New London — Just more than six months after the controversy surrounding one Connecticut College professor and his Facebook post began, members of the college community moved the discussion forward in a new way: They welcomed to campus a man who  has been openly critical of how the college handled the situation.   

On March 3 — shortly after four students unearthed an August 2014 Facebook post penned by philosophy professor Andrew Pessin that ambiguously compared the "current situation in Gaza" to a "rabid pit bull" — letters to the editor published in student-run publication The College Voice, including one written by Lamiya Khandaker, denounced Pessin for dehumanizing a group of people in a sensitive region.

Within days, Pessin apologized, later explaining that his post referred to the terrorist group Hamas, not to Palestinians as a whole. The apology didn't stop the outrage that erupted on campus, drawing the attention of outlets such as Slate and the Washington Post and leading several campus departments to condemn hate speech.

Pessin, who has said he received threats and hate mail, remains on leave from the college.

Speaking in a packed Blaustein Humanities Center room Thursday evening, Boston University professor emeritus of history Richard Landes — invited by a faculty member of the Connecticut College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors — reconstructed the events of spring with the caveat that he may have missed important elements.

In short, Landes argued that students, faculty and administrators didn't do enough research to learn whether Pessin was talking about Hamas or Palestinians, didn't give Pessin the immediate chance for comment he deserved and, ultimately, encouraged a groupthink-like atmosphere where those who spoke in favor of Pessin also were condemned.

During a question-and-answer session afterward, Landes and his audience discussed whether Khandaker — who some students said wrote the letter not on her own behalf, but rather on behalf of members of the diversity and equity group of which she was president — deserved to be labeled the main antagonist of the situation.

They talked about what it means to be a victim, and who has the right to claim victim status.

And they spoke of hate speech and one's obligation to do due diligence when a post is labeled as such.

"If a student comes to me and says, 'I read this post to say he's calling for the genocide of the Palestinian people and that hurts me deeply,' it's my job to say, 'Did he really say that?'" Landes said. "Are you being hurt by what you imagine, or are you being hurt by what he actually did?"

Students also stressed that coverage of the situation should not be dumbed down to a Khandaker-versus-Pessin battle. Instead, it should examine the larger question of whether Muslim students, faculty and/or administrators feel comfortable and welcomed on Connecticut College's campus.

Pamela Dumas Serfes, vice president for communications at the college, said she thought the students asked "terrific" questions and that people on all sides were respectful and aware of when to agree to disagree.

"I thought it was an excellent dialogue," Dumas Serfes said. "It's the kind of dialogue that we should be having at a liberal arts institution like this, and the kind of dialogue we've frankly been having since last spring and over the course of the fall semester."

Standing in a circle outside the room afterward, a group of students, most of whom preferred not to be named, said they were happy Landes came, but they found him to be condescending. It seemed as though he was surprised by their intelligence, they said.

In his concluding remarks, Landes, who said he came to make his audience feel "uncomfortable," said the Thursday event was "not exactly what I imagined."

"At least one way I've revised my opinion of Connecticut College is I'm extremely impressed with your reception of me, your challenges for me, your willingness to listen to me," Landes said.

The one student within the post-discussion circle who agreed to go on the record, junior Elissa Webb, put it this way in a Thursday night email: "He expected us to respect him without earning it, but made it clear that we (students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Connecticut College) had to earn his respect. That's a horrible way to have a productive discussion."

During the event itself, a couple of faculty members shared those sentiments, suggesting to Landes that he could be more effective by doing less shaming and that he has a lot to learn about the college.

But another student, sophomore Hannah Thomas, said after Thursday's talk she was bothered by the event's repetition of arguments that already have been made.

"I really respect (Landes) coming here as a speaker, and my general feeling is that people came here with their opinions already established," Thomas said after the event.

Landes said he would consider revisiting and rewriting his past posts because of everything he learned during the discussion.

"I thought maybe there would be 15 people who came," Landes said after the presentation. "For people to come — I'm on record being pretty harshly critical of the community, and they came to listen — I think that's immensely impressive."

Webb said she, too, grew from the conversation.

"I came away from the event with some great things to think about, but not prompted by Landes," she wrote. "Instead, other students, faculty and administrators left me with thoughts and ideas that I hope to continue discussing and acting on."

l.boyle@theday.com

Twitter: @LindsayABoyle