TITLE:
An Ideological View of College: A Textual Analysis of Republican Party Platforms from 1948 to 2020
AUTHORS:
Ross A. Jackson, Brian L. Heath
KEYWORDS:
Conservatism, Education, Linguistics, Organizations, Policy, Politics, Rhetoric
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.13 No.4,
October
18,
2023
ABSTRACT: Political policies reflect values. Mixed and complex
public opinion regarding the value of a college education within the United
States makes establishing a consistent policy for higher education in America
challenging. Various policies have been implemented to increase access to college
and make it more affordable. With the passage of the G.I. Bill in 1944, college
was viewed as accessible and beneficial to the average American. By 1970, there
were indications within the Republican Party
that this positive view was being reassessed.
This mixed-method corpus-linguistics study examined Republican Party Platforms from 1948 to 2016 to assess
potential shifts in the view of college held by the Republican Party. These
results suggest an increase in the number of references to college, an increasing
trend in the negative sentiment of those references, and a growing reference to
concerns with the ideology operating in and around college education. The
Republican Party’s concern with the ideology
of higher education started with how colleges are accredited and have
transformed into a broader concern with college administration and campus dynamics. This evolution contrasts with the more progressive and
inclusive positions toward college staked in earlier Republican Party
platforms. Understanding this shift in focus
by the Republican Party is of interest to those committed to defending the
liberal tradition of college education in America.