| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"Steve Dufour" |
| Date: |
07 Nov 2005 02:57:45 AM |
| Object: |
A herd of academic minds |
The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com
A herd of academic minds
By Ed Feulner
Published November 7, 2005
If there's one word all college students know, it's "diversity." Every
university, it seems, is "committed" to diversity -- or at least says
it is. For example, Arizona State says on its Web site that it
"champions diversity." But the reality is sometimes a bit different.
At the start of the year, ASU offered two English classes, 101 and
102, taught by Professor G. Lynn Nelson. His Web page claimed, "My
classes seek to help people discover within themselves the intertwined
power of literacy and peace." Apparently they do so through
segregation. You see those classes were, "For Native Americans only,"
as the site put it.
The university says it's fixed the problem, and that the classes
are, in fact, open to everyone. "ASU promotes equal opportunity in
educational programs and promotes respect for diversity," Executive
Vice President Milton D. Glick said in a letter to the Foundation for
Individual Rights in Education.
Sadly, even if this particular example has been fixed, it's
symptomatic of a larger problem. When it comes to political philosophy,
the modern American academy presents a grim uniformity -- an almost
religious orthodoxy. That ought to trouble thoughtful people, both
right and the left.
Professor Stanley Rothman of Smith College examined the politics of
more than 1,600 college faculty at almost 200 schools. He found in "all
faculty departments, including business and engineering, academics were
over 5 times as likely to be liberals as conservatives." In fact, he
determined a leftist political viewpoint was almost as important to
hiring as tangible academic achievements, such as publications and
awards.
In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Professor Mark Bauerlein of
Emory University cites three reasons the academic world tends to
exclude conservatives:
(1) The common assumption. "The assumption is that all the
strangers in the room at professional gatherings are liberals. There is
no joy in breaking up fellowship feeling, and the awkward pause that
accompanies the moment when someone comes out of the conservative
closet marks a quarantine that only the institutionally secure are
willing to endure."
(2) The false consensus effect," when people think that the
collective opinion of their own group matches that of the larger
population." Mr. Bauerlein cites the infamous statement ascribed to a
New York Times film critic: "I don't know how Richard Nixon could have
won. I don't know anybody who voted for him." The same thing was
certainly said in many academic halls after the 2004 election.
(3) The law of group polarization. "When like-minded people
deliberate as an organized group, the general opinion shifts toward
extreme versions of their common beliefs," Mr. Bauerlein says. In Old
Left circles, this meant racing to embrace Josef Stalin. Now, the far
left does not simply oppose the war in Iraq. Instead it argues, "Bush
lied" or claims neoconservative Israeli loyalists have hijacked our
government.
Since they operate in an environment where their prejudices are
supported and dissent has been thoroughly demonized, most teachers and
administrators really do not understand why conservatives are so upset
..
There will, however, be consequences. As the radical polarization
of the academy continues, more people will turn away, which will only
worsen the problem.
What type diversity does our higher educational system really need?
Our free, self-governing society requires the open exchange of ideas,
which in turn requires a certain civility rooted in mutual respect for
others' opinions and viewpoints.
Liberals need to accept that conservatives deserve a place at the
table and that we have productive ideas to discuss.
That would be a critical step toward a real dialogue. But it will
happen only when America's higher education community reaches out to
include conservatives, instead of locking us out like so many
non-Native American ASU students.
Ed Feulner is president of the Heritage Foundation.
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| User: "Alfonz Mephesto" |
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| Title: Re: A herd of academic minds |
07 Nov 2005 03:41:27 PM |
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Steve Dufour wrote...
The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com
A herd of academic minds
By Ed Feulner
Published November 7, 2005
If there's one word all college students know, it's "diversity." Every
university, it seems, is "committed" to diversity -- or at least says
it is. For example, Arizona State says on its Web site that it
"champions diversity." But the reality is sometimes a bit different.
At the start of the year, ASU offered two English classes, 101 and
102, taught by Professor G. Lynn Nelson. His Web page claimed, "My
classes seek to help people discover within themselves the intertwined
power of literacy and peace." Apparently they do so through
segregation. You see those classes were, "For Native Americans only,"
as the site put it.
Hmm, I took English 101 and 102 and I recall 101 as being the usual how
to compose a research paper stuff and 102 being the dreaded Shakespeare
and other long-dead authors that no one cares about except college
English professors. I thought literacy was a prerequisite, and I'm not
sure how dead authors promote peace, some of that Shakespeare stuff was
pretty violent.
I'm not sure why Native Americans would be segregated, my guess is that
it is like those special classes for the football team, so as not to
embarrass the university by having that group flunk out and scream
discrimination.
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