Those who do, should not teach?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s class at Columbia University is more like a semester-long advertisement for her book than a course fit for an Ivy League institution, according to one disgruntled student.
Columbia student Laaltya Acharya gave a scathing review of the former First Lady’s TikTok course, “Inside the Situation Room,” which Clinton taught with the dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Keren Yarhi-Milo, during the fall 2023 semester.
“[There was a] a sort of gulf between students and professors… I hope that throughout this semester, [Clinton] will start to loosen a little. We will find out more about [Clinton] as [an] individual[l] and can actually have a… professor/student relationship instead of just having [her] talk to us,” said Columbia student Laaltya Acharya on TikTok in December.
The course description has promised that students will “be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interactions between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors that contribute to decisions about foreign policy.”
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton teaches an “Inside the Situation Room” class with Columbia’s dean, Keren Yarhi-Milo, during the fall 2023 semester. Getty Images One student claims Clinton mostly read from her books and turned into a politician. Getty Images
The reality, however, is more like “engagement speaking one side where [Clinton and Yarhi-Milo] just talk to us,” Acharya lamented.
“And that’s definitely frustrating because a big part of why we’re in the classroom is to understand more about decision making, why people make the decisions they do,” he said.
Clinton also failed to bring serious new insights to the table, Acharya added.
SIPA / Columbia University The course description for “Inside the Situation Room” says it will teach students to “think carefully and analytically about how leaders… reach their decisions.” Getty Images
“Furthermore, Hillary Clinton has not really presented any examples or any examples or views that she ‘hasn’t mentioned in her book or in published articles,” she told her TikTok followers.
“I really hope that he will bring some more unique views and… more vulnerability and discussion about why he makes the decisions he does, what his views are, what his thoughts are,” the student concluded.
The seasoned statesman also remains true to his roots when it comes to students, Acharya said.
“Usually every time you start… recognize [politicians] more on a personal basis, you start to like them a little more because they become more human. However, throughout the semester, I felt like Hillary Clinton became more of a politician than she was at the end of it,” he said.
Even so, Acharya – who, in addition to being a Columbia student, is the founder of the Nereid Project, which raises awareness of the water crisis – said he has no regrets about taking Clinton’s coveted class.
“I think there is definitely a place where he can be more honest with us because he does not hold the position of secretary of state or politician. He was there as a professor to teach, and I wish he had embraced that role a little more,” he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
