BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Contrapower in the Classroom: Harassment of Women in Power

 
 
RetroChrome
13:05 / 03.07.06
I'm doing some research for a sociology professor of mine, but have a vested interest in what I find on this topic after having experienced what I term "classroom heat" firsthand.

A lot of research has been done on harassment of students by professors, but I'm finding little done on student behavior/conduct towards women in power, specifically professors, that results in "classroom heat."

Have you had this experience as a professor or woman in power in a university setting? Do you have knowledge of a base of research that I can tap into? So far, the electronic databases on which I've searched have yielded little. A lot of that has to do with picking the "hot" keywords.
 
 
alas
14:49 / 03.07.06
Could you explain the term "classroom heat"? I'm interested, and definitely have experience student harassment, particularly in anonymous fora--end of term evaluations and obscene phone calls/graffiti on my door after the course. And I definitely have suspected that some aggressive male students have felt more able to question my authority than they would a male professor, but that's almost impossible to quantify with certainty when it happens.

There have, however, been some studies of gendered teacher evaluations, etc., that suggest, IIRC, that, for example, two identical syllabi, presented with a seemingly "female" name on the top of one and a a "male" name, will be read differently by many students, with the female one being read, I'm pretty sure, as less "organized." But, again, I'm not sure if that's the kind of information you're looking for, and I'd need to check my memory of the research.
 
 
RetroChrome
14:13 / 04.07.06
Could you explain the term "classroom heat"?

Generally, I have taken it to mean classroom tension or controversy which then usually results in a struggle for power (read: control of the classroom atmosphere). This can result from "hot button" topics (such as religion or abortion) or can come about if a student dislikes the professor for any reason and refuses to resolve the issue directly. I've seen this--student has an issue with the professor or perhaps just the fact that this professor is a woman--but denies there is a problem.

Then, even worse, the student becomes the martyr and the professor is vilified.

This student denial can come about in the form of response to direct confrontation. (And confrontation doesn't mean pinning the student down; it can just as easily be a casual question). The professor may ask the student if s/he has concerns. Possibly, more likely, the professor may approach the student to discuss instances of student behavior that indicate tension (i.e. behavior/comments made in class, course emails, etc.)

It is the lack of resolution and the struggle for control of the atmosphere of the classroom that create this "heat." For whatever reason, the student may be unwilling or unable to separate his or her frustrations with the professor with the fact that the professor has the right (and often needs that right for her ever-loving sanity) to have control over the classroom atmosphere so that it is a safe and solid container for everyone.

I've noticed in research that there is a significant amount of focus on what occurs in the classroom and what the professor needs to do to re-establish control. Also addressed is how the professor needs to sensitively approach the student—almost as if the professor is some sort of social bull in a china shop. Something was bothering me about that and I just realized what it is.

In most of this research, the professor is almost stripped of their personhood. They are sort of this generic figure, while the student (in the research) is afforded a fully-dimensional presence.

In other words, where is the discussion and research about these live, feeling professors? Where is the discussion about these human beings, women who are being harassed for having a position of authority?
 
 
RetroChrome
14:14 / 04.07.06
I have no idea why the entire post above is in bold. I double-checked my html code and I'm stumped.

Sorry.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
14:22 / 04.07.06
No problem - I've put in a proposed fix. You had an extra angle bracket.
 
 
RetroChrome
14:30 / 04.07.06
Haus,

Thanks.

I am not caffeinated either and first read your reply as "you had an extra ankle bracelet."
 
 
RetroChrome
20:23 / 04.07.06
alas (and others wondering):

Here's a link to an article that does a great job of defining
classroom heat
 
  
Add Your Reply