Addressing offensive views - LONG

[MummySweet]

As your response to this issue could affect not only the department, but also the entire University, your should refer your concerns to the department head, and dean of students as follow their direction.     


**Calman posted as I was typing and her advice sounds great!

[Outdoor Girl]

I had a reply all typed up and then I read camlan's.  That!

[Oh Joy]

Question for our OP: Does any part of this viewpoint have any potential relevance to the course material?

Leaving all hot buttons out of it, say someone reported to you that this student believes that right-handed people shouldn't be granted rights to drive cars because their brains process information differently than left-handed people.  Could any potential class discussion talk about brain function, physical functions, rights of citizens, mechanical operations, or any other topic that might relate to any part of his viewpoint? 

[PastryGoddess]

 If the comments came up as part of the discussion, then I would prefer if the entire class was allowed to comment on the student's views with you, the teacher, as a moderator.  I would expect that my professor would know when the discussion was getting out of hand and move on if necessary.  I would be more upset/annoyed if the class devolved into an argument between the student and the professor without the rest of the class allowed to participate. 

If the offensive views came completely out of the blue, I would prefer if you, the professor, informed the student that he was out of line, told him to stop, and then moved on with the class.  If he continued to interrupt, I wouldn't mind if you kicked him out for disrupting the class.

It would be weird if you immediately kicked him out of class for sharing his potentially offensive views. I don't know if you are in the US, but I feel that even people with offensive (to me) views have the right to share them.  It's HOW they share them, that causes most of the problems