this from a syllabus of a course i might take this fall:

AVOID NORMATIVE TALK; This is NOT a class where you are asked for your personal opinion, feelings or beliefs. It does not value confessional or normative discourse but analytical understanding and argumentation. For affirmation go to church or a political rally or tune into your favorite television pundit. There is no place for such discourse or political/religious/nationalist
dogma in a university graduate level social science course.

i love it