At least one reason why Republican governors and legislators dislike higher education (particularly selective liberal arts colleges and flagship universities) is that they tend to be liberal to progressive in thought. Conservatives charge that colleges are a hostile environment for their thought, and many surveys have found that most faculty do, indeed, self-identify as liberal. (Surveys of incoming first year students over the years have shown that more entering students would classify themselves on the liberal side than on the conservative side, but only by a few percentage points.) Which brings me to one fascinating point in our reading from last week in the Delbanco book. In it he cites James McPherson who pointed out that "In a sample of 250 antislavery leaders, nearly 80% had either been graduated from, or spend some time in, a college -- and this in a period when less than 2% of the overall population was college educated." I found that striking, and some indication that the purpose of college is indeed an expansive one including the ability to expand the mind, the sensibilities, and one's empathy. Is this something that politicians should oppose?
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9/27/2015 10:31:51 pm
While I'm not certain this is something politicians should oppose, I do think this is something liberal arts colleges should talk about more. While absolutely we need to think of the amazing feats liberal ideologies have made, I believe that within the liberal arts classroom we are stifling conservative thoughts and ideologies. I have often felt uncomfortable in a classroom because of more moderate stances. I have felt stifled and silenced by students, as well as professors, and have found that now I hold back more as opposed to expressing what I think and feel. This is a serious debate, and I don't think that liberal arts college students speak about it enough. Here's a link to an NPR debate that discussed this exact question. I think it has some compelling evidence for both sides of the argument. http://www.npr.org/2015/03/03/390254974/debate-do-liberals-stifle-intellectual-diversity-on-the-college-campus
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Steve Volk
9/28/2015 04:17:04 pm
The questions you raise, both in a general level and in terms of your own personal experience, are important and the topic of increasing public conversation. Hardly a day goes by when there is not another article about intolerance, usually from progressives, on campuses. I think that this is a critical topic of discussion on every campus -- we will get to it in our own class a bit later in the semester -- but I also think that it is an issue for a relatively small number of colleges and universities, usually private liberal arts colleges and flagship universities. That doesn't make it unimportant, but it does require us to ask: why here? why is this of such interest for the press? Hopefully, we can address both questions in class.
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Steven VolkI'm a professor of History at Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH) where I also direct the Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence (CTIE) Archives
November 2015
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