We’ve had a bit of comment drift in a previous post that went into Bogey’s concern that Republicans are becoming a bit over the top regarding the liberal bent on college campuses. I thought I’d bring it up here and see where it goes.
First, I have to say my college experience was over twenty years ago, and I spent most of it working on calculus, thermodynamics, and structural mechanics. I did have some liberal arts classes, although I took as many exams as I could to bypass them so I could focus on engineering. Engineering classes offered little in the way of opinion, although freedom of thought and inventiveness meant a lot. All engineering professors were licensed Professional Engineers, which meant they practiced their craft for at least five years under tuteledge of another PE, and had to pass a comprehensive exam. What that all means is that they generally had a break in their educational career to go out and have to make a profit for someone, and theory only mattered as a means for achieving something practical. What other discipline outside the physical sciences does that?
When I got my masters degree, I was fortunate enough to have one professor who had gone all the way through school at Berkeley in Political Science. He was an expert in Marxism–he had lived it. But he had also seen the light, much like David Horowitz. I mentioned once that I had been spat upon in the San Francisco airport by some flower child, and he quickly grinned and said, “God, I hope it wasn’t me!” Our political discussions tended to be quite philosophical, with his goal being education, not orientation. I signed up for every class he taught that fit my program.
Someone I know well is working on a masters degree right now, and is the only contact I have with the education environment. She has run into problems where the professors and several women in the classes turn each session into a women’s rights free-for-all, and is disgusted that nobody else seems to be interested in studying the subject matter. She is in the class to learn something, not cry on her sisters’ shoulders.
At USAFA, and the other military academies, the faculty are on a four-year rotation. Yes, they are diverse faculties. Liberal thought is in the majority–true liberal thought. But we had our share of those from both sides who took a very stark view of the world. The worst were women (understandable in a formerly all-male environment?) who were not Academy grads. For some reason, they felt it was their mission in life to have “Bring Me Men…” removed from the Academy Ramp. Here is the problem as I see it throughout academia. “Bring Me Men” is the first line in a poem. The poem celebrates those who are the best. “Bring me men to match my mountains.” Bring us the best you have to offer. Women I knew who graduated from USAFA had no problem with that line. They understood what it meant.
There are some people looking for something that will upset them. Perhaps the academic world attracts that type of personality. Certainly in the 1970s, those who saw all manner of things wrong with the United States found their home in colleges, first as students then as faculty. And tenure protects them, unlike at the academies where only a very tiny percentage are allowed to stay on. Collegiality requires addition to their group of like-minded individuals. The unification of thought strengthens.
I think it is a poor survey that presumes to measure a faculty philosophy based on professorial voter registration. Assuming someone thinks a certain way based on registration is as bad as believing something about someone based on their skin color. Yet when the imbalance is so glaring, there must be some correlation.
That does not mean all professors spew forth Marxist dictat. Most teach their subject and press on. What people like Mike Adams point out is when an administration is obviously biased. Then, the students they claim to be educating are actually being indoctrinated. Attending college is the first opportunity many of these students have had to explore a broader range of thought–and why so many think they know everything after completing their first semester!
If the role of a college education is to help students to learn how to think, they are doing those students a disservice when the focus in a class on economics turns into “bash someone and their ideas.” That approach can be valuable, but only when used as a tool to make a single point on the topic at hand. I used it myself. Students soon learned that Captain Mulligan used it frequently, and never knew for sure which side of an issue I stood on. Such as “Those damn Yankes started the Civil War by attacking Charleston!” If you don’t know why that’s over the top, better study a little more history. My impression (and it is only that) is that there are professors out there who can say something like that, and insist their students learn it as fact. It is reinforced when a college invites only speakers offering one point of view. That seems to be fairly common. Yes, students need to hear that perspective. But don’t they need the opposite as well? Or won’t those ideas stand up under scrutiny?
I love education. I would like nothing better than to be a lifelong college student. Life is good, little work required. I enjoy hearing an opposing viewpoint and mulling it over to see what truths might lie underneath. But I want that opportunity to mull it over. And I want the chance to hear the other side.
Can we ever achieve that in our colleges?
BENT AT COLLEGE
Over at Bunker Mulligan, an interesting discussion started in the comments section. Later Bunker addressed the issue: “concern that Republicans are becoming a bit over the top regarding the liberal bent on college campuses.” I missed out on the discu…
Trackback by trying to grok — December 4, 2004 @ 3:58 am
This is a great post with lots of interesting points. Maybe the majority of universities aren’t doing enough to make sure students hear a diverse range of viewpoints and truly learn to think for themselves. That would be a colossal problem. I doesn’t gel with my personal experienc at all, but that’s still just me and I certainly don’t cling to the belief that my own experience is necessarily typical of the wider world out there.
I’d still consider it an equally large or larger problem that the Republican party (along with many of its supporters int he general public/blogosphere) seems to be hammering home a message that academia is just one big fairlyland of ivory-tower fools with no basis in reality and absolutely nothing to contribute to public discourse, ever. It’s a strong and palpable message these days. They’re discouraging the electorate from hearing a diverse range of viewpoints and thinking for themselves… which, of course, sounds a bit familiar at this point in the discussion…
Comment by Bogey — December 4, 2004 @ 10:14 am
It is the opposite argument of the ’60s. In those days, students (many of whom are now professors) argued that the environment stifled creative thought. Now that group is in power in universities, and they do exactly what they argued against. Change won’t come through honest discussion, because those with that mindset 1) don’t want to change their perspective and 2) believe their perspective is the one everyone must have.
The only way to change that is through revolution…if I may borrow a phrase from 1968.
Comment by Bunker — December 4, 2004 @ 2:52 pm
From my viewpoint, I see these problems as a discrimination issue.
Most of my teachers were professional enough to not let their political or emotional views affect their instruction. There were a few, but I knew whom they were and was usually able to adjust my schedule to get around them. I wasn’t always able to.
I had a class where I once received comments on papers I wrote that reflected personal bias of the professor, not on problems with writing style (where I was expecting it). “I can’t believe you think this way. (Grade)” “Your position on this (affirmative action) is wrong. (Grade)” So when I titled my last paper in the class “Freedom of Speech: As Long As You Agree With Me” listing examples of such hypocracy, I was surprised to have seen my grade jump.
There are perceptions and stereotypes that are reinforced by many professors. I fit into two very unpopular groups with members of the administration: the football team and my fraternity.
Open forum discussions and newspaper articles always brought out professors first and students in tow who would disparage football players as thuggish and ignorant, that the school would be better if it stopped admitting people like us and focused on more of an intellectual brand. There should be a greater focus on the music and arts programs than athletics. But when I look at the Pi Beta Phi make-up at our school, guess which group had more members? (hint: they were busy Saturday afternoons in the fall)
After pledging, I wore a shirt with our logo to a new class. “Oh, so you’re a rapist”–an insult that is thrown at members of our group since an incident that occurred in the ’80s. I said I tried to get in 2 or 3 a week. While crass, it was the only way to get that teacher to realize what a ridiculous comment she had made.
Those were all extremes. The point in mentioning these instances is to introduce other examples that are prevalent on campuses aside from political discrimination. Many people I know have said they experienced some of the same discrimination being an outed-Republican, athlete, etc. The joke is, though, that we live in the real world.
I love where I went to school, and wouldn’t change anything about it. It is all part of the learning experience.
But while a lot of education in college isn’t in the classroom, I think the classroom should be free of political discussion–unless it is a politically-oriented class. As I mentioned before, students are paying for instruction
I can see the point that it may be dangerous to discount anything touted by acedemia. It is the same way the left treated evangelical Christians. However, I don’t think it would have the same political impact as many of them are already politically active and vote with great frequency. But until many colleges and universities look internally to reduce “acceptable discrimination” conservatives will continue to discount the bulk of politically-driven information coming from established academia.
Comment by Slice — December 6, 2004 @ 12:24 pm
That’s my boy!
Comment by Bunker — December 6, 2004 @ 2:47 pm