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[UKtoUS]

I hold a PhD from the UK and am considering taking a job in the States.  Can anyone tell me more about how the teaching environment has changed post 9/11?  I am concerned about teaching on topics that are basic to my discipline (anthropology) but which are suddenly very 'touchy' issues given the so-called 'culture wars' that are not raging over there.  Does, for example, the issue of evolution in general raise student hackles?  What about religion?  Or testing students on how they understand basic (US) cultural notions like 'freedom', 'democracy', etc.?  Relatedly, will I be pressured not to raise some of these issues in my lecturing  from colleagues who might be nervous about student ire?  I've been reading about things like this "Student Bill of Rights" and some of the other controversies that seem to be effecting US academia, and frankly, it's making me a tad nervous.

And by the way, thanks for offering this forum...!

[%sig%]

[AF]

The answers to all of these will depend so much on where you are and what kind of school it is.  You'll get much better information if you tell us a few more details.


However, basically, I think you are more nervous than you probably need to be.  I'm sure you will get some horror stories in response to this post, but attitudes in the US are a lot more complex than you would imagine to read the "culture wars" stuff.

You might ask your potential colleagues.  If phrased in a non-insulting way, it seems a reasonable question.

[MP]

All of your concerns are baseless if you teach at my institution (small private northern).  Many of your concerns are real if you teach at a  conservative church-related institution or institutions whose students are drawn from conservative populations, even if the schools themselves are public.  A colleague  teaches at a state school in the deep south that has a huge portion of students who are born again Christians and believe in a literal reading of the Bible (these 2 are not identical but often occur together). It is a constant struggle to deal with students who know God's truth and are threatened by anything they perceive as challenging that.  AF is right.  Check out the institution very carefully.  You can't make assumptions based on location or type of institution.

[Anth, too]

I have taught anthropology for years at a large state school in one of the most conservative states in the US.  Granted, its more conservative in the libertarian sense than in the Christian Right sense, but I´ve never had problems with students being offended by discussions of evolution, or the role of religion in society, or our basic cultural assumptions about such buzz words as "freedom" or "progress".  In fact, I used to begin classes on human evolution with a little lecture on tolerating all points of view (that is, they didn´t have to believe in evolution, just learn the information presented in class), until my students started saying that they didn´t understand why I didn´t just teach the class normally, since they didn´t know anyone who cared.  We usually spend a lot of time talking about the non-spiritual role that religion plays in societies, but I´ve never had any complaints.  I´m sure the situation is very different in many evangelical institutions, but keep in mind that most anthropology classes are not requirements for graduation.  These students are self-selecting, and at most schools, most of the students who are violently opposed to the anthropological perspective would never take the class in the first place.  In ten years, I´ve only had one student who had serious problems with the content of my courses.  She refused to learn the material, which affected her grade, but didn´t cause any problems for the other students.

[UKtoUS]

Thanks everyone!  That's a load-off.  I think given where this place is and the kind of institution it is, it should be OK.