Few aspects of faculty demographics generate more attention than their politics. Why is it, many want to know, that professors are far more likely than the general public to be liberal? Many theories have been put forward, including the view (much discussed in conservative circles) that academe is hostile to conservatives and tries to either weed them out or convert them.
Two studies being released today provide more evidence that bias is not the cause -- and the studies provide some additional evidence to back the theory (put forward last year by one of the authors of the new work) that "self-selection" is the primary reason so many academics are liberal. In brief, the self-selection idea holds that some professions have become "typed" in American society in various ways that may relate to gender or class but could also relate to politics. Academe is seen as more liberal, so liberals are more likely to identify being an academic as something to which they aspire. The argument is significant because it does not contest the lopsided political nature of many faculties, but also suggests that higher education is open to those conservative scholars who want careers there.
If this is true--and I'm not saying I necessarily disagree--then where are the diversityphiles? Or is diversity nothing more shallow than skin color?
5 comments:
Yep, most college profs are liberal. Most members of the military are conservatives. I"m alarmed by the latter fact and think we should move swiftly to rectify the situation.
Richard
I agree. Please enlist.
LOL. Good one Darren.
Seriously though, I wonder how much of this matters. I have upwards of seventy college classes and I never noticed any political leanings in my classes. Was my genetics prof liberal or conservative? My botany prof? My english comp prof? My Ed 101,2,3,4,5,6,7....profs one way or another? Odds are that they were mostly liberal but you couldn't tell it from their teaching. Or my teaching or yours hopefully. That would be unethical.
Richard
Because you're a liberal, too, you probably didn't notice the bias. I assure you, I saw it all the time in my education and bilingual classes.
Professors tend to be more liberal because big government and unions has worked for them. These elitist don't realize that these extravagant benefits they receive have made college out of reach for most Americans, but they would just blame budget cuts. The biggest reason they are liberals is because they have never owned a business or worked in the private sector all of us know the thought of tenure and summer's off in our careers is laughable we have to perform at a high level they don't.
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