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So, I have a really difficult professor that I think might be borderline abusive and may have threatened me.
The fall semester began about three weeks ago, and I'm taking a required class called "Production Basics." I'm a film and video student. I love the program, but this professor, from the beginning has been incredibly vulgar, rude, and unnecessarily difficult in the sense that he intentionally makes the class setup (not material, but structure) difficult for his own shits and giggles. He openly admits this.
I figured I could make it though.
This week, though, on Tuesday he sprang on us a new assignment - "you have 24 hours to write a script treatment." "What's a script treatment?" a student asked. "What are you a fucking moron, or are you just being a smartass?" he said to the student in front of the class. "I'm not answering such an asinine question." He never did, and as such, half the class didn't really know. We relied on Google.
Another thing: he doesn't want us to turn in the assignment to him. He wants us to email it to him, yes, but to address him as a fictional character from the XMen. So I did. I wrote the best treatment I could, and sent it to this character. Then, I took off to work my actual, real film production job and figured I'd get a grade (probably poor, but whatever) and that was that.
I get an email an hour later saying, in character, "Sorry Mr. Anon, we have to reject your script at this time because it is poorly written and you clearly tried too hard. Feel free to submit again once you fix it to our standards."
Well, since I was on set, I couldn't resubmit without taking off work, and pleasing my actual executive producer that writes my paychecks is more important than pleasing a fake one based on a comic book character.
Four hours later, I get another email.
Continued.
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It said: "Professor speaking now. Oh, I KNOW you aren't going to be a little bitch and not resubmit. You are such a failure. You fell down and aren't even going to try and get back up? Pathetic."
I told him I was at work and would not be able to resubmit any assignment and that whatever grade I got, I'd just have to live with. He replied:
"Not only do you fail this assignment, but I'm dropping you a letter grade.
I'm done with you."
Shocked, I just went back to work. Ten minutes later, another email.
"And just think about this - I can ruin you. I can ruin your future. I have nothing to lose - YOU DO."
I don't reply again. I'm just really concerned and uncomfortable.
Again, another email. This time addressed to the entire class.
"So today I received a lot of submissions for the treatment assignment. I did not accept any of them. One among you handled this assignment very poorly and childishly, and as such they will be punished and probably will never amount to anything in this industry."
Yeah, I don't know what to do. I have severe anxiety and a panic disorder. After every class of his, I have a full-fledged panic episode. After all this, though, I had a full-on nervous breakdown, complete with tears, rapid heart beat, and dizziness. I threw up, and wanted to actually kill myself.
Am I being too sensitive, or did this professor cross the line? Did he threaten me? Should I report it to the school, or is that a no-no? Is this just how college is? Because someone is tenured, they can get away with shit like this?
One more point: this is a required first-semester-in-this-program class. If I drop it, I get kicked from the program, and delay my graduation by a full year.
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Seems highly unprofessional but I have no knowledge of how professors operate. He seems like asshole even if you report it I doubt they would fire him just talk to him which would in turn Piss him off and target you more
Depends on how far you're willing to go, either don't put up with his shit or eat it and ask for more
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>>17494334
This is extremely unusual and unprofessional. Print out your emails with the professor and with yellow highlighter highlight the following:
>I KNOW you aren't going to be a little bitch and not resubmit. You are such a failure.
>I can ruin you. I can ruin your future. I have nothing to lose - YOU DO.
With these in hand I would go to your guidance counselor or student resources or whatever and flat out tell them you feel extremely threatened by your professor's emails which are extremely unprofessional.
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>>17494389
This. And emphasize your fear of reprisal since he has already dropped you a letter grade for being at work while he's goading you. This guy stands at the gateway to your success and he's abusing the power of his position. This is horribly out of line.
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>>17494418
This too, emphasize to any counselor or college representative you speak to that you feel extremely threatened, have had panic attacks over this, and that you fear reprisal over even reporting this.
As a college graduate who slacked from time to time not even the harshest professor ever spoke to me the way this one is speaking to you. The worst one has ever told me is, "I've given you the assignment, you need to do the assignment, if you don't I'm going to have to fail you."
Using expletives and threats in professional correspondence (email) is so far out of line.
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