I am entering the classroom for the first day of the semester in my Marketing and Society course, a course I developed to discuss the dark side of marketing but also its value for social change. And as I am a white male, I am wondering whether my students think: “Hmmm… can this guy teach us about society’s greatest problems including gender and racial bias? Will he allow for diverse voices to be heard in class?” Also, in this course that discusses controversial topics such as gun control and abortion, do students feel comfortable to challenge “politically correct” views? Challenge the view of others or the professor?

American universities face a crisis. For some, the crisis is associated with the surge in antisemitism or islamophobia. For others it is about universities becoming too “woke” or not progressive enough.  These are all symptoms. The deeper problem is that we have let identity politics get the better of us. This has limited our ability to train students effectively. Specifically, we fail our students by not pushing them to be critical thinkers, by not developing their paradoxical mindset, and by allowing cancel culture to limit constructive debates. However, as professors we can start changing this reality where we have some control: in the classroom.

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information based on analysis of available evidence and arguments in order to form a rational and unbiased judgement. By developing critical thinking, our graduates would be able to more accurately evaluate media and social media communication as well as identify false information. A critical thinker student should doubt information they read, even from their professor. In my course I ask my students to review corporations’ sustainability reports with healthy skepticism, search for corroborating data, and ask themselves: Are all oil companies “evil?” Are they making satisfying progress towards a more sustainable future? Students should think critically about these issues and educate themselves to get a good answer.

More often than not, the answer students will get might not be clear-cut, black or white. This is why they need a paradoxical mindset. This refers to a situation of tensions, where people attend to competing realities simultaneously. Indeed, most situations are complex, requiring continuous efforts to accept multiple, divergent realities. A recent example is the public discourse on campuses around the Israel-Hamas war. Many students can’t envision a reality where one can simultaneously be pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, and anti-Hamas. Students not only simplify complex realities but also follow an “all-in” approach: if you are not all-in with me, you are against me.

Finally, cancel culture refers to a social and cultural phenomenon in which those who are viewed as acting or speaking in a manner that is not aligned with certain expectations of their social group, are socially “canceled.” This climate that has been proliferating on campuses is devastative for the ability to engage in conversation and learning. In my course we talk about sensitive, controversial sociopolitical issues and it is key to create an environment where students feel safe to share their view. Further, I push my students to present views, counterviews and debate, taking them “outside their comfort zone.” Lastly, I make an effort to bring opposite views to those discussed in class, even if they contradict my own.

Critical thinking, paradoxical mindset, and a climate that allows for diverse set of ideas and constructive debate are key ingredients of a thriving academic environment, they are aligned with the purpose of effective academic training, they will minimize the impact of identity politics, and will generate better equipped and more complete graduates. As professors we can create the teaching environment that will allow these ingredients to blossom and start fixing our academic system from the bottom up.

Amir Grinstein is Associate Professor of Marketing, Northeastern and VU Amsterdam