Political correctness and higher education : British and American perspectives / John Lea ; foreword by Jonathan Zimmerman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lea, John.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education, Higher--Political aspects--Great Britain.

Education, Higher.

Education, Higher--Political aspects--United States.

Education, Higher--Political aspects.

Political correctness.

Academic freedom.

United States.

Academic freedom--Great Britain.

Academic freedom--United States.

Political correctness--Great Britain.

Political correctness--United States.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

viii, 279 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2009.

Summary:

How many times have you heard the phrase: 'It's all political correctness gone mad!'? Are colleges and universities really awash with trivial concerns about the use of language, or are they actually trying to address serious concerns relating to discrimination, equal opportunities, and the nature of knowledge in the curriculum?

In looking at the roots of the term 'political correctness' the book contrasts British and American perspectives, and demonstrates how the term has complicated the traditional boundaries between the political left and right. The book also captures the reflections of prominent academics and educationalists on both sides of the Atlantic, who have worked in environments where the term has impinged on aspects of their work over the last twenty-five years.

This book is intended to be of interest to a number of readers: academics working in colleges and universities; teacher educators and student teachers working on programmes of initial teacher education; and students studying undergraduate programmes in comparative politics and/or sociology and cultural studies.

If you think that 'political correctness' simply amounts to what jokes you are allowed to tell in British and American classrooms, hopefully this book will challenge you to think again.

Contents:

PC world: political correctness and the modern zeitgeist

Loose canons and straw men of the apocalypse: the conservative campaign against PC in the US

Look right and left before proceeding: the political contours PC debate in the US

Water buffaloes in Pennsylvania: closing free speech

The end of civilization in California: illiberal multiculturalism

A day at the races in Michigan: the victims of reverse discrimination

Talking about political correctness: American conversations about political correctness and higher education

Green sheep in London: the loony left and British PC

PC and the panopticon principle: quangos, surveillance, and scripted communication in the academy

PC and the attenuated academy: social engineering, widening participation, and professional allegiance

Talking about political correctness: British conversations about political correctness and post-16 education

Conclusion: PC as oxymoron.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [265]-272) and index.

ISBN:

9780415962582

0415962587

9780415962599

0415962595

OCLC:

225088091