Blog #8: Response to "Conspiracy Theories 101" by Stanley Fish

     In Fish's essay, he discusses what he believes is academic freedom, which is that academic freedom is "the freedom to do an academic job without external inference." I have had teachers that adhere to this definition; however, I have also had teachers that have not followed this definition.
     One teacher that adhered to this definition taught one of my favorite classes I have taken thus far. He would present views of both sides of the story, allowing a class discussion on every one's sides and opinions on things while he would give back up information for both sides. He would then present his own opinion, but he would say it in such a way that was not impeding on the beliefs of others in the room; he didn't force his views on us. I felt that this class was very effective and I got a lot out of the semester. I was able to see views from both sides with supporting details and make my own opinion about the matter.
      On the other hand, I have had teachers who do not adhere to this definition; some only fully stating their view or some that don't share theirs at all. In the classes with the teacher only sharing their opinion and side, I had a hard time with the classes. I would either disagree with their points or I would feel violated that he was trying to inflict his opinions on me without hearing the other side. I also had a hard time with the classes where the teacher didn't give any opinion at all. I felt that they were just indifferent on the situation, making me feel indifferent, feeling as if the situation didn't matter.
     I feel that this academic freedom definition should be kept in all classes world wide. It is important to hear the views of your professors, but only in a way where it can lead into an intellectual discussion in the classroom and promote stabilizing an opinion of their own. The professor should not inflict their opinions onto their students, but present it in a way that is effective. A lack of this academic freedom causes a class to become less effective, and simply more boring.