Raphael Sassower strives to be a ‘public intellectual’

Professor Raphael Sassower usually opens the first day of his classes with a lecture on various reasons why students should drop his class.

This professor of philosophy has a reputation among many students; with an almost aggressive teaching style, his demand for student participation either works for students, or does not.

Sassower’s first experience as an instructor was at the Israeli officer training academy. Native to Israel, he was required to serve a minimum of three years in the Israeli military, and after four years as a paratrooper – seeing combat in the 1973 Yom Kippur War – he requested a transfer.

“I told them they could either transfer me, or jail me,” Sassower explained, “so they transferred me to the officer’s academy… [it was] the first taste I had of being a teacher.”
“I wanted to be a rancher,” said Sassower, and after being invited by a friend to the United States to visit, he passed up his dreams and went to Lake Forrest College, earning a B.A. in philosophy and economics. Not long afterward, he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at Boston University.

Sassower is a professor in the philosophy department and is the head of the committee for the master’s in humanities program. He is also an entrepreneur, having created several notable, local businesses such as Kimball’s Theater and The Warehouse restaurant and gallery. He also writes a weekly column for the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

“I aspire to be a ‘public intellectual,’” he said, a term that he explained is more common in Europe; he said it is “someone who can use his training, knowledge and background to weigh in on public controversies or concerns.”
This sense of obligation to the community transfers into his classroom personality. After asking Sassower if he is aware of students’ opinion of him, he logs on to ratemyprofessor.com and begins reading the comments aloud.

Responses ranged from, “passionate and funny,” to “most arrogant person I have ever met;” some go as far as to say “he sounds just like Kermit the Frog…its uncanny.”
Overall though, students seem to approve of Sassower’s unorthodox teaching methods.

“I expect students to care and be engaged,” he said. “I try to weed out as much as possible, and sometimes it’s really difficult.”
Sassower challenges students to think, and so actively critiques student comments. “Sometimes, somebody’s feelings get hurt.”
Beyond his critical exterior, Sassower commands enormous respect, and often shows students a very courteous side. On some rare occasions, when the planets are properly aligned, Sassower holds events at his loft apartment that overlooks the Front Range, often inviting both students and professor.

Students who plan to enroll in one of Sassower’s courses should be warned: He expects a level of participation that challenges students to produce thoughtful insight that can be rationally justified, and any student taking his class for the first time is sure to have a memorable educational experience.