As another indication of the growing tensions between conservatives and liberals on college campuses, CNN has an article that describes how political and ideological conflicts on college campuses have shifted from professors and administrators battling it out to nowadays, professors and their students increasingly at odds with each other over course content. As the article notes,

Traditionally, clashes over academic freedom have pitted politicians or administrators against instructors who wanted to express their opinions and teach as they saw fit. But increasingly, it is students who are invoking academic freedom, claiming biased professors are violating their right to a classroom free from indoctrination.

In many ways, the trend echoes past campus conflicts -- but turns them around. Once, it was liberal campus activists who cited the importance of “diversity” in pressing their agendas for curriculum change. Now, conservatives have adopted much of the same language in calling for a greater openness to their viewpoints.

As with anything, there are several different ways to look at this issue. One might be that this is a reflection of recent societal trends emphasizing the rights of “consumers” -- in this case, the students (and by implication, their parents) are paying thousands of money to a college and they want to be able to call the shots because of that.

Another angle might be that as this past election showed, conservatives have increasingly asserted their agenda (whether or not they represent the majority view nationally) and that they are not shy about trying to shape our social institutions to reflect their worldview.

Whatever the cause(s) may be, the result is clear -- the classroom is increasingly ground zero for these latest skirmishes of the Culture War and professors (at least liberal ones) may find themselves increasingly under attack.