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The Honor Code at Haverford creates an environment of deep trust, respect, and collegiality between professors and students which, in turn, fosters open dialogue and free intellectual exchange. Talk about the conditions you think are essential to allowing this type of dialogue and exchange in both academic and non-academic settings.
While the environment created by the Honor Code at Haverford encourages open discussion between professors and students, two major ingredients are essential to a meaningful discussion: an environment where those participating in the discussion feel comfortable expressing their opinions, and a passion for the material being discussed. Without them, it is difficult for free intellectual dialogue to survive and thrive.
Respect is largely important in creating a comfortable environment for open discussion. We've all heard the saying that there is no stupid question, but we have also all heard some person or other say "that was a dumb question." As a result of this insult, others in the discussion do not feel comfortable expressing their views for fear of being labeled as "stupid". By creating an environment of deep trust, respect, and collegiality, the Honor Code ensures that students and professors will keep an open mind and respect each others' views, even if these views seem radical or they do not agree with them. Thus, students and professors alike will feel like their opinions are respected and be more willing to enter a free intellectual discussion.
Even in an environment of trust, respect, and collegiality, open dialogue cannot thrive without passion for the topic of discussion. As I have seen in my high school classes, in a situation where the teachers are really passionate about the subject being taught, they work to make the class interesting by adding in anecdotes and keeping students engaged. As a result, the students are more likely to take part in intellectual dialogue and become more interested even if they originally weren't. On the other hand, if the teacher exudes an attitude of "I don't care", the students will eventually pick up that attitude even if they were at one time interested in that subject.
For all the importance of passion, it is no secret that in class students may be motivated to express their opinions by other factors such as participation credit. However, it is out of class that passion really makes the difference. While students with no real interest may sit around at lunch making small talk, those with a specific passion are able to partake in incredibly animated and deep intellectual discussion without feeling that they are "doing work". While everyone who chooses to go to school must go to class, it is rare to find a student who participates in an extracurricular, be it math club or basketball, without a passion for the activity. Especially in academic extracurriculars, participants enjoy what they do, and won't hesitate to strike up a discussion on some topic in that area. Thus, passion is the major force behind intellectual dialogue in an academic and especially a non-academic setting.
Respect and passion are the two essential components for creating open discussions, but serve vastly different purposes. While respect creates a comfortable environment for discussion, it is passion that drives the discussion. Without both of these, open intellectual exchange cannot exist in its purest form. With the help of the Haverford Honor Code and both of these conditions, students and professors can participate in eye-opening discussions that further the education for all involved.
The Honor Code at Haverford creates an environment of deep trust, respect, and collegiality between professors and students which, in turn, fosters open dialogue and free intellectual exchange. Talk about the conditions you think are essential to allowing this type of dialogue and exchange in both academic and non-academic settings.
While the environment created by the Honor Code at Haverford encourages open discussion between professors and students, two major ingredients are essential to a meaningful discussion: an environment where those participating in the discussion feel comfortable expressing their opinions, and a passion for the material being discussed. Without them, it is difficult for free intellectual dialogue to survive and thrive.
Respect is largely important in creating a comfortable environment for open discussion. We've all heard the saying that there is no stupid question, but we have also all heard some person or other say "that was a dumb question." As a result of this insult, others in the discussion do not feel comfortable expressing their views for fear of being labeled as "stupid". By creating an environment of deep trust, respect, and collegiality, the Honor Code ensures that students and professors will keep an open mind and respect each others' views, even if these views seem radical or they do not agree with them. Thus, students and professors alike will feel like their opinions are respected and be more willing to enter a free intellectual discussion.
Even in an environment of trust, respect, and collegiality, open dialogue cannot thrive without passion for the topic of discussion. As I have seen in my high school classes, in a situation where the teachers are really passionate about the subject being taught, they work to make the class interesting by adding in anecdotes and keeping students engaged. As a result, the students are more likely to take part in intellectual dialogue and become more interested even if they originally weren't. On the other hand, if the teacher exudes an attitude of "I don't care", the students will eventually pick up that attitude even if they were at one time interested in that subject.
For all the importance of passion, it is no secret that in class students may be motivated to express their opinions by other factors such as participation credit. However, it is out of class that passion really makes the difference. While students with no real interest may sit around at lunch making small talk, those with a specific passion are able to partake in incredibly animated and deep intellectual discussion without feeling that they are "doing work". While everyone who chooses to go to school must go to class, it is rare to find a student who participates in an extracurricular, be it math club or basketball, without a passion for the activity. Especially in academic extracurriculars, participants enjoy what they do, and won't hesitate to strike up a discussion on some topic in that area. Thus, passion is the major force behind intellectual dialogue in an academic and especially a non-academic setting.
Respect and passion are the two essential components for creating open discussions, but serve vastly different purposes. While respect creates a comfortable environment for discussion, it is passion that drives the discussion. Without both of these, open intellectual exchange cannot exist in its purest form. With the help of the Haverford Honor Code and both of these conditions, students and professors can participate in eye-opening discussions that further the education for all involved.