Posted on 04/04/2008 8:50:22 AM PDT by Santa Fe_Conservative
Conservatives complain that college professors lean left when it comes to politics — and the data mostly show that's true. But new research suggests the personal politics of academics have little effect on what their students think.
The research, to be published this year in the journal PS: Political Science and Politics, analyzes separate surveys on the attitudes of about 6,800 students at 38 universities and how they changed between their freshman and senior years. Then it examines whether those results are affected by the political attitudes of the faculty at their particular schools.
The short answer is no, according to researchers Gordon Hewitt of Hamilton College, an active Democrat, and Mack Mariani of Xavier University, who has worked for Republicans.
It is true that schools with a more liberal faculty tended to attract more liberal students. But on the question of how students' views evolved, there was little impact, Hewitt said in a phone interview Thursday.
About 60 percent of students didn't change their political outlooks much during college. Those that did moved slightly to the left, but the change mirrored that of 18- to 24-year-olds generally.
(Excerpt) Read more at denverpost.com ...
The experience my son had at college only made him MORE CONSERVATIVE.
If that is true the Professors probably do themselves in by sounding crazy.
By the college age I generally wouldn’t be too concered about a child suddenly adopting a professor’s political views anyway - they’re already old enough to have formed their ideas. This study just shows that the professors tend to re-enforce the liberal leanings that were already put into place by earlier public teachers.
No, you fail to recognize that their public schools had already laid the foundation so there was not much more room for them to move to the left.
It doesn’t include the concept that the impact of school, teachers and professors may actually start at a much earlier age than college. Listening to what our youngsters brought home from both the elementary school and the high school would suggest at least in our community the indoctrination starts early.
It makes those already liberal go radical/communist in other words.
Those who have been taught from an early age that liberalism is simply foolish have their shields up.
I find it interesting, though, that the left at first was denying that the majority of academics were libs, then that there wasn’t attempted indoctrination going on, now it’s just that the indoctrination doesn’t work anyway.
Note this curious claim of neutrality:
“The short answer is no, according to researchers Gordon Hewitt of Hamilton College, an active Democrat, and Mack Mariani of Xavier University, who has worked for Republicans.”
Interesting that Mariani is not described as an active Republican; perhaps another demoncrat who “has worked for Republicans.” For whom? Arlen Specter?
So according to the article:
100% of college students who’s politics changed in college became more leftist.
Out of every 10 college students, 4 become more leftist, 6 don’t change, none became more conservative.
How does this lead to the title “Professors don’t rub off politics on their students”?
Darn, you beat me to the punch.
College students are like Hatians who are Christian during the day but practice voo doo at night. The issue is do students feel compelled to regurgitate the left wing teachers views for passing grades. Brainwashing is practiced submission.
“It doesn’t include the concept that the impact of school, teachers and professors may actually start at a much earlier age than college.”
Yes, the damage is done in the public school system.
When I was young, however, my political leanings were established by my parents. I do not recall much political talk
in grade school, but that was in the 50s.
And the other issue is whether or not students who hold a conservative ideology are punished for their views with lower grades for the same quality of work.
Let's take a look at just one well known case.
Hillary Rhodam was a Goldwater supporter during her high school years. It was during this period that she was taken under the wing of a leftist religious figure and turned to the dark side. She kept in contact with this individual for decades.
Look at the makeup of our University campuses today. Conservatives can't even voice their opinions on many of them. Student or university pool funds are used to bring in leftist speakers almost exclusively on many campuses.
I think this article is shilling for the left. It sure doesn't address the reality we have seen over the years.
But you missed the phrase ‘mirrors 17 to 24 year olds generally’. The non-college population also shifts left during those years, and serves as a control group.
If the professoriate was successfully indoctrinating their views, one would expect more of a shift left among those in college than among those not in college.
Remember Churchill’s dictum “If you’re not a liberal at 20 you have no heart, if you are not a conservative at 30 you have no brain.”
Early 21st century America’s extended adolescense probably shifts the relevant years about 5 years later in life.
That’s what it did to me, too, and that wasn’t because of the professors, that was from a good friend of mine.
That they are even permitted to try is the real travesty!
“And the other issue is whether or not students who hold a conservative ideology are punished for their views with lower grades for the same quality of work.”
I don’t think that’s true. I think students with a conservative ideology receive lower grades for BETTER quality work.
As for my son at Purdue, I tell him to just do what he has to do in the mandatory liberal arts classes to get a good grade. Whatever the subject matter, he has to put in that: “(insert book title) shows how man’s inhumanity to man transcends the class struggle.” It’s total nonsense but it works like an ancient magic spell to open the doors to a B+.
He doesn’t buy into any of this garbage and has been punished for “wrong thinking.”
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