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Anti-Vax ''Prof'' Teaching Woo At University

FreshHat

Why, You Little...
FreshHat
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Dec 22, 2007
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A former champion shot putter and track coach is currently teaching an anti-vax course at Queen's University in Kingston,Ontario.Queen's is one of the most respected schools in Canada.

According to media reports, the course does not use any textbooks.The "professor" bases the course on Youtube videos. Naturally, the autism nonsense figures prominently in the lessons.

More here.
 
FreshHat said:
A former champion shot putter and track coach is currently teaching an anti-vax course at Queen's University in Kingston,Ontario.Queen's is one of the most respected schools in Canada.

According to media reports, the course does not use any textbooks.The "professor" bases the course on Youtube videos. Naturally, the autism nonsense figures prominently in the lessons.

More here.
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At least some of the students are raising a fuss. That's encouraging.


The teaching of Melody Torcolacci, a professor who allegedly promotes anti-vaccination views at Queen’s University, has prompted calls by a student group asking for her course information to be reviewed and fact-checked.

When students in Torcolacci’s first-year physical determinants of health class took a test Tuesday on vaccination materials, some took to social media to complain about how she cited a disproven study linking autism to vaccines.
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I would hope that the "prof" gets a no-so-subtle reminder to use only real science in her classes.
 
There is this concept of "academic freedom" that in many colleges allows odd views to be held by a professor without these views alone permitting the professor to be fired. But generally one has be able to at least marginally explain the reasons for having concluded these views (being able to appropriately draw conclusions from facts is a test of your abilities as a academic). So it usually is a balance: a professor can conclude that HIV doesn't cause AIDS if they can point to even highly selected and questionable published studies used as a basis of that conclusion. But a professor cannot typically argue that Bush is a shape changing reptilian alien and still assure themselves of their job. It can be tricky.
 
Giordano said:
There is this concept of "academic freedom" that in many colleges allows odd views to be held by a professor without these views alone permitting the professor to be fired. But generally one has be able to at least marginally explain the reasons for having concluded these views (being able to appropriately draw conclusions from facts is a test of your abilities as a academic). So it usually is a balance: a professor can conclude that HIV doesn't cause AIDS if they can point to even highly selected and questionable published studies used as a basis of that conclusion. But a professor cannot typically argue that Bush is a shape changing reptilian alien and still assure themselves of their job. It can be tricky.
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Yeah, academic freedom is not a get out of crazy card. It's mostly about the right to teach controversial 'opinions' rather than demonstrable falsehoods.

I worked with an ex-prof in Vancouver who was let go from his astrophysics position at SFU because he was a YEC. Telling students the universe was 6,000 years old was flat out not doing his job.
 
If I started teaching looney crap in my classes, once my colleagues found out I would be removed from that teaching assignment in a heartbeat, and stuck into doing the lousiest crap available.
 
pgwenthold said:
If I started teaching looney crap in my classes, once my colleagues found out I would be removed from that teaching assignment in a heartbeat, and stuck into doing the lousiest crap available.
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Not me! Ah, the advantages of a philosophy department! No matter what we say, it will have no practical effects on the lives of our students.
 
The pictures from here slide show are very revealing. Oh and there's also a doctor claiming he reported this to Queen's three years ago. Wow just wow.
 
Spreading Measles Outbreak Also Takes Heavy Economic Toll
The virus is squeezing finances in affected communities—and diverting funds and resources from other health care priorities
February 5, 2015 |By Dina Fine Maron

The measles outbreak hopscotching across seven states may have started near Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Or maybe it began during a Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Then again, a hapless individual may have breathed in aerosolized measles virus last December during a shared Indiana Jones Adventure ride.
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COntinues
 
In looking over the slides, I conclude that these lectures are equivalent to a history professor teaching that the USA was discovered for the first time by Martians in 1867. I do not think that her obvious agenda, and this absolute fantasy stuff that she made up, are protected by academic freedom at all.
 
Giordano said:
In looking over the slides, I conclude that these lectures are equivalent to a history professor teaching that the USA was discovered for the first time by Martians in 1867.
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The equivalent would have to be someone teaching that history course without a degree in the subject. That someone whose academic qualifications apparently consist of an MA in something called "sports sociology" gets to teach a course entitled "Health 102 - Physical Determinants of Health" doesn't exactly speak well for that university's academic standards.

In another course, she also teaches that watching TV is linked to autism.
 
FromBelgiumWithLove said:
The equivalent would have to be someone teaching that history course without a degree in the subject. That someone whose academic qualifications apparently consist of an MA in something called "sports sociology" gets to teach a course entitled "Health 102 - Physical Determinants of Health" doesn't exactly speak well for that university's academic standards.

In another course, she also teaches that watching TV is linked to autism.
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The last part I can believe!
 
Disgusting.

We have a chiro guy at my university (UoGuelph) that hands out anti-vaccine pamphlets. He just pays to rent the space, though, so there's not much I can do except discourage people from ever seeing him (or any chiro, imo)
 
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