My latest in PJ Media:
There are so many ridiculous things being taught in American colleges and universities these days that a professor who defends the Taliban may seem staid and conservative compared to some of his colleagues, but that’s just a sign of how far American academia has fallen. Christopher Cook, a professor in the Department of International Politics at Pennsylvania State University – World Campus, is teaching a class called “Politics of Terrorism,” in which he has given the students an essay assignment: “Explain why the Taliban are not terrorists.” Imagine a professor in 1944 making his students write about how the Nazis really aren’t so bad, and you’ll understand how ridiculous and outrageous Cook’s assignment really is.
Cook’s assignment was not an example of the common pedagogical exercise in which students adopt a point of view that is not their own in order to sharpen their ability to understand and present arguments. He explained his assignment in this way: “In one page* explain why the Taliban is have [sic] not and are still not a terrorist organization. You are not allowed to answer this question in any other way. Any attempt to avoid this prompt as written; or trying to argue otherwise will result in a failing grade. If you have any questions on the pedagogy behind this assignment– please contact me.”
The warnings that students could not argue the opposite view, or avoid the question altogether made clear where Cook was coming from, and he made it even clear in several tweets (after his class assignment became widely known, he deleted his Twitter account). Cook wrote: “Do you think any of my students will see this before Sunday’s deadline? The one where I ask them to tell me why the Taliban are *not* terrorists.” And: “I am going to guess there is a Venn Diagram between the people who struggled understanding why the Taliban were not terrorists for the lat [sic] 20 years and those who think there can be justified violence against the American government.” Does Cook support Antifa? It would be surprising if he didn’t.
Penn State student Kylie Stone told “Fox & Friends”: “I was completely shocked. I had made it through my first four years of college without having anything this insane and, of course, my last semester my teacher basically says ‘you have to agree with me or I’m going to fail you.’ So it was very surprising to me….I have had assignments where they asked me to argue both sides. I love doing that kind of stuff. I think it’s so beneficial to every student to be doing that but that’s not what this assignment was.” That’s obvious. Cook, like the overwhelming majority of professors all over the country today, doesn’t want to teach his students critical thinking skills; he wants to indoctrinate them into Leftist attitudes and dogmas.
There is more. Read the rest here.
nicholas tesdorf says
From the look of the photo of Christopher Cook, professor at the Department of International Politics at Pennsylvania State University, it looks as if everyone would be safer if he was in State Penn.
Bob C says
or some insane asylum!
Mount Zion says
I’m asking myself if the good Professor had to face any consequences for this insanity
Was he asked to step down and never go back to any teaching job or is he allowed to keep indoctrinating as if nothing has happened .
maria says
put him in jail for lunatics and murderers for ever
somehistory says
Yes.
Check Burry says
I had same thoughts as soon as I saw Pic, a complete nutter.
Eva says
This is a lecturer???
Seriously, did any of the parents actually see or speak to this headcase before they entrusted their children’s education to him?
I would have grabbed my child and run in the opposite direction as fast as I could.
somehistory says
His own writing is terrible. Did he not even attempt a read to make sure his wording was correct and spelled correctly?
It seems that a student could write a paper explaining *why* it is a terror org and then, when given a failing grade, take that up with the admin.
Of, he could write *why* it isn’t…using the *reasoning*….which is always faulty…of mozlums as to *why* it is not *terror* to do what they do. Because it is a terror org, but mozlums call themselves *freedom fighters* and of course, the taliban, say they are the actual government.
This guy, *professing* to have knowledge worth imparting to others, should be fired.
mortimer says
Agree. The students under this prof are being cheated and their parents should ask for their money back.
If the Taliban are not terrorists, they have certainly be acting like it. Actions speak louder than words.
But the Koran does instruct all Muslims to terrorize: ‘TURHIBUNNA’ (terrorize them … the kafirs) – Koran 8.60
Wellington says
This is not the first idiocy out of Penn State, which like virtually all other colleges and universities in America, has gone into Woke Land, which is to say into Stupid Land. The control-freak, Michael Mann, in Penn State’s meteorology department, is another example of idiocy recently coming out of Penn State. Penn State’s President, Eric Barron, several years ago led an idiotic demonstration at Old Main with his hands up imitating the supposed way the thug, Michael Brown from Ferguson, Missouri, died back in 2014 when, in fact, Brown never had his hands up and tried to take Officer Darren Wilson’s gun away from him and, fortunately, Wilson was able to shoot the young hoodlum (who had just robbed a store) dead. By the time Barron participated in this moronic demonstration he knew or should have known that Brown having his hands up and shot innocently was a lie.
BTW, I am an alumnus of Penn State and there was a time I was proud to be so. That time passed away a while ago. Penn State has just become another silly institution of lower indoctrination, formerly a reputable institution of higher learning. And all this has happened at Penn State and elsewhere for the same reason—moronic Leftism. As Dennis Prager has said, the Left ruins everything it touches—education, patriotism, the flag, policing, immigration, the economy, energy, sports, the law, the Constitution, gender, bathrooms and even pronouns.
Jim says
It would make more sense to assign the topic, Tell us why Biden and Harris are the best people to be in the White House and why they are better than any previous presidential pair. It would be just as hard to argue for this than to defend the Taliban.
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
“Christopher Cook [is] a professor in the Department of International Politics at Pennsylvania State University – World Campus”.
“World Campus”? Where is this campus? In the middle of Pennsylvania? I would like to go visit its leafy bucolic glades. But an Internet search finds
https://admissions.psu.edu/pennstate/campuses/world-campus/
, which says, “Penn State World Campus is the online campus of Penn State. … If you would prefer to learn in an engaging online environment rather than at one of our brick-and-mortar campuses, we’ll bring our campus to you.”
Since you don’t trample their grass, the World Campus must give you a big discount on tuition.
Cook wrote: “Do you think any of my students will see this before Sunday’s deadline? The one where I ask them to tell me why the Taliban are *not* terrorists.” And: “I am going to guess there is a Venn Diagram between the people who struggled understanding why the Taliban were not terrorists for the la[s]t 20 years and those who think there can be justified violence against the American government.”
Huh? Prof. Cook thinks some of his students might not see his instructions before the assignment deadline? That doesn’t seem very organized of him. And does he think that “Venn Diagram” means “overlap”? A Venn diagram can also depict disjoint sets.
Westman says
OK, “perfesser”, the Taliban kill unbelievers and Muslims who don’t want to live under their imposed laws and have threatened terrorism against Western nations if they don’t pony up the resources to rebuild some palaces and a little extra for the people to “rebuild” – but not terrorists?
If so, it must be that the Taliban are just misunderstood and taken, “out of context”, when they say they will attack if they don’t get what they demand. Uhh, “perfesser”, is it OK if I just refer to the Taliban as extortionists, murderers, and, most likely, future terrorists?
gravenimage says
Penn State Prof Forces Students to Explain Why the Taliban Aren’t Terrorists
Cook’s assignment was not an example of the common pedagogical exercise in which students adopt a point of view that is not their own in order to sharpen their ability to understand and present arguments. He explained his assignment in this way: “In one page* explain why the Taliban is have [sic] not and are still not a terrorist organization. You are not allowed to answer this question in any other way. Any attempt to avoid this prompt as written; or trying to argue otherwise will result in a failing grade. If you have any questions on the pedagogy behind this assignment– please contact me.”
……………
The appalling Christopher Cook appears to realize that even in today’s twisted atmosphere that many students are going to balk at this grotesque assignment. What a thug. This is indoctrination, not teaching.
Rob R (Brit stuck in Britainistan) says
I bet that’s the sanest picture of him you could find.
Infidel says
Rob Schmitt covered this story last night. He suggested that one write a report that goes like this:
VickyK says
Is he getting paid by the U.S. Islamic cartel?
James Lincoln says
Christopher Cook needs a one-way ticket to Afghanistan in order to live with the Taliban that he “admires” so much.
And revoke his US passport.
Proud Islamophobe says
If I were his student, I would write that essay, citing examples of terror attacks by the Taliban while saying that they’re not terrorists, just as he requested. I would include that the people who ran after the airplane in Afghanistan were all mistaken, and that what they’re doing to Christians and women in Afghanistan isn’t true and that all the news sources are lying. I would include dictionary definitions and claim that the dictionaries are wrong. I would give this “professor” exactly what he wants and embarrass the absolute shit out of him for being so incredibly stupid. “Professor.” omLord.
Infidel says
Yeah, this is just what Rob Schmitt suggested Friday night, like I pointed out above
OLD GUY says
Well maybe this professor did accomplish something with these students. Maybe he made them think about how impossible it is to defend the Taliban of not being a terrorist organization. If it oinks like a pig it probably is a pig. There is no defense for the criminal activities and violence of the Taliban and its islamic followers.
mea says
220116 to comment at jihadwatch about students forced to say the Taliban terrorists are not terrorists
Is there any reason the students are not filing restraining orders while civilly suing the professor and the institutions management, in their own persons and as an Organized Crime family, for :
forcing the students to engage in validating the professor’s fraudulent assertion that Taliban are not terrorists…
using public institutions to attempt to establish a muhammadan religion through directly supporting the occupation of America and the displacement of the American Constitution by/with the Koran’s stipulated soft invasion of lands not yet overwhelmed by muhammad…
pretending to be educators dealing presenting current events when they, obviously, are either completely out of touch with reality Or lying – in any case, with trying to use the color : mantel of Koranic dogma to advance their, personal : confederate, Hate America and Europe to Destruction Marxist Toady agenda.
Soft invasion is the waging : carrying out or warfare using an invading force that is not heavily armed : not generally using actual weapons BUT pretending to be refugees – to be persecuted as directed by the Koran… O ! wait,
Sometimes I get carried away with the concept of enforcing government by Law in America.
America, where the indoctrinated dullard population refuses to do anything but whine on an on.
Lisa Tea says
As a straight-A student (and proud of it) I would immediately drop the class. And if there was a way to communicate privately with other students in the course, I would encourage everyone else to drop the class as well. That would certainly get the administration’s attention if a majority of (or the entirety of the class) dropped the course. Who knows, it might also hit this ignoramus in the pocketbook if he is paid by the number of units he teaches. (At my alma mater, several years ago, a professor was demoted from classroom teaching to online classes after advocating violence via Twitter.)
If that were not possible, I would argue that the Taliban were not terrorists because Sharia law is the accepted “law-of-the-land”, and that the Qur’an not only makes it permissible, but advocates violence to achieve its goals. I would then site chapter and verse from the Qur’an.
mea says
great statement about the operation of muhammad’s terrorist sharia law : koran…
you all might point out that the muhammadan terrorist organization began attacking America on Sep 3 1783 the minute the treaty with britian was signed; and that, because solely because America was not – American’s were not muhammdan terrorists… just not as refined or leathal as the muhammadan terrorist attacks and koranic dictated muhammadan soft invasions of the Western World toda.