Democracy, Freedom and Rule of Law with Dr. Beals

This article was part of a series by the Board of Student Academic Support Services (SASS) that interviewed OHS teachers about the classes they teach. We hope these articles will be a useful resource for students who are selecting courses for following years.

SASS: What is your favorite thing about teaching DFRL?

Dr. Beals: This is hard to answer generally.  The first reason that comes to mind is that I enjoy teaching DFRL because the students are a lot of fun to teach.  I have taught at the university level as well, but I found that OHSers are extremely driven because everyone is there for the same reason.  It is their genuine interest and engagement that makes it fun!  It is an enjoyable class because it has more of an immediacy and importance to students’ lives. While some believe the concepts of DFRL are too abstract, it will help you recognize what you should believe as a citizen. DFRL applies to events going on in contemporary lives; it allows students to find a better way of articulating philosophical concepts to themselves and others, and may end up changing their mind. It causes students to be put into an uncomfortable position of questioning assumptions and beliefs that are more pressing than purely abstract concepts.

SASS: What challenges students the most in DFRL? How would you recommend that students overcome these challenges?

Dr. Beals: Different students have various challenges, but one of the central challenges is interpreting how philosophers write and think when there is often a lot of technical language.  In addition, learning how to recognize what the instructors are looking for in papers and knowing how to make your own argument takes time.  It is usually challenging for students to find the balance between their own arguments and someone else’s authoritative ideas.  Part of what we do in DFRL is help introduce more supplementary material that explicitly addresses those concerns. Communication between classmates is also beneficial when employing critical thinking. The number one recommendation from me is to come to office hours, keep plugging away, and don’t get discouraged!  I know it may be be hard in the beginning, but the more you do it, the better you will become at it.

SASS: Why do you think DFRL is a core class and not just a general history or philosophy class?

Dr. Beals: In DFRL, we are not just talking about what happened but viewing it in an evaluative way.  This course is not just a philosophy class because it concerns itself with topics other than theory - i.e., political speeches, US Supreme Court Cases - and is not all abstract.  For example, we will explore why the civil disobedience movement championed by MLK is legitimate, not just what happened and what the motivations were for it.  We focus on whether or not something should be believed and really go beyond the surface; we look at interrelations between democracy, freedom, and rule of law that wouldn't be as specific in other classes.

SASS: Have you had any experiences with students in DFRL that could encourage those who think they cannot excel at the material to take the class?

Dr. Beals: Yes, numerous students have approached me after taking DFRL to tell me that they were content with their performance in the class.  Although some have been concerned that their STEM mindset would reduce success in philosophical course, many have returned to tell me that they truly enjoyed DFRL. Those who receive an A deserve it because they really tackled the topics; it is important to recognize that good grades are a result of their degree of input.  If you have a history of incompatible interests, I don’t want to you feel discouraged!