<p>Just how liberal is Brown? Would conservatives enjoy the college experience at Brown? Are the liberals tolerant and friendly to the conservatives? How much do the professors impose their view on the students?</p>
<p>When asked what it means to be liberal in the context of Brown, here is how I previously responded:
With Brown, being liberal often extends beyond the way you'd think for a school. Typically, a liberal school is one that provides more academic freedom to its students, encourages professors to excercise and push their academic freedom to the limits, is willing to experiment and change curricular aspects to less accepted practices (New Curriculum, for instance), and in general is a progressive, fast changing place.</p>
<p>All of these things exist at Brown. Many interdisciplinary concentrations and really unconventional paths of learning are offered and encouraged. GISPs and ISP are relatively popular ways of learning and relatively easy to create/organize. We value a liberal education, which seeks to teach its students not how to operate in a particular job space, but how to become a better thinker, and subsequently, a better citizen of the world.</p>
<p>Brown is also liberal in the sense that Brown student's have political views that when summed, lie to the left of the political spectrum. Though there is a lot of noise coming from the conservative minority on campus, they remain a rather small segement of the Brown community. Not that anyone is going to attack you or not like you for being conservative (I really can't believe that someone here would be that ridiculous and intolerant of political views), I can sum up the political atmosphere with something a friend of mine said just the other day. "It's going to be so strange to leave Brown and have to defend liberal ideaology again." Though there is quite a bit of political discussion, most of it is about implimentation of liberal policy, with very few people questioning that liberal ideaology is proper. I happen to know quite a few conservatives, and I tend to be far more moderate than the others I know, so my discussions do have more spice than arguing details, however, generally speaking, you'll find the atmosphere is friendly to liberal ideaology because most people share your opinion.</p>
<p>I don't take a lot of political science, economics, history, etc, but nevertheless, Professors never impose their views on other students. The worst that happens is a professor shares their view with students. The entire idea that you're going to be sucked into the liberal-hippy making machine where old tenured radical professors are going to mold you into their model individual is a load of crap presented by conservative news media which seeks to sensationalize the fact that most professors in this nation are liberal. If you'd like to discuss WHY that's the case, there are a few very fundamental observations one can make that, as far as I'm concerned, satisfactorily explain this condition...</p>
<p>So was the whole incident the conservatives sensationalized about David Horowitz was over hyped or was that an exception to what you are saying?</p>
<p>I'm not sure I'm familiar with the David Horowitz incident, can you fill me in so I can try and make some sort of sweeping generalization as to whether I've seen anything like it happen around me?</p>
<p>(The fact that I don't know what you're talking about right away should tell you it's importance)...</p>
<p>Just google the words David Horowitz and Brown and you will get several accounts of the event.</p>
<p>I just read it, and that seems crazy and somewhat parallel (though far more extreme) to the recent Nonie Darwish issue.</p>
<p>I'll put it this way-- I don't know anyone who would act like that, I wouldn't be friends with people who act like that, I haven't encountered people who act like that. They exist here, but truth is, other than at BYU, most schools that are large enough have vocal minorities that are ridiculous like that.</p>
<p>If you do research on any Ivy League school crap like that happens to one guest a semester at almost all of them. I find that appalling and it's a rare thing.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. Your analysis has been very helpful. Now I won't rule out Brown because some of the media has portrayed it as wacky liberal.</p>
<p>You may be interested in reading The Brown Spectator, a relatively new publication on campus.</p>
<p><a href="http://tbs.spidermarket.com%5B/url%5D">http://tbs.spidermarket.com</a></p>
<p>I happen to think they're a bit wacky, but shows that other side does exist here.</p>
<p>several conservative brown alums have gone on to hold high positions in the u.s. government including governors, congressmen, and senators</p>
<p>Brown is pretty darn liberal. If you just happen to be conservative, you'll be fine here. </p>
<p>But if you're a rabid conservative, think liberals are idiots, and constantly want to espouse your views and have people agree with you...look elsewhere.</p>
<p>How was Indian? I was watching a movie which is why I was a **** head about responding. Anyway, are you trying to avoid bringing another Quigley to campus?</p>
<p>fantastico, as always. the leftovers are sitting in my shrine...i mean fridge. </p>
<p>I'm not trying to keep uber conservatives out, i just don't understand why they would want to come. I just don't think I'd enjoy brown if i was uber conservative or homophobic or the like (NOT equating the two...just giving another example of a view that generally differs from the student body as a whole). </p>
<p>But maybe people who use the word "uber" should stay out... lol</p>
<p>Oh, and about the professors, it depends on the professor (obviously) and the subject. </p>
<p>If it's a political or social issues type class then you're more likely to run into a professor who is going to espouse their views than say a literature class. It's not like every professor here shoves their views down your throats. It's not like "Shakespeare was one of our greatest writers, and, by the way Bush is a dillhole"</p>
<p>BUT, some professors are clearly liberal and talk about it. My fem theories professor is great, but she's clearly liberal and expresses her views on things in class as a part of class. If I was really conservative, it would annoy me. As it is, I think she's awesome and right on point...but that's me.</p>
<p>So basically, Brown is liberal in every meaning of the word..... YAY!!!</p>
<p>Hah, I asked this same question a few months ago on here. </p>
<p>And, if it interests you, this actually came up in my interview. My interviewer asked me a few different political questions, or about my interest in politics, and I talked about how I'm probably one of only 10 or so conservatives in my entire school (I live in Massachusetts, if that makes such a small number a bit more believable). While at first I was really worried that Brown being "incredibly liberal" would hurt me in admissions, I decided to clear the air and ask my interviewer the same questions you're asking here point-blank. He was honest, and admitted that probably 80% of Brown students are liberal and only 20% or so conservative, but in his words, the liberals don't go egging the Young Republican club members or anything. He said that two different roommates he had at Brown were conservative, and it didn't at all affect how he viewed them or how well they fit in at Brown. He also mentioned that one of his current best friends that was a fellow student with him at Brown was conservative, and while when conversations turn political they argue (naturally), it doesn't make them like one another any less.</p>
<p>Of course, there are probably different levels of conservative viewpoints that Brown tolerates more than others. One of the first questions he asked me was if there were any openly-gay students at my (incredibly small and not at all diverse) school, and he definitely seemed happy (relieved might be the better word for it) when I talked about how one of my best friends is gay, and my relatively moderate viewpoint on gay marriage.</p>
<p>Then again, admitting to supporting Mitt Romney in '08 to a liberal Massachusetts Brown-grad interviewer was probably not the wisest decision I've made on an interview, but hopefully it'll work out, haha.</p>
<p>There are enough open homosexuals on campus that I promise you will encounter them. I think that's perhaps what your interviewer was getting at. While I think that Brown's climate is tolerant of conservative viewpoints but is completely intolerant to intolerance. If you were uncomfortable with the potential of encountering open homosexuals, I think that being at Brown would be challenging, or at least, you're bound to have some challenging encounters.</p>
<p>Hey you totally stole my line Jason!! :)</p>
<p>But yeah, agreed. But then again, if you are marginally uncomfortable around gay/bi/trans people, it may be a good thing to go to a place like Brown and see how normal we really are. If you unequivically (I can't spell...) hate us (and especially if you are vocal about said intolerance)...this would be a difficult place for you.</p>
<p>Can you speak to the environmental activism on campus?</p>
<p>I really want to get involved cuz it's been such a blast here in high school!</p>