Liberal professors don't produce liberal students
Chris Mueller
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Opinion
While it is na've to think there have never been cases of politically-motivated discrimination in the hiring of professors at any universities, whether by the left or the right, it remains highly unlikely it is the one and only culprit behind the lack of political diversity at universities today.
It is abundantly clear that there is, at least for now, a disproportionate amount of politically liberal professors, but do professors' political beliefs actually influence the beliefs of their students? The short answer is no.
The idea that students are influenced by their professors to become liberal is a fantasy, Jeremy Mayer, co-author of "Closed Minds? Politics and Ideology in American Universities," the New York Times reported. "It is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15."
These findings are not as surprising as they may seem. At this point in their education, college students should be able to differentiate between fact and opinion, and know when a professor's political ideology is influencing the way they teach. Being able to evaluate new ideas and form personal opinions is important to any education.
The tragedy of this whole debate is it may have intimidated some professors to such an extent that they are unwilling to share their political views in class because of the fear of being accused of brainwashing their students. Brainwashing may sound like an exaggeration, but the real damage to students in these situations is the stifling of political debate and the sheltering of new ideas.
In the end, the quality of education at American universities is at stake, and to continue making college classrooms another forum for a liberal versus conservative political contest is going to hurt both sides. Exposing students to a broader range of political views is an admirable goal for any university, but using politics in the hiring process for college faculty is a dangerous and discriminatory idea. On top of that, political ideas should never be kept out of the classroom just to avoid controversy. Professors should feel comfortable being honest about his or her political beliefs, and be able to trust that their students are capable of forming and defending their own opinions.
It is abundantly clear that there is, at least for now, a disproportionate amount of politically liberal professors, but do professors' political beliefs actually influence the beliefs of their students? The short answer is no.
The idea that students are influenced by their professors to become liberal is a fantasy, Jeremy Mayer, co-author of "Closed Minds? Politics and Ideology in American Universities," the New York Times reported. "It is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15."
These findings are not as surprising as they may seem. At this point in their education, college students should be able to differentiate between fact and opinion, and know when a professor's political ideology is influencing the way they teach. Being able to evaluate new ideas and form personal opinions is important to any education.
The tragedy of this whole debate is it may have intimidated some professors to such an extent that they are unwilling to share their political views in class because of the fear of being accused of brainwashing their students. Brainwashing may sound like an exaggeration, but the real damage to students in these situations is the stifling of political debate and the sheltering of new ideas.
In the end, the quality of education at American universities is at stake, and to continue making college classrooms another forum for a liberal versus conservative political contest is going to hurt both sides. Exposing students to a broader range of political views is an admirable goal for any university, but using politics in the hiring process for college faculty is a dangerous and discriminatory idea. On top of that, political ideas should never be kept out of the classroom just to avoid controversy. Professors should feel comfortable being honest about his or her political beliefs, and be able to trust that their students are capable of forming and defending their own opinions.
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