"The students have been very well organized and thoughtful about their response to Ferguson," she said. "I wanted to respond to this historical moment in the class."
Students will pair philosophers such as John Locke with contemporary blog posts discussing issues of how police use deadly force.
But the course, titled "Police Violence and Mass Incarceration," drew the ire of the blog Daily Roll Call earlier this month, which called it an "anti-police course."
Nashville's chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police took notice of the blog post and called Vanderbilt to investigate. Sgt. Mark Woodfin, vice president of Nashville's FOP, said he wanted to ensure students in the course would include police-friendly perspectives in their studies.
Community members, including police officers, will be brought in for class discussions, Guenther said.
"I don't think it is just a simple issue with two sides," she said. "It's a complex issue with a history. We will explore that history in class from multiple perspectives."
In a statement, the university stood by Guenther and her course.
"Universities have historically been places where the most troubling issues facing society can be discussed and where many points of view are respected," Vanderbilt's statement read. "This elective course is an example of that sort of discussion, in which students will be exposed to many perspectives, including those of police. Our support of intellectual freedom exists to encourage reasoned dialogue and debate of the issues facing us all."
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/
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