The Political Orientation of College Faculty

College Search & Selection
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<p>One of the interesting things to me in the article was the geographic information at the bottom of the article. </p>

<p>Folks in the South (49%) and West (46%) have greater conviction than the Northeast (29%) and the Midwest (27%) in their belief that college professors OFTEN use their classrooms as a platform for their personal politics. </p>

<p>However, the numbers for each region are almost identical when you expand the frequency to OFTEN/SOMETIMES with the following results: South (79%), West (78%), Northeast (78%), Midwest (74%). </p>

<p>I think that this reflects a broad consensus that there is some level of political ideology being presented in many college classrooms and, given the voter registration and giving data, I think it’s a safe bet that the information being presented supports/reinforces the liberal/Democrat perspective.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I think that this reflects a broad consensus that there is some level of political ideology being presented in many college classrooms and, given the voter registration and giving data, I think it’s a safe bet that the information being presented supports/reinforces the liberal/Democrat perspective.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>There are two different ideas here--what people THINK is happening, and what IS happening. People THINK that politics are being expressed in the classroom. Especially people who aren't involved with academe at all.</p>

<p>You second statement suggests that their perception is reality. I am not sure we know that. </p>

<p>Is it true that most professors lean left? Yes. Is it therefore true that IF faculty express views, they're more likely to be left-leaning views? Yes. Does the fact that some people worry about it means that it must be happening a LOT? That's where you lose me.</p>

143

<p>svalbardlutefisk </p>

<p>is clearly someone who learned about conservatives from liberals, having swallowed all the stereotypes hook, line, and sinker. </p>

<p>"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain</p>

144

<p>
[quote]
I think it’s a safe bet that the information being presented supports/reinforces the liberal/Democrat perspective.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, would presenting research and analysis that document the fact that Columbus's voyages were a destructive force for indigenous North Americans construe a "liberal/Democrat perspective"?</p>

<p>I hear all of this talk of "liberal/Democrat perspective", but I know that in my classrooms all I received was a reality-based perspective. </p>

<p>I would also love to hear how faculty in the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences can present material that reflects a particular political perspective.</p>