Understand Whether Ideological Diversity is a Problem
It’s true: Generally speaking, professors lean left, and conservative students often feel marginalized. But step outside of the handful of elite campuses where the most highly publicized culture clashes have occurred, and the reality of viewpoint diversity in academe is more complex.
For one, research has found little evidence of liberal indoctrination. “To the degree that ideological biases exist, they have very modest impacts,” says one researcher. Surveys about whether colleges support diverse viewpoints have conflicting conclusions, with findings that can be spun to support people’s preconceived notions.
Untangle the messiness of ideological diversity across higher education. Learn why students’ attitudes toward offensive views are changing. And scan a rundown of key events that have shaped the recent conversation about colleges and their commitment, or lack thereof, to free and open inquiry.
Why Talking About Politics Is Tricky in 2019
Earlier this year, two students at the University of Chicago tried to talk about abortion. Their politics were miles apart. But they were tethered by a common goal: bringing students together for a civil exchange about one of the thorniest political issues.
Inside the room, the discussion was relatively tame. Outside, not so much. A campus protest raged. Insults, and even an egg, were thrown. Then a national media outlet picked up the story. Within days, the conservative outrage machine was set into motion, framing the students’ conversation as a cultural flashpoint that showed how colleges were biased against right-wing views.
Here’s what you need to know about modern-day campus political debates.
Helping Students Understand Other Points of View
Gun control. Immigration. Sexual politics. In today’s climate, it’s getting harder for people who disagree about charged topics to have civil conversations. But isn’t that exactly what college students are supposed to learn how to do?
Yes, say most professors, and some have even designed courses to help students see why others think differently. “I realized, Oh, we don’t have different values,” says a student in one of the courses. “We just have different ways of looking at the issues and different ways to solve problems.”
Find out more about how these professors teach viewpoint diversity and read their syllabi.
The Affinity Appeal
Student housing for African Americans, LGBTQ students, Jews, and other particular groups. Is it dangerously backward? What is affinity housing if not self-segregration?
Residents of such housing say it’s not all about identity politics. Students choose to live there to explore interesting cultures and viewpoints, and to draw strength from living situations that allow them to set off into the larger campus — and the world — with greater confidence.
Khadija Diop, a junior at McDaniel College, in Maryland, has lived in a series of affinity houses. “I don’t think any members feels constricted at all,” she says. Read more about her experience and those of other students. Some of their choices may surprise you.
Ideological Diversity on Campus: 4 Faculty Views
- ‘Social Justice’? According to Whom?
- Why Professors Should Reveal Their Politics
- How Trump Changed the Way I Teach
- Student Activism Is Often Uncivil. We Can Change That.
Just How Liberal Are Students? What the Data Show.
College students are regularly caricatured as left-wing radicals, whether they’re thought to have arrived on campus that way or been indoctrinated by professors. It’s true that among students, liberals do outnumber conservatives. But a large share are moderates, and different types of institutions see different proportions of students claiming one of five political identities.
Explore the data here.
