Don’t shy away from politics in class

Amid the political debates, media coverage, registration of voters on Bruin Walk, and Saturday Night Live spoofs of Gov. Sarah Palin, I can’t help but think about the upcoming elections.

In the middle of trying to catch every word my professor has to say about a piece of early British literature and my routine attempts to figure out which Jonas Brother is which, I remember what each candidate said about the other the night before, or what I overheard the two people sitting behind me say about the

election as we waited for class to start.

With so much attention on the election, and the impact its outcome will have on the many issues that students care about, I find myself asking what anything in my professors’ lectures has to do with what’s happening around me. Who cares why English poet William Wordsworth talks to trees?

Which leads me to further ponder: If the election is so important, why is it not important enough to talk about inside the classroom during class time? Why is it that when a hint of politics arises, professors or students try to change the subject as though a potentially volatile topic of discussion could destroy the supposed harmony of the lecture hall?

From the tension that pervades the room each time a political subject is brought up, I sense that many professors and students feel that it is taboo to talk about politics inside the classroom. Unless one takes a course in American politics, political issues are rarely acknowledged in lectures.

But why should the discussion of politics be any more taboo to talk about than a discussion on the state of the environment in a science class or the messages we receive through romantic poetry?

The discussions that I hear students holding outside the lecture hall and the videos people post on Facebook drawing attention to controversial political statements make it obvious that I am not the only one thinking about the election and about politics. Furthermore, I’m sure that students are not the only ones engaging in conversation about politics and the election. The professors’ lounges and e-mail inboxes are full of news pieces about similar subjects.

Though the time allotted to lecture is needed to complete the curriculum a professor designs for a course, students should be able to talk about, or at least relate, what’s going on in the world to what they are learning. From the reluctant glances and tones with which students end their political conversations once the professor starts class, it is clear that some students wish they could hold a group discussion of an issue instead of hearing a lecture on pages 66 to 98 of their textbook.

Students want ““ and should want ““ to voice their opinions. What better place to do so than the classroom, the epitome of the educational environment? The classroom is supposed to be an area of learning, where students step and engage beyond the boundaries of teaching. In a classroom, students can hold educated discussions on what they’ve heard and what meaning those issues have for them in relation to the class topic at hand.

The fact that professors and students avoid political topics in class only reduces the benefits of the education we are supposed to be receiving. Students and professors should feel comfortable using the classroom atmosphere to discuss politics. Otherwise, what is the point of what we learn inside the classroom if it cannot be connected to the world we experience? If we were better able to relate what we study to current issues, students might be more motivated to understand the underlying significance of what they are taught.

Regardless of one’s major, the importance of this election and the fact that the candidates agree and disagree on so many different issues make discussing them crucial ““ not only outside, but inside, the classroom. It is not necessary for one to be a political science or history student to want to understand or talk about issues that will affect them.

Perhaps after a class exchange on the importance of the environment and the candidates’ policies regarding the environment, Wordsworth’s talking to a tree might make more sense in the bigger picture.

If you understand why Wordsworth talks to trees, please e-mail Tehrani at ntehrani@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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