Andalusian Doug (2011)

• 73%
• 2011

Meet Douglas DiBianco, colorful and controversial professor of music at Eastern Illinois University. Throughout his tenure at the school, DiBianco's curriculum has evolved to include not just core course material, but references to radical artists such as Otto Muehl and GG Allin. He claims that in order for his students to judge any art form, they must first be familiar with its most radical examples. Described as "impishly provocative", DiBianco uses shocking language and content to force students out of their comfort zones, opening them to the possibility that art doesn't have to be pretty to be valuable. During his lectures, he draws upon vast amounts of extraneous material, as well as stories from his personal life to both challenge and broaden his students' pre-conceived notions of art, music and film. Over the years, students and faculty have spoken out, condemning his unconventional subject matter and teaching style. In the mid-90s, DiBianco even became embroiled in a sexual harassment suit, brought by two students who claimed he created "a hostile environment in the classroom" by introducing material they found morally objectionable and irrelevant to the course. Andalusian Doug examines the conflict between liberal discussions and religious conservatism in academia, whether censorship has a place within a secular university, and if DiBianco was wrongfully marginalized because of his radical teaching methods.