Derek Smith, Guest Columnist Derek Smith, Guest Columnist As a major research university, Penn is full of experts at the forefront of their fields. Too many of them, however, are obnoxious and arrogant. For me, the all-important indicator of' a first-rate professor or lecturer is this: does the person draw you into the excitement of the material and make you passionate about the subject? If so, you've found a great professor. Go to her office hours and learn more. Speak to him after class and ask about the part of the lecture that got your attention. If you're really passionate, see if you can assist in the professor's research. If by the end of class the professor hasn't made you passionate about the subject, you're wasting your time. If he or she is right and everyone else is wrong, don't wait any longer. Get out while you still can. Of course it's not always that easy. Last spring, I took a class I needed to graduate. I had postponed taking it in the hope someone else would teach it. The topic sounded interesting but after the first few lectures, the professor's arrogance was all I remembered. In his lectures, he constantly mocked scholars in the field who advocated opposite views. The Europeans were "silly" for not acting like Americans. Other scholars were "just plain wrong" because they didn't agree with him. For our major paper, we were handed a collection of documents and told to argue a certain thesis which -- surprise -- happened to be the professor's. Anyone who did not argue his line received a lower grade. He made this quite clear in lecture. In his opinion, there was only one important lesson to take out of the documents -- the one he was advocating. After all, he was The Expert. But wait, there's more. This was not a freshman seminar. This was an upper level course taken almost entirely by upperclassmen. We can think for ourselves, thank you very much. Or do we pale in comparison to your wisdom, o holy professor? Must we pay homage to your large ego? I refuse to. There are many expert professors who are not arrogant. I consider myself lucky to have learned from a Pulitzer prize winner who kept me at the edge of my seat for every lecture. Invigorating classical music pumped through the Meyerson B1 speakers before class made me psyched to have him guide me once again through another episode of diplomatic history. The narrative was so gripping the professor humbly blended himself into the shadows and let the material speak for itself. Another professor's willingness to learn with his students compelled me to take his graduate-level Latin class and endure a killer workload just because he was teaching it. He was challenging himself by teaching something at the edge of his expertise -- uncertain where the next road would take him. Even though he was clearly the expert, you could always tell we learned together as he was teaching. Perhaps the better word would be 'leading,' for that's what these two professors do. They draw you through the material and let you interact with it instead of merely listening to their work in the field. They take risks and look at old material in new ways, admitting they do not have all the answers. They act as guides as you climb through complex material. What can you do about arrogant professors? Tell your friends about them. Tell as many people as you can, especially the majors. Don't take their classes unless you have to. Don't give them the captive audience to bolster their fat egos. If you absolutely have to take the class with an arrogant professor, then don't sit there like a sponge. Speak up in class, and if there's a clear weakness in the professor's argument, focus on it. Find other students who agree with you and have them support you in class. You are the paying customer and you deserve better. You may not always be right and may get shot down a lot. Be willing to admit you're not always right. Otherwise you're just as arrogant as your professor. If the department is any good, it will have its own evaluation form. These are a great way to pour out all your complaints at the end of the semester. They often go straight to the department chair and become part of the professor's official record. Young lecturers and professors will have the proper blemishes on their record when they come up for tenure. It's just as important to tell your friends when you find professors you like. Think of how many people you talk to every day, and how many chances you have to recommend the best professors to them. Each great professor saves them one more time from another arrogant professor.
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