I’m currently in a class that serves as an important graduation requirement. Most of the other kids in this class are sophomores, and I (as a senior) am the oldest one. The course is taught by a professor (man in his 60s, very intelligent guy) who I’ve been working closely with for about a year now. Up until now, this prof and I have gotten along really well.

Last week, the professor assigned, as required reading, a certain 500-page sci-fi novel. Some of the sci-fi themes in the book related to the themes of the (philosophy) course. However, the book contains a lot of unnecessary material that is absolutely horrific. Naked women are tortured, cut, raped, and burned to death. There are all sorts of exploitative pornographic scenes. Female characters are referred to in vulgar ways. The main character (male) won’t stop talking about his erection. There’s an obsession with both prostitution and porn. The graphic murders of some of the prostitutes constitute major plot points.

after loudly speaking up and having my concerns dismissed, I feel defeated and almost embarrassed—-like it’s my behavior, and not the professor’s, that is the problem. I know this isn’t true, but it’s a hard feeling to shake. While the prof has offered to set up a webcam meeting to further discuss my concerns, he doesn’t seem too amenable to change. I don’t think that further discussion with him will change his mind about this particular issue.