Professor Obama
There's a really great feature in the New York Times on Barack Obama's time spent teaching constitutional law at The University of Chicago. For those of you who are not knowledgable on Midwestern universities, it is one of the best schools in the nation, comparably ranked to Duke or Columbia. Anyway, the piece does discuss much about his classroom demeanor and materials, even posting some of his exam questions.
A few excerpts:
"For all the weighty material, Mr. Obama had a disarming touch. He did not belittle students; instead he drew them out, restating and polishing halting answers, students recall. In one class on race, he imitated the way clueless white people talked. Why are your friends at the housing projects shooting each other?" he asked in a mock-innocent voice."
"On the national level, bipartisanship usually means Democrats ignore the needs of the poor and abandon the idea that government can play a role in issues of poverty, race discrimination, sex discrimination or environmental protection," Mr. Obama said.
"No one speaks this way anymore," Mr. Obama told his class, wondering aloud what had happened to the art of political oratory. In particular, Mr. Obama admired (Frederick) Douglass's use of a collective voice that embraced black and white concerns, one that Mr. Obama has now adopted himself.
A few excerpts:
"For all the weighty material, Mr. Obama had a disarming touch. He did not belittle students; instead he drew them out, restating and polishing halting answers, students recall. In one class on race, he imitated the way clueless white people talked. Why are your friends at the housing projects shooting each other?" he asked in a mock-innocent voice."
"On the national level, bipartisanship usually means Democrats ignore the needs of the poor and abandon the idea that government can play a role in issues of poverty, race discrimination, sex discrimination or environmental protection," Mr. Obama said.
"No one speaks this way anymore," Mr. Obama told his class, wondering aloud what had happened to the art of political oratory. In particular, Mr. Obama admired (Frederick) Douglass's use of a collective voice that embraced black and white concerns, one that Mr. Obama has now adopted himself.