I should add to Bill’s comments that this varies by discipline as well as by institution. For example, I believe that it is common in the Sociology department at UND for students to call faculty by their first names. (No wonder our students are unsure how to address us if we can’t even agree amongst ourselves!)

I guess in my ideal world, I would know all of my students well, and would happily be on a 1st-name basis with all of them. In that sense, I share Bill’s discomfort with the type of hierarchy that is typical of the military. However, I have found that using a more formal title can be useful in reminding students of a power differential that will always exist (for better or worse) in the classroom. For me personally, the fact that I am a petite female who appears to be of the same age or even younger than many of my undergraduate students, I have come to rely on a few crude props, including the honorific title and wearing somewhat more formal business attire, to try to create a degree of differentiation and distance that I find that I need in order to maintain control over a class of 100 students.

I invite greater informality (such as using my first name) with graduate students, whom I view as apprentices and potentially future colleagues. I also am for informal in the way that I run smaller classes, particularly with graduate students. I find I don’t need to maintain the same level of stage presence in order to for the class to run smoothly, and for students to respect my role as their instructor and grader. I therefore feel free to interact with graduate students in a way that is closer to my ideal for all of my students.

One thing that I hope you all will write about (if you have and I missed it in a search, please let me know) is the issue of handling antsy students in class. As I mentioned in my first comment, I get frustrated when I see almost an entire class begin shuffling about, creating unnecessary noise when there are still three minutes left in the period. In addition are those who chit chat with each other during the lecture, and/or text. How should faculty handle something like these situations, and, what are the views by professors on such occurrences?

You bring up a nice point (which as you observe is a really a minor issue standing in for more significant ones).

So, of course, the entire thing is more complex, but I think that thinking about titles in academia is interesting.

For example, many members of the faculty gravitated to academic careers to avoid the hierarchies and status games that we associate with worst elements in western society. So titles and the like are incredibly grating. For example, my advisor, a Michigan Ph.D. from the very early 1970s, was never Professor or Doctor Gregory. He was always Tim.

As another more confusing example, there is a tradition of referring to faculty as Mr./Mrs./Miss on the East Coast.

A particularly well known archaeologist with a Ph.D. is always known as Mr. W_____ even to colleagues. A friend of mine once asked him what his mother called him. He replied Mr. W_____.

I remember a prestigious faculty member rebuking a grad school buddy of mine for calling him Dr. T____. He quipped impatiently and a Dr. was a Professor without a job.

In any event, my point is that particularly at the graduate level the relationship between advisor/professor/colleagues is contextual. The best sign of respect is acknowledging the diverse conditions that shape the way that faculty want to be addressed.

As a little conclusion, I strongly dislike being called Dr. (which I associate exclusively with the medical profession) or Professor (which makes me want to call students “Student so-and-so”. If one must, call me Mr. Caraher, but anything other than Bill seems somewhat disrespectful to my values.

And that’s the real crux of the situation. Student-faculty relationships are negotiated and titles stand in for more complicated processes that develop over the course of a class, semester, or career.

Bill

I stumbled on this post via Dr. Caraher’s blog. I find that your post raises good points as well as some questions regarding how students relate to their instructors and manners in general society. One thing I sometimes observe that concerns me is students referring to professors by first name in private company, but on campus. Obviously, we can not control a student’s speech for the most part, but it seems that some expectations need to be laid out. Maybe I was raised differently, but, to me, it is inappropriate to refer to a professor by first name even when they are not around, as it indirectly gives an impression of an erosion of their authority. I am curious as to your thoughts on students, even graduate students referring to professors by first name in conversation.

Overall, I feel that some of what you discuss raises the issue of general respect and interpersonal relationships on college campuses to a prominent place. I sometimes feel that, especially with undergraduate classes, resorting to tactics used in high schools is needed. I have seen how students shuffle about, creating disturbance, even when there are two to three minutes remaining in the class period. There are numerous times that I have wanted to stand up in a class I was a TA in and tell the students that class is not finished yet and to show respect, but do not do so because I know my place. How faculty handle students engaging in unproductive activities during class time is a delicate subject, but I wonder what can be done to increase respect for faculty by students. My apologies for the long comment, but I wanted to share my thoughts and get yours on these items. Have a great day.