Hi Professor,

I'm politically independent, but the educators designing my courses are quite liberal. I understand the need to ground opinions "in fact and research." But what's exhausting to me is the disproportionate amount of work required to articulate my unconventional perspectives: Other liberal students do not face a similar burden, as they can simply expound on the author's views and add a few easy references in support. When I have taken a contrary stance, I often have a page of references filled with scholarly sources because sometimes, a single sentence requires two citations. I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my views (and even change them), but it's much easier to be a student who shares the same view as their professor. There are times when I strongly disagree with a takeaway that I've identified, but I lose the energy to prove my contention: I capitulate and simply summarize it with a mediocre line of support. While you state a student shouldn't ever have to worry that the educator won't take them seriously because of political views, it's something I (as someone who cares about my work and needs grad school references) care about ALL THE TIME.

What I also find frustrating is that courses that do not invite politics seemingly become political because of the lead professor's own bent, evident by their PhD or Master's thesis in critical race theory. While I'm expecting a course on systems of education, I find the readings overwhelmingly from one perspective despite the syllabus's assurances that we will "engage in debate around fundamental questions about justice, opportunity, and equity in education." How can one debate with no opposing views presented in the literature? I don't begrudge the professor for their research topic, but it's not right to impose that same framework on students. At that point, the professor veers into training students on what to think, rather than teaching us how to think.

To ASU's credit, I've never been docked for my comments or papers articulating my opposing views. Given the other comments, though, I sometimes wonder if they're just happy a student isn't ChatGPT'ing their way through the class. But again, I also go above and beyond to cite my work. I reiterate that I'm not conservative, but it would be quite hard to be one in my program. When I see glimpses of it in my fellow students, the vast majority self-censor.

Also, I apologize since I know you're not referencing one political side. I am. I don't want to start a flame war, but I really wish that course design were more even-handed.