The myth of "woke" indoctrination at American universities
Opinions are cheap and easy. There have been endless columns by prestigious pundits confidently opining about the state of higher education in America. Popular Information takes a different approach:
That's what you'll find in today's newsletter. If you value our work, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. We do not accept advertising and have no wealthy benefactors. This newsletter is only possible because of readers like you. According to some prominent billionaires, political pundits, and media figures, American universities have undergone a radical transformation. Institutions of higher learning in the United States, they say, are no longer focused on free academic inquiry. Rather, they are devoted to indoctrinating students on "woke" topics like critical race theory, systemic racism, and transgender rights. "If I was gonna try to destroy the country, that’s how I would do it. I’d radicalize the kids. I’d give them the stupidest ideas and run them in their head. Boys can be girls, girls can be boys," Joe Rogan said earlier this month on his podcast, which attracts millions of listeners. "I think we’re sending our kids to cult camps. I think [students] get indoctrinated." "The amount of indoctrination that’s happening in schools and universities is, I think, far beyond what parents realize," billionaire Elon Musk told Bill Maher last year. (Maher endorsed Musk's theory enthusiastically.) On X, Musk added that the "woke mind virus has infested [academic] institutions" to "a shocking degree." Venture capitalist David Sacks claims that "the far left" has taken over universities. According to Sacks, the "quid pro quo of our civilization is if you want the economic and social advancement that a college degree grants you, you have to go to one of these schools and submit to voluntary reeducation for four years." Billionaire investor Peter Thiel says that "[o]ver the last three to four years" colleges and universities have become "more woke" and "even less meritocratic." He is offering students $100,000 to skip college because "I don’t think schools like Stanford or Harvard will go away or really reform." Charlie Kirk, a right-wing operative with 2.9 million followers on X, wrote a book called "The College Scam," which claims that colleges are "brainwashing away the future of America's youth." In a March 2023 appearance on Fox News, Kirk claimed that "colleges need to fail" because they have been "going so far in the woke direction." In the New York Times, columnist David Brooks asserts that "ideological activism is replacing intellectual inquiry as the primary mission of universities." These claims are never backed by data. They are based on anecdotes or a general impression. But, despite a lack of factual evidence, the idea that universities have gone "woke" and are indoctrinating students with far-left ideologies has gained widespread acceptance. The best available data, however, does not support these theories. Open Syllabus, a non-profit group, collects syllabi from colleges and universities. The group has collected over 5.5 million syllabi at more than 4,000 American institutions of higher learning. The data is not comprehensive because Open Syllabus relies mostly on publicly available data. But it is the most robust database of what is actually taught on campus in the U.S. Data collected by Open Syllabus reveals that, in 2023, "woke" terms like "critical race theory," "structural racism," or "transgender" appear in just 0.08% of college and university syllabi. These are all legitimate areas of inquiry but are derided by critics as evidence of academia's decline. In any event, the data shows they are not significant components of college and university curricula. Even generic terms that encompass these terms appear in relatively few syllabi. The term "race" — allegedly an obsession of the modern university — appears in only 2.8% of the syllabi collected by Open Syllabus in 2023. Moreover, the prevalence of "race" in syllabi has remained relatively consistent over the last 15 years. Similarly, "gender" appeared in 4.7% of syllabi in 2023 — a rate that has held fairly steady since 2008. Joe Karaganis, the founder of Open Syllabus, told Popular Information that because the "woke" terms appear in syllabi so infrequently, it "belies any claims that the curriculum has been radicalized at scale." Even limiting the search to a prototypical "elite" institution, Harvard University, shows that race only appears in 3.2% of class syllabi and gender in 0.5% of class syllabi. In most years, terms like "critical race theory," "structural racism," and "transgender" don't appear at all. At the University of California at Berkeley, which has long been considered one of the most "woke" educational institutions in the country, "critical race theory" appears in 0.38% of syllabi, and "transgender" appears in 1.1% of syllabi. Less than 10% of course syllabi mention "race" or "gender." The reality is that, depending on their major, college students in America can go through their entire college careers without encountering a single course that focuses on race or gender — much less "woke" topics like critical race theory and transgender rights. Looking exclusively at sociology courses, the major of choice for 1 in 125 college students, you'll naturally find more frequent discussion of topics like race and gender. But well under 1% of sociology courses include the terms "critical race theory," "structural racism," and "transgender." There are examples of topics that are included in college syllabi more frequently now than 15 years ago. At research universities, "climate change" was mentioned in 0.6% of syllabi in 2008 and 1.3% today. Is this what we mean by going "woke"? It can appear that colleges are indoctrinating students with left-wing dogma "because left-leaning students are more likely to enroll in the first place." A peer-reviewed study published in January 2023 found that, accounting for this self-selection, attending college today does not have a "liberalizing tendency." Nevertheless, the state of higher education is a legitimate topic of discussion and debate. But this discussion should be grounded in facts, not vibes. |
Older messages
Louisiana lawmakers insist child rape victims must carry their pregnancy to term
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, boasts that he "broke Roe v. Wade." In the aftermath, according to Trump, "states are working very brilliantly
The real cancel culture
Monday, May 13, 2024
In 2020, Bari Weiss quit her job as an editor and writer at the New York Times editorial page in a huff. In her public resignation letter, Weiss argued that she was forced out because the paper had
Elon Musk's piggy bank
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Tesla, as a publicly traded company, does not exist to serve the interests of Elon Musk, its CEO. Rather, it must act in the interests of all its shareholders. The electric car company ran into some
UPDATE: Congressman Collins feels the heat
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Last Friday, Congressman Mike Collins (R-GA) endorsed the conduct of student counterprotesters at the University of Mississippi. Collins posted a video on X showing a counterprotester heckling a Black
The right-wing uproar about Title IX
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
For the last 50 years, Title IX has had an extraordinary impact on the nature of higher education in the United States. Passed in 1972 as an amendment to the Higher Education Act, Title IX prohibits
You Might Also Like
The Best Subscription Boxes (That Make Great Last-Minute Gifts)
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Plus: Actually thoughtful gift cards. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. December 23,
Get Thinkie and save $50, plus free shipping!
Monday, December 23, 2024
Train your brain -- the science is in the sensor. GeekWire is pleased to present this special sponsored message to our Pacific NW readers. Train your brain -- the science is in the sensor. Use discount
Truly special Champagne flutes
Monday, December 23, 2024
For New Year's toasting View in browser Ad The Recommendation December 23, 2024 Ad Clink! Ring in the new year in style. Two green Estelle Colored Glass Champagne Flutes standing next to each other
Nordstrom going private in $6.25B deal | How to monetize AI agents
Monday, December 23, 2024
Early Microsoft leaders behind new Seattle-area AI startup ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: GeekWire's special series marks Microsoft's 50th anniversary by looking at what's next for
Chime makes any day payday with this feature
Monday, December 23, 2024
MyPay is becoming one of the neobank's most loved benefits. Advertiser content from Chime Chime members get paid when they say Chime is changing the EWA (early wage access) game with MyPay, which
Head into the new year with Friends of the Pod by your side
Monday, December 23, 2024
Claim 25% off by the end of the year ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Gossiped Girl
Monday, December 23, 2024
When PR People Attack ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Tuesday Briefing: The Matt Gaetz report is out
Monday, December 23, 2024
Plus, celebrating “Chrismukkah.” View in browser|nytimes.com Ad Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition December 24, 2024 Author Headshot By Gaya Gupta Good morning. We're covering the release of
Our campaign to make 2025 The Lever’s strongest year yet.
Monday, December 23, 2024
Four years ago, after working as speechwriter for Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign, I started an email newsletter covering the complex web of money, influence, and greed corrupting our democracy.
Billionaire mercenary Erik Prince sued The Intercept
Monday, December 23, 2024
We're not about to let anyone — even a litigious billionaire — intimidate us from publishing truthful investigative reporting that's in the public interest. In 2020, The Intercept was sued by