As we begin another semester of college, it seems fitting to take a moment to reflect on why we are here. For most of us the answer is simple: to get an education. Thus we study and go to class. In order to learn though, it is necessary to ask questions. As Albert Einstein once said, "The important thing is to not stop questioning."
Far too many students do not ask questions. They simply go to class, take notes, and take everything they are told in lectures as truth. They seem to have fallen into a rut of only doing what the professors expect. This is unfortunate, as questioning is an important part of the college experience, and will enhance everyone's education. Remember, you are paying to go to college, and it's always good to get your money's worth.
One good question to ask is why almost all of our assigned readings have a liberal tilt. Books by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Chalmers Johnson are common on our syllabi. Why are the works of writers such as Paul Johnson so seldom assigned? Are their views less valid? Or are the views of Chomsky, Zinn, and Johnson simply more in sync with the views of our professors?
On the subject of assigned readings, we should also examine our textbooks. Censorship is a major problem in this area. A recent book by Diane Ravitch entitled The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn exposes a list of words that have been banned from textbooks. Examples of this include, Founding Fathers (sexist, replace with the framers or the founders), Senior Citizens (offensive to older persons), extremist (ethnocentric, replace with adherent, believer, or follower. Using this logic, there's no difference between someone who goes to church on Sunday and David Koresh).
It is also good to raise hands and ask questions during class, especially if the professors incorporate their opinions during lectures. Professors, especially those in the humanities, often go unchallenged in their assertions. Never having your views challenged is not healthy, and openly debating ideas is good for everyone. Just make sure you're armed with the facts.
Keeping an eye on the university administration is also a must. Look no further than UT's last two presidents for proof of this. Watching how our ever rising tuition and tax dollars are spent is the duty of every student, and every citizen.
Taking notice of who is invited to speak is also important. Last spring, the UT Issues Committee hosted four speakers: Civil rights leader Naomi Tutu, former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter (who said the U.S. would be no better than Nazi Germany if we attacked Iraq), environmentalist Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and Howard Zinn, an anti-American radical and author of A People's History of the United States. Unfortunately, no conservative voices were included. David Horowitz, Dan Flynn, Dinesh D'Souza, or a host of others would be good choices to represent the right.
Polls always indicate that college professors are overwhelmingly liberal, which brings us to a larger question: Why is this? This is probably the result of many factors. First, the culture on college campuses has long leaned leftward. We all know of the anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s. Many of the radicals from that generation have found their way into college faculties, and their views haven't changed.
Another factor is that academics have a tendency to get caught up in the analysis of problems. Instead of emphasizing what works in practice (which sometimes isn't pretty), they emphasize what should work (which is always pretty). Thus they often preach peace at all costs, advocate gun control, support entitlement programs (and higher taxes to fund them), oppose capital punishment, embrace diversity (except in ideology), and other causes generally associated with the political left.
The reason why professors are liberal is a debate that will continue. Whatever the reason, the important thing is to challenge the status quo. Speak up when you don't agree with a statement your professor makes. I can't promise you it won't affect your grade, but I can promise you it will improve your education. That's what college is all about.
John Brown is a senior in political science at the University of Tennessee @ Knoxville. He can be reached at JohnnyB325@aol.com. This column first appeared in the August 21, 2003 edition of The Daily Beacon, available here.