Creationist Physics Prof

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So, I'm taking physics this semester, and today we had our second class. I was looking forward to it, because, believe it or not, I enjoyed reading the textbook. So here I was looking forward to a discussion of physics, and instead, what do I get? A three hour sermon on creationism and why scientists need to "think outside the box" about the age of the earth and evolution and so on.

I seemed to be the only one in the class who was annoyed.

What would you do?

complain

I would also complain. Your professor gets a paycheck for teaching physics, not creationism.

The rational part of me says to behave and report it to admin... etc.

The crazy part of me wants to hang them by their shoelaces.


The compromise would be to meet after class as a group, discuss it, and come back next day with solid proof that carbon dating/ other element dating works just fine.


And by "Outside the box" they mean "like me"/

Well, that's ironic. It could be worse though... he could have been a biology teacher. Everything in biology is based on evolution.
"Today, we were going to learn all about evolution and survival of the fittest, but everyone knows that it's complete and utter NONSENSE!"

All jokes aside, I think you should report your teacher. It's not his (her?) job to try to indoctrinate students. It is his job, though, to actually teach physics.

what

If God created the universe, then that means he created physics as well.

(If you're not a theist, feel free to disregard this comment).

I thought about complaining to someone, but I kind of have the feeling I wouldn't be the first, and they must be perfectly happy with him and his creationism or he wouldn't be there at all.

At any rate, I'm researching the things he based his nonsense on, so that if he brings it up again I can embarrass him (while feigning innocent curiosity, of course).

Probably not a good idea unless I wait until final grades are in, though.

I would debate in class, if such an opportunity to voice your opinions arises. If you have proof a professor lowers your grade because they simply disagree with you, that is an issue you can instantly take up with the college. You are entitled to your opinion, regardless of whether or not you agree with your professor. Just because they have a Ph.D doesn't mean they know everything. So long as you aren't disrespecful to their authority, there is nothing wrong with bringing up valid arguments when given the chance to do so. If it IS just a lecture where you aren't exchanging ideas, complain on your end-of-semester evaluation and learn the non-Creationism science info from the textbook.

Last edited by OddDuckNash99 on 11 Sep 2012, 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

I'd probably not attend .
Asking embarassing questions while feigning innocence sounds fun as well .

Christian/Muslim/Jew /=/ Creationist.

There are all kinds of specialities and sub-specialities that get taught, then various different subjects within a stream. Depends what's posted for the period. Check to see if the creationist lecture was pre-posted as a one-off or part of a stream of thought (creationism this time, evolution next time, etc). If it looks like an ad-lib abuse to push the religious agenda of the professor, that will negatively bias the veracity of the rest of the course... then I would advise lodging a complaint.

I had an ethics professor like this. He would stop class to rant against President Obama, but I never complained because he usually caught himself before it went on too long, and it never got in the way of finishing the lecture. If we had started falling behind the syllabus or something, I would have complained to the department head. If he wastes another whole class, then you have not only the right, but the responsibility to go to the head of the physics department, and tell them that you are paying good money for a physics class, but the professor isn't talking about physics at all. It's unprofessional and I doubt the department would sanction it. Don't assume that people have complained before or that they are okay with him, because it's totally possible students who have come before have assumed the same and not complained.

i would also be annoyed; the professor is of course allowed to believe whatever he wants (although i'm always amazed how people that studied any natural science are able to still be creationist, but that's besides the point), but he should keep that outside of the classroom.
i would have tried to talk the professor into a corner with questions that dont have a ready-made answer, and after class, inform the head of the faculty

Well, he just wasted another three hour class talking almost exclusively about creationism. He informed us that the grand canyon was created in five hours, the speed of light is slowing down, and dinosaurs lived a few thousand years ago. He spent about five minutes actually on-topic, out of three hours. I'm definitely going to complain now. I just need to decide who to talk to. I tried rating him online and my rating was removed - apparently criticizing a prof for this reason is a no-no.
It's really infuriating because I paid out-of-pocket to take this class, really want to learn this stuff, and can't take anything this guy says seriously.

Well, at least he talked about the speed of light this time. That's something physics-related, at least. I'm actually curious how he brought the speed of light into a discussion on Creationism. Is he saying the speed of light is slowing down as a way to try and disprove the Big Bang and the fact that the universe is expanding? And why does he think the speed of light is slowing down to begin with? Creationist or not, he's still a physicist, so what is his rationale for bashing Einstein's Theory of Relativity? I'm also curious what you're SUPPOSED to be learning in this class. Is it a standard first-course physics course where you start with classic Newtonian mechanics?