Academic elitism: Difference between revisions

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Academic elitism is a charge sometimes levied at academic institutions and academics more broadly; use of the term "ivory tower" often carries with it an implicit critique of academic elitism. "Academic elitism" is also related to the concept of "intellectual elitism".

Description

Academic elitism suggests that in highly competitive academic environments only those individuals who have engaged in scholarship are deemed to have anything worthwhile to say, or do. It suggests that individuals who have not engaged in such scholarship are cranks.

Academic elitism is also an ideological belief that only those who attended the most elite or prestigious universities (such as Ivy League schools or Oxbridge) are capable of obtaining wealth and power. Proponents of academic elitism justify this belief by claim that this is just a by-product of capitalism.

Causes

Among members of the academic elite in the United States, liberalism remains the most prominent ideology. The vast majority of professors, 72% identify themselves as liberals. At Ivy League Universities, an even larger majority of 87% of professors identified themselves as liberals.^[1] Additionally those with some post graduate study were more likely to vote Democratic in the 1996,^[2] 2000,^[3] 2004, ^[4] and 2006 elections.^[5]

External articles and references

Published articles

Adams, Mike S., "Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel: Confessions of a Conservative College Professor". Harbor House, 2004, ISBN 1-891799-17-7
Bair, Jeffrey H.,and Myron Boor, "The Academic Elite in Law: Linkages Among Top-Ranked Law Schools". Psychological Reports 68: 891-94, 1991.
Bair, Jeffrey H., "The Hiring practices in finance education: linkages among top-ranked graduate programs - The University". American Journal of Economics and Sociology, April, 2003.
Best, Gerard A., "Breaking down the Ivory tower". Caribbean Beat, Issue No. 76, November/December 2005.
Bramble, Tom, "Class and power in the ivory tower". Australian Universities Review (unpublished), University of Queensland.
Cornwell, Reid, "The Invisible University or Academic Elitism". (.doc)
Hylden, Jordan L., and John H. Jernigan, "Leaning Ivory Tower; The most troubling bias among academics is not political but religious". Havard Political Review, 6/8/03.
Keally, Charles T., "Academic Elitists and Elite Academics: An Essay". Sophia International Review no. 28, 2006.
Lewis, Lionel, "The Academic Elite Goes to Washington, and to War; Critics of the academy have lambasted faculty doves. History shows that academia has roosted a flock of hawks". American Association of University Professors.
Lin, Xi, "The academic elite; Cynicism and disillusionment are protocol for UW elites". The Daily of the University of Washington, 1998.
Newitz, Annalee, "Ivory Tower| Out of academia". Salon.com, 2000.
Schrecker, Ellen W., "No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities". 1986. ISBN 0-19-503557-7
Sprain, Leah, "Sending Signals from the Ivory Tower: Barriers to Connecting Academic Research to the Public". (PDF)

^ "Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. The Washington Post". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "CNN. (1996). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "CNN. (2000). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "CNN. (2004). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "CNN. (2006). Exit Poll". Retrieved 2007-07-11.

Websites

[Kurtz,_H._(29_March,_2005)._College_Faculties_A_Most_Liberal_Lot,_Study_Finds._''The_Washington_Post''.-1] "Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. The Washington Post". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[CNN._(1996)._Exit_Poll.-2] "CNN. (1996). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[CNN._(2000)._Exit_Poll.-3] "CNN. (2000). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[CNN._(2004)._Exit_Poll.-4] "CNN. (2004). Exit Poll". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[CNN._(2006)._Exit_Poll.-5] "CNN. (2006). Exit Poll". Retrieved 2007-07-11.

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 ==Causes==
-Among members of the country's intellectual elite, liberalism remains the most prominent ideology. The vast majority of [[Professor#United States|professors]], 72% identify themselves as liberals. At Ivy League Universities, an even larger majority of 87% of professors identified themselves as liberals.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.|access date=2007-07-02}}</ref>  Additionally those with some post graduate study were more likely to vote Democratic in the 1996,<ref name="CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html|title=CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> 2000,<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> 2004, <ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> and 2006 elections.<ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
+Among members of the academic elite in the [[United States]], liberalism remains the most prominent ideology. The vast majority of [[Professor#United States|professors]], 72% identify themselves as liberals. At Ivy League Universities, an even larger majority of 87% of professors identified themselves as liberals.<ref name="Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html|title=Kurtz, H. (29 March, 2005). College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds. ''The Washington Post''.|access date=2007-07-02}}</ref>  Additionally those with some post graduate study were more likely to vote Democratic in the 1996,<ref name="CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html|title=CNN. (1996). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> 2000,<ref name="CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/index.epolls.html|title=CNN. (2000). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> 2004, <ref name="CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2004). Exit Poll.|access date=2007-07-11}}</ref> and 2006 elections.<ref name="CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html|title=CNN. (2006). Exit Poll.|accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref>
 ==See also==