Sun-Times carries a bad exercise in journalism today with this piece on denial of tenure:
For a man who has just lost his job after a highly public battle, DePaul University assistant political science Professor Norman Finkelstein is calm and accepting.
That’s because Finkelstein, whose tenure bid drew widespread interest because of the Jewish professor’s blunt criticism of Jews and the state of Israel — and the attack on those views waged by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz — stands firmly on the beliefs that may have got him fired.
Let us now praise noble men who stand firmly on their beliefs, for one thing. But let us not give an iota of attention to tenure standards. For another, denial of tenure is not a firing, as the lede implies, though it is a year’s notice.
For yet another, let us lay it on thick as a personality piece that is blatantly complimentary to a prof who has been denied tenure elsewhere, as we read in Chi Trib. Thick? Consider the 3rd and 4th ‘grafs:
“There is a song by the folk singer Keith Seeger, ‘Die Gedanken sind frei,'” the controversial academic reflected in a rare interview with the Sun-Times.
“That means, ‘thoughts are free.’ No one can deny that ‘die gedanken sind frei.’ They can deny me tenure, deny me the right to teach. But they will never stop me from saying what I believe.”
Etc. etc., violin chords in the background.
In Chi Trib, on the other hand, we hear both sides, including this:
Before coming to DePaul, Finkelstein taught at several New York universities but was not granted tenure. At DePaul, his application for tenure was supported by the political science department but opposed by Dean Chuck Suchar of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, who said he found Finkelstein’s attack-style scholarship inconsistent with the university’s commitment to respect for the views of all. [Italics added]
Attack-style scholarship, eh? So there is a bigger question here, or at least more pertinent to the story, than one man sticking to his guns, which is a generic issue? In any case, that’s what the dean did, right?
Blithe Spirit 