The Great Syllabus Caper

"If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law" (Thoreau)

Things were rarely quiet at Humphrey's employer, the Institute for Higher Canine Education (I-HCE), but the recent matter of Harpo's new syllabus only amplified the hullabaloo of academic freedom disagreements!

Sometimes Harpo's spirit reminds Humphrey of Henry David Thoreau

As a tenured member of I-HCE, Harpo knows that academic freedom offers him many opportunities to express his intellect and ideas. The young pups find him entertaining as a teacher, but they also admire his commitment to their well-being. And, since he has a very secure position at I-HCE with tenure and all, he has the courage to take risks on behalf of the pups!

Harpo works so very, very hard to help the pups learn and succeed. He also knows a great deal about statistics thanks to his preoccupation with the likes of Michael Scriven! So, when the directive was (yet again) made that all I-HCE faculty were to adjust grades on a bell curve, Harpo felt he had no choice but to take action. 

Action 1: update his syllabus to include this important clause in specific response to I-HCE's policy on applying bell curves:

The instructor assigns grades based on evidence of your mastery of the skills and ideas on which the course turns. He considers the grading policy promulgated by the Faculty of Canine and Pack Science to be manifestly unjust and to verge on irrationality. He will definitely not lower any pup’s grade in order to conform to that policy. He thinks that if you are well-to-do, you should consult a lawyer wherever you have concrete reason to believe that application of such arbitrary policies has deprived you of grades to which your performance entitles you. If you are not well-to-do, you are well acquainted with injustice and have, of necessity, learned to live with it.

Action 2: have a discussion about this clause with the current group of pups, who applauded his candor.

Now, Harpo is an intelligent poodle, so his position was carefully considered! Before issuing this version of the syllabus, he thought and thought and researched and researched, and was confident he could defend his position - especially since his tiny classes (with only 20 or 30 pups, at most) would not provide a sufficient number of dogs to warrant normal distribution. He knew that the Gaussian curve could only be achieved with a large enough pool of learners - and would have to be based on years worth of sections of the course taught. As well, his criterion-referenced approach to grading (that is, judging grades based on individual dogs' mastery of outcomes, not against one another's performance) further problematized the administration's policy about bell curves. 

It was no surprise to any of the dogs on faculty that Harpo was called into the top dogs' offices to explain himself. And he did so, calmly and with his file folder of evidence in hand. He was sure to remind them about academic freedom, and his role in helping the pups in their mastery of content. Plus, the administration didn't really have a right to dictate what went on that syllabus!

In the end, while the top dogs did not like the syllabus, they agreed it was not incorrect, and that Harpo had the right to keep it as it was originally written.

Humphrey admires Harpo's creativity and clever approach to calling attention to more than one form of injustice! Bravo, Harpo.