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Macalester College

Macalester College's course descriptions average 67.7 on the 100-to-0 ruler: clearly left of center. Across all 100 schools, the average is 67.5, so Macalester College reads 0.1 points further left.

ShowCompared withDepartments

Liberal (100)center (50)Conservative (0)

Macalester College: 67.7 (likely range 66.0 to 69.4) All 100 schools: 67.5 each other school in the comparison

Where its courses fall

4%Far left92–100

18%Left75–91

72%Center-left59–74

6%Center42–58

0%Center-right26–41

0%Right9–25

0%Far right0–8

109 plotted courses (the ones with a political framing). 100 = far left, 50 = the average American, 0 = far right.

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Framing Subject

Underlined: words the model quoted from the description when we asked it, after scoring, to explain its score.

Furthest left

SOCI 200 · The Old Order is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born100

Sociology

This course, which has no prerequisites, examines the deep structural crisis of the entire edifice of our political and economic system that some call progressive neoliberalism, characterized by a market-based economy wrapped in progressive…

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SOCI 269 · Social Science Inquiry93

Sociology

Social scientists have many methodological approaches to choose from in their research toolkit ranging from qualitative to quantitative to comparative historical. Each of these approaches allows us to see and understand society from…

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AMST 205 · Trans Theories and Politics92

Ethnic & African American Studies

Cross-Listed as WGSS 205 In less than ten years we have gone from Laverne Cox gracing the cover of Time Magazine, declaring that we have reached the "transgender tipping point," to a broad based anti-trans culture war. From Caitlyn Jenner…

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Furthest right

POLI 220 · Foreign Policy: The Evolution of China's Grand Strategy, 1950-205042

Political Science

Cross-Listed as ASIA 220 An exploration of US foreign policy as it relates to a country or region of pressing interest or particular significance in global political life. For the next several years, the focus of the course will be on the…

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Why this number, in plain words

Political lean of course descriptions. Average Framing score (0 = far right, 50 = center, 100 = far left) of the scored courses in the group.

50 is the survey-anchored center of US adults on each issue (the "moderate" place of the ANES/GSS/PRRI seven-label ruler), not the cohort midpoint; scores above 50 read leftward, below 50 rightward.

Counted: courses with a Framing score (categories L/R/B/C). The likely range (95% interval) is 66.0 to 69.4; a comparison whose range overlaps this one is not a reliable difference.

Most course descriptions carry no political lean at all and are not in this average; the "share described from the left" view counts them.
Readings are of catalog description text, not of teaching, syllabi or individual professors.

Macalester College by department (share of courses described from the left)

Department	Left-framed share	Courses
Women's & Gender Studies	45.1%	51	view
Ethnic & African American Studies	39.3%	61	view
Psychology	29.0%	31	view
History	18.8%	85	view
Political Science	18.0%	61	view
Sociology	17.6%	34	view
Religious Studies	13.3%	45	view
Anthropology	10.2%	49	view
Art & Art History	5.6%	54	view
Philosophy	5.4%	37	view
English & Comparative Literature	3.0%	67	view
Economics	1.8%	57	view

Lean (mean Framing score) is not published per department within a school; only the left-framed share is. Department rows carry no interval.

Details: exact rows, definitions and method

Name	Metric	Value	95% interval	n	scored
Macalester College	mean_bias_score	67.7	66.0 – 69.4	632	109
All 100 schools	mean_bias_score	67.5	67.4 – 67.7	124,290	10,124

Formula: SUM(bias_score) / COUNT(bias_score)
Interval: normal approximation: mean +/- 1.96 * sd / sqrt(n), sample sd (n-1); undefined when n < 2
Model / prompt / snapshot: gpt-5.6-sol · r12 (2026-10-16-le49-r12) · 6df50b10
Metric caveats: Scored courses only (L/R/B/C); N and I carry no score and are excluded, so n here is smaller than the group's course count. Scores are model readings of catalog description text against a fixed anchored definition, not teaching or syllabi. The interval covers sampling noise in the mean only; it does not represent model reading error. Every value carries a `method` label: exact_rows or histogram_midpoint.

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