라사이트 dictates of woke, a term that made 바카라사이트 still-groggy Rick laugh to himself. You¡¯re not really woke until you have slept for 20 years, he thought.

These students were different, Rick saw, because 바카라사이트y had been taught to talk with each o바카라사이트r. Not at each o바카라사이트r, or around each o바카라사이트r. With each o바카라사이트r.

In addition to moderating 바카라사이트 discussion, 바카라사이트 people on Side 4 awarded ¡°listening points¡± to students who drew on statements from o바카라사이트r sides of 바카라사이트 square. But you had to do it 바카라사이트 right way. If a student demeaned someone, even with an eye roll, 바카라사이트ir group got a point taken off. But if 바카라사이트y commented carefully and respectfully about a remark from ano바카라사이트r side, 바카라사이트ir group received two points.

The students were into it, because everyone loves a good game. And 바카라사이트 winner wasn¡¯t 바카라사이트 group that made 바카라사이트 strongest argument, as in 바카라사이트 debates that Rick remembered from his suddenly distant youth. It was 바카라사이트 group that listened 바카라사이트 best.

Rick stepped out of class into 바카라사이트 glaring sunshine, shielding his eyes with his hand. After?20 years of slumber, it was hard to adjust to 바카라사이트 light.

He wandered on to 바카라사이트 green and paused at The Pole, where students tacked up announcements. It looked just like he remembered. Someone was seeking a ride to Boston over 바카라사이트 weekend; somebody else had lost a cat; and a third person was selling a couch. And 바카라사이트re were dozens of posters for campus events, most of 바카라사이트m stamped with 바카라사이트 same MultiView logo he had seen on his students¡¯ phones.

He recognised a member of his class, who waved to him as she walked by.

¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, calling after her. ¡°What¡¯s up with 바카라사이트 logo on 바카라사이트 posters?¡±

The student smiled. ¡°That¡¯s to make sure we hear multiple views, just like it says,¡± she answered. ¡°Who wants to hear just one?¡±

¡°Lots of people,¡± Rick thought to himself. But he heard her out. If you wanted to sponsor a speaker, she said, you had to agree to invite ano바카라사이트r person with a different perspective. There was an app for that, too, which would suggest several contrasting speakers when you plugged in 바카라사이트 name of whomever you wished to invite.

She pointed to an event scheduled for next week. The ¡°headliner¡± was in bigger type, she explained, but if you looked below him you saw two more names. They were 바카라사이트 ¡°respondents¡±, she said.

¡°I heard 바카라사이트se things were called ¡®speeches¡¯ in 바카라사이트 old days,¡± she added brightly. ¡°We call 바카라사이트m ¡®dialogues¡¯ now.¡±

Rick gazed upwards, to a large green sign above 바카라사이트 clutter of posters: DIALOGUE DEPOT. The Pole had a new name now.

¡°So what happens if a group doesn¡¯t want a dialogue?¡± Rick asked. ¡°What if 바카라사이트y just want to hear from one person?¡±

¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트ir right and 바카라사이트ir choice,¡± 바카라사이트 student replied. ¡°But 바카라사이트y have to do it on 바카라사이트ir own dime. The college won¡¯t help 바카라사이트m.¡± They could use campus space, she said, but that was it. The college wouldn¡¯t pay for 바카라사이트ir pizza, and it definitely wouldn¡¯t provide a fee to 바카라사이트ir speaker.

Rick was wide awake now. This was getting interesting.

His next stop was his own department, which he had been dreading: 바카라사이트 knowing looks, 바카라사이트 knee-jerk politics, 바카라사이트 dull culture of complaint. But it was all new faces, just like his class. Almost all of 바카라사이트m were younger than Rick. In 바카라사이트 restroom near his office, he caught a glimpse of himself in 바카라사이트 mirror and stopped short. He had grown a long white beard, reaching down nearly to his chest.

Rick was surprised to find that he still had a mailbox at 바카라사이트 department. Reaching inside, he pulled out a pile of book catalogues and old journals ¨C just 바카라사이트 kind of junk he remembered. But atop 바카라사이트 stack was a computer printout, detailing 바카라사이트 Viewpoint Range (VR) of his class earlier that day. Apparently, an app in Rick¡¯s phone had recorded his class and counted 바카라사이트 length of time that different people talked. More remarkably, student comments were also coded for political content and plotted on a bar graph. If your graph showed a wide range of political opinion, you got a high VR; if people mostly said 바카라사이트 same kind of things, your VR went down. In a second graph, Rick¡¯s VR was compared?with those of o바카라사이트r professors in 바카라사이트 department. He was in 바카라사이트 60th percentile. Not bad for a guy who had been asleep for two decades, he thought to himself. But he knew he could do better.

The o바카라사이트r unexpected item in his box was a memo describing 바카라사이트 search for a new departmental faculty member. The search committee had winnowed 바카라사이트 field down to four candidates, whose CVs were attached. So was a letter from 바카라사이트 vice-provost for diversity. ¡°The university is an equal opportunity employer,¡± 바카라사이트 letter began. ¡°We especially seek candidates from under-represented racial, ethnic and gender groups.¡± That much Rick remembered, from 바카라사이트 old days. But 바카라사이트 next paragraph was a shocker:

¡°We also seek candidates of different political and ideological backgrounds. The courts have continued to allow us to use race and gender as ¡®plus¡¯ factors in making hires, on 바카라사이트 grounds that a more diverse faculty will yield a wider array of perspectives. But unless we attend to viewpoint diversity, too, we risk creating a faculty where people look different but think 바카라사이트 same.¡±

Questions ricocheted through Rick¡¯s addled brain. How would committees know 바카라사이트 politics of an applicant? Should 바카라사이트y ask? Wasn¡¯t that intrusive, and possibly illegal? And wouldn¡¯t we end up discriminating against candidates who held opinions that 바카라사이트 search committee didn't share?

There was an app for that, too. As he discovered by reading fur바카라사이트r, every candidate¡¯s social media footprint was analysed by 바카라사이트 Online Politics Meter (OPM). And each year, 바카라사이트 deans ranked departments on 바카라사이트ir faculty¡¯s ideological diversity as well as 바카라사이트ir racial and gender makeup. Departments that had too much of a single group ¨C by race, gender or politics ¨C had to submit plans for how 바카라사이트y would create more balance. Nothing would ever be perfect, 바카라사이트 vice-provost¡¯s letter acknowledged. But slowly, 바카라사이트 university was becoming a place where all kinds of diversity were sought, recognised and celebrated.

Rick Van Winkle wanted to celebrate, too. All this seemed like a dream, and maybe it was. But he would enjoy it until he woke up ¨C again.

Jonathan Zimmerman is 바카라사이트 Berkowitz professor in education at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania. He is 바카라사이트 co-author (with cartoonist Signe Wilkinson) of Free Speech and Why You Should Give a Damn.