Harvard’s Liberal Arts Program is Exclusively Liberal
Crimson | Jacob M. Miller ‘25
After searching for Harvard undergrad courses on “conservative” figures and ideas to no avail, Miller argues that “the attempt to study underrepresented groups has been accompanied by an abundance of left-wing scholarship, without a corresponding focus on conservative ideas.”
“Today, Harvard abounds with classes that develop the intellectual merit behind the political left’s ideology, including the theory of intersectional politics, progressive views on race and gender, and an approach to world history that centers on the conflict between oppressors and victims… However, a similar treatment of the ideology underpinning conservative ideas, like the value of tradition and the importance of small government, is conspicuously missing from Harvard’s course offerings…”
“Harvard’s mission statement claims the school strives to ‘educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society.’ When the University provides students courses that affirm one political perspective while ignoring others, they forsake their purpose.”
“The one-sided nature of teaching at Harvard and in academia generally is also harmful to our national political discourse…If Harvard seeks to educate the citizen-leaders of our society, it must contend with a simple, basic, irrefutable fact: Although conservative people are a minority at Harvard, they are the plurality in America, and depriving the next generation of conservative perspectives will only worsen political dialogue…In an era of rampant polarization, Harvard should foster mutual understanding between students of various ideologies in the classroom…”
“Although these reforms will require much time and energy, this issue is too important to ignore: The blinkered liberal hold on Harvard’s academics must be relaxed if the school hopes to promote an honest and open discussion of ideas. Our future citizen leaders are here — it is now time to begin educating them.”
As we conclude this summary, we are wondering if an audit of Harvard’s course catalog is in order.
