Critique of discussion was incomplete
In response to your article "Israeli-Palestinian conflict should have a greater role in campus discussion" (Forum, March 23):
I commend Eitan Cooper on his call for serious and open engagement on such a controversial issue. I agree that the question of Israel/Palestine is noticeably absent from public conversations on this campus. Indeed, except in courses explicitly on the subject, even most professors avoid bringing it up in class. I agree, also, that given the near-and-dear nature of the issue to many of our hearts, and our student body's social proximity to Israel-lobby organizations like AIPAC and J Street, our campus should be especially engaged in dialogue and mobilization around the issue.
I disagree with Cooper, however, about the cause of the apparent muteness around the subject and what ought to be done about it. That the conversation about Palestine/Israel is so emotionally driven on campus discourages many students from confronting it openly. It's not just a political question at Brandeis. Indeed, many American Jews conflate their position on the issue to their very identity. For this reason, many students choose to avoid confronting friends who may hold different views on the situation in order to avoid alienation and hurt. The relative muteness of arguments critical of Israel cannot be attributed simply to a numerical minority, as Cooper suggests. Rather, we who would criticize Israel often feel marginalized by the "mainstream" tendency on campus. Mainstream discourse, on the part of the administration and student body, imparts a sense that criticism of Israel is an oppositional view. At the risk of making a generalization, this tacit social pressure may not be apparent to those of the mainstream opinion, but it exists. When it comes to conversations on human rights, however, marginal and minority voices are the ones most essential to the dialogue.
Finally, I disagree with Cooper's suggestion that the University should "create more Goldstone/Gold-like, politically charged events in order to get our juices going and resuscitate the issue." Events that evoke antagonism, like the Goldstone/Gold debate, discourage positive dialogue. They are adversarial spectacles, opportunities for students to pick a side and cheer on their man. Framing the dialogue as a "Pro-Israel vs. Anti-Israel" boxing match establishes an oppositional binary, whereby listening and reasoning are subverted by hostility. This violent mode is the norm for discussing Palestine/Israel here, as exemplified by the Carter/Dershowitz showdown. Encouraging these antagonistic spectacles will only generate more hostility, polarity, and marginalization. Instead, I propose we reinvent the practices of communication used to discuss the subject. Nonviolent, constructive and respectful conversations can be had if we avoid the oppositional binary. There are a number of students on this campus trained in the practice of Nonviolent Communication who are qualified to mediate serious dialogue. I agree with Cooper that the campus must discuss this subject more publicly, and I would espouse more activity on the part of critics of Israel, but we must maintain and strengthen the bonds of community if we are to positively engage one another.
Editor's note: This comment was originally posted under another's name without that individual's knowledge or consent. The name was removed from this page at the request of the individual whose name was used falsely. Permit undergrad TAs to give grades
In response to your article "Changes proposed to undergraduate teaching assistant grading" (News, March 23):
The University should allow undergraduate TAs to grade assignments. Undergrad TA experience is particularly beneficial for future graduate students, and an opportunity unique to a school like Brandeis. Giving undergraduate TAs more formal responsibility would further enhance the benefits of being a TA. As a senior at Brandeis I worked closely with a professor teaching a small seminar class. Even though I could not formally grade, I consulted with the professor on all written assignments. I gained a deep appreciation for the struggles and rewards of teaching, and also learned the material better myself in being forced to evaluate other students' work. That experience helped me decide to pursue a Ph.D., helped me get into Northwestern University and today is my best background as I prepare to teach my own course at Northwestern. Even though I've been a graduate TA in various courses at Northwestern, I had more actual teaching experience as an undergraduate TA at Brandeis. I realize that my TA experience at Brandeis was unique and does not represent most undergrad TAs, but I think giving undergrad TAs more formal responsibility would benefit the program as a whole. Brandeis should capitalize on its ability to offer undergraduates an experience that not even all graduate students get.
-Jeff Kosbie '06