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Ohio State University-Columbus

Ohio State University-Columbus's course descriptions average 65.8 on the 100-to-0 ruler: clearly left of center. Across all 100 schools, the average is 67.5, so Ohio State University-Columbus reads 1.7 points further right.

ShowCompared withDepartments

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

Ohio State University-Columbus: 65.8 (likely range 62.7 to 69.0) All 100 schools: 67.5 each other school in the comparison

Where its courses fall

3%Far left92–100

37%Left75–91

42%Center-left59–74

9%Center42–58

1%Center-right26–41

5%Right9–25

4%Far right0–8

79 plotted courses (the ones with a political subject). 100 = far left, 50 = the average American, 0 = far right. Subject places what a course studies, not the side it takes.

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Framing Subject

Subject places what a course studies, not the side it takes. A course on slavery or the Holocaust lands far right and a course on Marx or the Soviet Union lands far left, whether the course praises, criticizes or simply describes it.

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

Furthest-left subjects

History 3282 · History of the Soviet Union100

History

History of the Soviet Union from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the collapse of communism in 1991. Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, or permission of instructor. GE historical study and diversity global studies course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course

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African American and African Studies 3081 · Free Blacks in Antebellum America92

Ethnic & African American Studies

Explores the development of free Black communities in the era before the Civil War, focusing on emancipation, fugitive slaves, resistance movements and suffrage. Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, or GE foundation writing and info literacy…

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Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 3280 · Introduction to Trans Studies88

Women's & Gender Studies

Examination of intersecting state, social, and cultural institutions that shape transgender struggles through gender identity, gender, race, indigeneity, migration, and socio-economic class. Emphasizes trans of color, queer of color,…

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Furthest-right subjects

History 2475 · History of the Holocaust0

History

Study of the state-sponsored murder of millions of Jews and non-Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II. Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, GE foundation writing and info literacy course, or permission of instructor.…

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History 3213 · Slavery in the Ancient World5

History

Study of slavery as an institution and ideology of ancient Greece and Rome, including its importance in the ancient family, economy, and culture. Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with…

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History 3213H · Slavery in the Ancient World8

History

Study of slavery as an institution and ideology of ancient Greece and Rome, including its importance in the ancient family, economy, and culture. Prereq or concur: Honors standing, and English 1110.xx; or permission of instructor. GE…

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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 62.7 to 69.0; a comparison whose range overlaps this one is not a reliable difference.

Only 19 of Ohio State University-Columbus's descriptions carried a scorable lean, so this average and its rank are rough; the interval is the honest range.
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.

Ohio State University-Columbus by department (share of courses described from the left)

Department	Left-framed share	Courses
Women's & Gender Studies	7.8%	64	view
Ethnic & African American Studies	6.9%	58	view
Sociology	4.4%	68	view
Art & Art History	1.7%	117	view
English & Comparative Literature	1.3%	76	view
Economics	1.2%	165	view
Psychology	0.6%	181	view
History	0.3%	340	view
Anthropology	0%	33	view
Philosophy	0%	79	view
Political Science	0%	96	view
Religious Studies	0%	25	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
Ohio State University-Columbus	mean_bias_score	65.8	62.7 – 69.0	1,302	19
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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