A:

It depends. Faculty members are responsible for making sure that they don’t insert material that has no relation to the subject matter of the course and should not introduce into the classroom provocative discussions of irrelevant subjects not within their field of study. (AC64 https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ac64). If the comments are related to the subject matter of the course, they likely fall within the faculty member’s academic freedom rights. A student who believes the instructor has acted beyond the limits of academic freedom may seek a faculty conference and mediation as outlined here: http://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/R-6-classroom-academic-freedom-conference-mediation.html

Other alternatives include speaking directly to the professor, the department head, or to personnel in the college's dean’s office. Also, if the comments raise concerns of harassment and discrimination as defined in University policy, a student could, if desired, make a report to the Office of Affirmative Action.

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