Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine professor criticized her students' belief in "meritocracy" and "hard work" in an academic article published Thursday.

Angela Putman, who teaches public speaking at Penn State-Brandywine, designed a comprehensive three-day seminar on "white privilege" for her students, then interviewed 12 attendees on their belief in meritocracy and equal opportunity.

To her dismay, Putman discovered that these "whiteness ideologies" were widely endorsed by students, many of whom agreed that "if I work hard, I can be successful" and that "everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve success."

Dismissing meritocracy as a mere social construct, Putman argues that students "are socialized to believe that we got to where we are... because of our own individual efforts," especially in classroom settings.

"Thus, whiteness ideologies may be reproduced through a general acceptance and unchallenging of norms, as well as through everyday discourse from a wide variety of racial positionalities," she adds.

While Putman believes that schools chiefly perpetuate these harmful ideologies, she also believes that college professors aren't powerless, saying they can help undo students' belief in meritocracy and equal opportunity through intensive re-education.

Professors should teach students "how racism and whiteness function in various contexts, the powerful influence of systems and institutions, and the pervasiveness of whiteness ideologies within the United States," she adds, recommending the use of "role-play activities" and "readings, discussions, films, and activities."

Once students learn more about whiteness ideologies, Putman hopes that they will "resist perpetuating and reifying whiteness through their own discourse and interactions," and learn to fight "manifestations of racism and whiteness within U.S. institutions and systems."

According to her school biography, Putman's research focuses on "whiteness as ideology, the pervasiveness of white privilege, institutional/systemic racism, and critical pedagogy." While she primarily teaches public speaking, she "hopes" to teach classes on gender studies and white privilege in the future, her biography notes.

Campus Reform reached out to Putman for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Comment: There's obviously no need to study or prepare for this professor's exams! She could follow in the steps of this professor and just let students choose their own grades!
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9874

Its easy to miss the point.

'meritocracy' as its used in our culture is a misleading concept. IT sounds like a very interesting class. As long as it is an elective, I say good for her.


of course there is value in 'hard work' but in a competitive culture, this unfortunately translates into who is working 'harder' and thus more deserving. This is a false pretense.

Think of it like this. If you were racing a five k against two other people, and they started at the 4 mile mark, and you start at zero ...

When you finish in four minutes behind them, yes,, in theory when they win, you didn't work 'hard' enough to beat them. But in reality, that has nothing to do with whether you worked harder then they did, When you actually had to run further and at a quicker pace.

thats completely out of context... everyone starts at the same place, and whoever works the hardest to win, wins... very simple concept... winners work hard to win, losers don't... if you're going to start the race with a "poor me" attitude, then you've already lost...

no, everyone does not start at the same place

the kid whose parents could afford to raise them in beverly hills is not starting the 'same place' as the single parent trying to raise a kid in a ghetto

the kid who has two parents with secure ceo or management positions is not starting at the same place as the ones who has a single parent at mcdonalds

the kid who comes in used to being around adults and seen as 'disrespectful' is not starting at the same place as the kid who is raised by daycare and nannies around other children taught to be 'proper'

the list goes on and on,

but the myth that we all 'start' the same place is the central myth that causes 'meritocracy' to be an idealistic concept and not a reality...

oh, poor you...just quit trying then...someone has it better, whaaaaa...liberals just wanna cry and whine about everything without working to get what they want... sorry sweetheart, life has never been fair, ever... some people have to work harder to get what they want,some don't... thats why you think you're so entitled because someone has it easier than you...(when i say you, i mean the whiners like that stupid teacher and her ilk)

so are you saying that Beyonce and JZ's kids are part of this as well? will and Jada smiths kids as well? there's no difference between them and any other rich white family...

Im not sure of the question, but ummmm....

noone said poor me. I stated a reality that people don't start at the same place so the idea that working 'harder' as it relates to other people is what makes us more 'deserving' than others is hogwash, basically.

Because the world is full of people working 'hard' and still barely getting by let alone moving up in the world.

The idea that merely 'working hard' is the foundation for what we 'deserve' is a mirror to the idea that if we dont have it we dont 'deserve' it because we didnt 'work hard enough'

its all hogwash, really, thats reality, not a poor me attitude.

Yes, we have to work hard, and some have to work much harder than others for the same place, and some have to work much harder than others and still not have the same place.

Believing the simplistic ideal that 'hard work' alone, gets you anywhere, is a recipe for disaster.

it is a poor me attitude...has been all throughout history...minorities seem to think there's a giant conspiracy to not let them in the rich club, because they are minorities...fact is, if anyone can make a rich person richer with a product or a service, they could care less what color anyone is. But since they are raised being taught they can't do anything because of the color of their skin, they don't try as hard as they could...

I dont know who was taught this, we were simply taught we could do anything though there would probably be twice as much expected of us to accomplish it as there were others.

So, not 'poor me' , but This is the environment we live in, this is the game, and this is what WE have to do to stay in it and win.

poor you...we all deal with it, but i guess it's extra hard for blacks...

lol

who started the thread about white people being discriminated against? Was that 'poor me' as well?

just saying how it is, no self pity at all, just awareness.

i just showed some facts... you're the one saying everything should just be given to people, without trying or working hard...i work hard and get what i want on my own, with out any help, and that makes what i have more important to me...

lol, I've said none of the above.

that's all you've said...

provide a quote where I said any of it ...

No damn.....No how....deal with it......it's hard to getting a job that work for the offical agency or co. but if you do want to feeding those chicks for the joshua or washing the plates for the mama dangdong.....then the world is so beautiful for every one.....even sometime you'll only earning about 2 or 3 dollar per days......I'll be damn......whos charger....... where is trumpy massive dollar support........

dangdongs...

dangdongs

Sorry folks but this mentality is just down right pathetic. Or should I have said down left and dirty.

yes. belief in the utopic idea that just 'working hard' equates to having 'merit' which leads to 'success'

is pathetic and damaging in many ways...

Depends how you look at success!
For some it could be as simple as having a nice little house /apartment, job and a family. For others it could be the head or owner of a large corporate company.