Liberal Professors

The vast majority of college and university professors are unabashed liberals that present only the liberal point of view...right? We know that due to several published studies. Conservatives love to use the results of these studies to bash professors in the press. But a new recently published study says not so fast. They examine the results of 8 studies that "prove" professors are liberal and show that they all come up short in adhering to research standards. The research standards that should be adhered to include:

1. Replicable results
2. Establishing clear definitions
3. Accounting for alternative explanations
4. Drawing logical conclusions
5. Eliminating bias

The most serious theme being questioned is that students are prevented from expressing conservative ideas in the classroom.

For example, “How Many Ward Churchills?” was based on a review of online materials at various colleges. Lee notes that the researchers for the study appeared to focus on syllabuses or courses that had certain key words: activism, discrimination, gay issues, Marxism, oppression, pornography, radical, women’s studies, among others. Lee writes that selecting 65 courses at 48 colleges “does not allow for the sweeping generalizations the authors make.”

[My emphasis] None of the classes were actually observed. Also, none of the studies appear to demonstrate causal relationships.

While Lee finds flaws in all of the studies, he says that they have had influence, and notes that the studies have been widely cited by conservative pundits. Looking at the studies together, he says that it is clear that the authors “have a clear agenda” of charging professors with unprofessional conduct, and yet lack the evidence to make their case. Not a single study, he says, shows political bias in the classroom or hiring decisions.

Unfortunately, the study was funded by the American Federation of Teachers which for all purposes makes the conclusions of the study wrong in the eyes of conservatives. Just read the comments in the linked article.

In my opinion it is likely that a majority of college professors are liberal. Especially in the social science and humanities fields of study. It is also claimed that more open-minded individuals and people that do not tend to see things in black and white tend to be more liberal. But I don't think it has been proved that this means the academic freedom of students in the classroom has been impaired.