Professors and Their Politics
Published on 9. September 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
376 pages
978-1-4214-1334-1 (ISBN)
Description
Professors and Their Politics tackles the assumption that universities are ivory towers of radicalism with the potential to corrupt conservative youth. Neil Gross and Solon Simmons gather the work of leading sociologists, historians, and other researchers interested in the relationship between politics and higher education to present evidence to the contrary. In eleven meaty chapters, contributors describe the political makeup of American academia today, consider the causes of its liberal tilt, discuss the college experience for politically conservative students, and delve into historical debates about professorial politics. Offering readable, rigorous analyses rather than polemics, Professors and Their Politics yields important new insights into the nature of higher education institutions while challenging dogmas of both the left and the right.
Reviews / Votes
Professors and Their Politics has value for all professionals associated with American higher education. The various studies in the book make a case for why progressive values are dominant among those who enter vocations associated with colleges and universities, as well as how these values shape research agendas, hiring practices, and treatment of students. If their conclusions are correct, and the various authors have provided data to support verifiable conclusions, the political life of the academy is a sign of its vitality, not a cause of its crisis, and the vitality of the academy includes more support for diversity of thought, especially among students, than common stereotypes assume. This volume makes an important contribution to understanding the culture of contemporary higher education. -- Merrill Hawkins Reflective TeachingMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
15 s/w Zeichnungen
15 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
606 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-1334-1 (9781421413341)
DOI
10.1353/book.31449
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Neil Gross | Solon Simmons
Professors and Their Politics
E-Book
09/2014
Johns Hopkins University Press
€37.99
Available for download
Persons
Neil Gross is a professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia and author of Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? and Richard Rorty: The Making of an American Philosopher. Solon Simmons is an associate professor in the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University and author of The Eclipse of Equality: Arguing America on Meet the Press.
Content
Introduction
Part I: The Lay of the Land
Chapter 1. The Social and Political Views of American College and University Professors
Part II: Explaining Professional Liberalism
Chapter 2. Political Liberalism and Graduate School Attendance: A Longitudinal Analysis
Chapter 3. Nations, Classes, and the Politics of Professors: A Comparative Perspective
Chapter 4. Political Bias in the Graduate School Admissions Process: A Field Experiment
Part III: The Student Experience
Chapter 5. The Effect of College on Social and Political Attitudes and Civic Participation
Chapter 6. "Civil" or "Provocative"?: Varieties of Conservative Student Style and Discourse in American Universities
Part IV: Formative Periods
Chapter 7. Naturalizing Liberalism in the 1950s
Chapter 8. Challenging Neutrality: Sixties Activism and Debates over Political Advocacy in the American University
Part V: Institutional Change and its Limit
Chapter 9. Activism and the Academy: Lessons from the Rise of Ethnic Studies
Chapter 10. Rationalizing Realpolitik: U.S. International Relations as a Liberal Field
Chapter 11. The Merits of Marginality: Think Tanks, Conservative Intellectuals, and the Liberal Academy
Conclusion
Appendix. Sample Student Emails
References
Contributors
Index
Part I: The Lay of the Land
Chapter 1. The Social and Political Views of American College and University Professors
Part II: Explaining Professional Liberalism
Chapter 2. Political Liberalism and Graduate School Attendance: A Longitudinal Analysis
Chapter 3. Nations, Classes, and the Politics of Professors: A Comparative Perspective
Chapter 4. Political Bias in the Graduate School Admissions Process: A Field Experiment
Part III: The Student Experience
Chapter 5. The Effect of College on Social and Political Attitudes and Civic Participation
Chapter 6. "Civil" or "Provocative"?: Varieties of Conservative Student Style and Discourse in American Universities
Part IV: Formative Periods
Chapter 7. Naturalizing Liberalism in the 1950s
Chapter 8. Challenging Neutrality: Sixties Activism and Debates over Political Advocacy in the American University
Part V: Institutional Change and its Limit
Chapter 9. Activism and the Academy: Lessons from the Rise of Ethnic Studies
Chapter 10. Rationalizing Realpolitik: U.S. International Relations as a Liberal Field
Chapter 11. The Merits of Marginality: Think Tanks, Conservative Intellectuals, and the Liberal Academy
Conclusion
Appendix. Sample Student Emails
References
Contributors
Index