MolaKule
Staff member
Having been on both sides once as a student and a current prof: (BTW, when walking into my first day of class I usually say, 'Hi, I am prof. Snoony and I will be teaching you QM and messing with your minds, but please call me by my first name which is...." That seems to get a chuckle and relaxes them right away.
).
I would first respectfully respond to her email by asking for a face-to-face meeting (documentation now showing you took the first step) with this instructor and in this email explain that I meant no disrespect for addressing her as Ms because in my upbringing, I was told the respectful way to address women was by calling them, "Ms." Once in her office, make the sure the door to the office is always open and take notes of the exchange. Ask her how should would like to be addressed in the future and use her preferred term.
Secondly, I would ask here if there is any additional work or study I could do to raise my grade and what was it exactly that gave rise to this grade. If you misunderstood the directions that gave rise to a D, then tell her so and try to correct it. I have had students who just don't seem to soak up the material fast enough and they get behind, so I have given them extra work or study material to help them raise their grade (not saying this is your situation). If she is half the professor she should be, she should accommodate you with this request. Then before leaving, summarize your notes and ask if your understanding is the same as hers. If she is not accommodating, then you have every right to go to the department head and express your dissatisfaction since at this point it doesn't appear you can drop the class.
However, by the first week of class, one should be able to "read" the instructor and determine if this is going to be a good fit or not. If not, then drop it and defer to take the course later with a different instructor.
In most universities, a few hours of the last day of class is reserved for the students to give an assessment of the professor. Most Professors keep a mental note of this.
There are a lot Liberal Arts courses one has to take as required by the curriculum and which may not be in your core area of interest or study, but like or not, it is required, so you need to realize this is the case.
When an undergrad, I had to take three courses in Philosophy, but hey man, I'm a dual major in Physics and Chemistry, not a philosopher, so why should I have to take three stinkin' courses in Philosophy? Well, it turned out these three courses told me a lot about what people think and believe across the globe (Historical Philosophy through the Ages), how to think and speak logically (Philosophy of Logic and Language), and what science was all about (Philosophy of Science).
Occasionally I have to teach Philosophy of Science and have found that students come away with a broader perspective and appreciation of not only science, but history as well.
So while it is evident you and she have different political philosophies, you might want to take a step back and reassess your options. You don't have to agree with her methods or attitude, but try and resolve the situation before the semester is over.
I would first respectfully respond to her email by asking for a face-to-face meeting (documentation now showing you took the first step) with this instructor and in this email explain that I meant no disrespect for addressing her as Ms because in my upbringing, I was told the respectful way to address women was by calling them, "Ms." Once in her office, make the sure the door to the office is always open and take notes of the exchange. Ask her how should would like to be addressed in the future and use her preferred term.
Secondly, I would ask here if there is any additional work or study I could do to raise my grade and what was it exactly that gave rise to this grade. If you misunderstood the directions that gave rise to a D, then tell her so and try to correct it. I have had students who just don't seem to soak up the material fast enough and they get behind, so I have given them extra work or study material to help them raise their grade (not saying this is your situation). If she is half the professor she should be, she should accommodate you with this request. Then before leaving, summarize your notes and ask if your understanding is the same as hers. If she is not accommodating, then you have every right to go to the department head and express your dissatisfaction since at this point it doesn't appear you can drop the class.
However, by the first week of class, one should be able to "read" the instructor and determine if this is going to be a good fit or not. If not, then drop it and defer to take the course later with a different instructor.
In most universities, a few hours of the last day of class is reserved for the students to give an assessment of the professor. Most Professors keep a mental note of this.
There are a lot Liberal Arts courses one has to take as required by the curriculum and which may not be in your core area of interest or study, but like or not, it is required, so you need to realize this is the case.
When an undergrad, I had to take three courses in Philosophy, but hey man, I'm a dual major in Physics and Chemistry, not a philosopher, so why should I have to take three stinkin' courses in Philosophy? Well, it turned out these three courses told me a lot about what people think and believe across the globe (Historical Philosophy through the Ages), how to think and speak logically (Philosophy of Logic and Language), and what science was all about (Philosophy of Science).
Occasionally I have to teach Philosophy of Science and have found that students come away with a broader perspective and appreciation of not only science, but history as well.
So while it is evident you and she have different political philosophies, you might want to take a step back and reassess your options. You don't have to agree with her methods or attitude, but try and resolve the situation before the semester is over.
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