Is this normal now?

[canta]

I’ve started a Sociology masters after doing my undergraduate and a pgcert 25 years ago. It’s at a Russell Group university.

ALL the academics teaching us are of a certain post structuralist flavour. Basically imagine a right wing stereotype of sociology and you are there. Lots of Foucault, critical race theory and queer theory etc.

In my previous experience the lecturers were much more mixed in terms of their theoretical perspective and/or didn’t really share their own views. We studied things from many perspectives and debated. Is this spirit dead overall or have I just chosen the wrong university?

Name change to protect identity!

Is it a Russell Group in the North East? I did my Social Sciences Masters a few years back..was a similar experience

Not sure about sociology specifically but I’m an academic and it is just assumed that I am left wing/very “woke”/into pronouns/self ID etc because that’s what universities expect you to be. Most GC academics are afraid to “come out”, ironically, because they worry about their jobs. If I said I’m the staff room that I’m considering voting conservative at the next GE people would look at me like I’ve got two heads.

It is not in NE!

Yes the assumption part is odd! I’ve had a few conversations where people have definitely assumed I’m “like them” when I feel differently in several key ways that aren’t at all extreme.

I feel very alone amongst the young adults and academics. It’s honestly so different from 25 years ago when my classes had so many different political opinions. It’s putting me off academia. I had assumed I’d do a phd next but maybe not. Are some places worse than others?

I am sorry to hear this. I attended a RG university in the early 90s. The course was hard, it ranked 2nd after Cambs and before Oxford at the time and now it looks like a heavily diluted version aimed at catching the most interested parties. It's possible you're also falling victim to this.

The New York Times has a piece last week about a social work course at Columbia which is just insanely left wing.

it is behind a paywall: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/07/opinion/social-work-columbia-ideology.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Yes, this is another thing; it feels very dumbed down. My course in the late 90s (which sounds similar to yours in terms of ranking) was VERY hard, e.g. engaging with primary texts and having difficult theoretical discussions. This is just so Mickey Mouse in comparison. And this is a top 10 or maybe even top 5 uni!

It’s the long march through the institutions. Universities think they already know what is right and they are whole heartedly trying to change the world. They are not seeking truth. They are not skeptical.

Thanks for sharing. What bothers me about all this is the people teaching see what they are promoting as "the truth" rather than one perspective of many. It certainly wasn't advertised that my Masters was taught from a particular theoretical perspective when it should have been.

@canta This is just a hunch, but some unis seem more likely to attract certain types of staff/students than others. They can be magnets for a certain way of thinking and it’s not up for discussion. The staff and students reinforce what each believes. I’m not entirely sure what anyone gains from this because for most, it’s an echo chamber. We have seen academics with mainstream views pilloried, have we not? Luckily I’m not involved in this world but it seems to be divisive. People have to decide what “tribe” to be in and take against others who might, reasonably, disagree.