I am writing to you concerning the 2007 termination of Norman Cornett’s teaching sessions in dialogic discourse, which were enthusiastically attended by many McGill students over the past years.
As a former guest speaker to the sessions, it was clear that the discourse and format of the dialogic sessions were very engaging for the students attending Cornett’s sessions in large numbers. The flow of discourse was rarely seen in a classroom context at McGill. The student participants clearly enjoyed Cornett’s persona and his facilitation of attentive interaction on a wide range of contemporary and ethical dilemmas confronting our global social context. The aim of the sessions was not only to expose the students to a wide range of resource people from many fields and representing disparate opinions, but also to engage the students in questioning and articulating underlying social and creative agendas.
In my experience of Cornett’s classes, I have seldom seen students so eager and curious, engaged and thoughtful. It would seem appropriate that Cornett be given clarity on his dismissal and termination after his significant contribution to McGill academic life.
Jaswant GuzderHead of Child PsychiatryInstitute of Community and Family Psychiatry