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Pennsylvania State University-University Park

Pennsylvania State University-University Park's course descriptions average 67.1 on the 100-to-0 ruler: clearly left of center. Across all 100 schools, the average is 67.5, so Pennsylvania State University-University Park reads 0.4 points further right.

ShowCompared withDepartments

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

Pennsylvania State University-University Park: 67.1 (likely range 65.8 to 68.4) All 100 schools: 67.5 each other school in the comparison

Where its courses fall

<1%Far left92–100

17%Left75–91

73%Center-left59–74

9%Center42–58

0%Center-right26–41

0%Right9–25

0%Far right0–8

110 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

WMNST 400N · Debates in Contemporary Feminism92

Women's & Gender Studies

This course is an advanced seminar in feminist and gender theory. The primary focus is critical engagement with social, political, and cultural theories of the social construction of gender and gender difference, and of the sources, causes,…

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AFAM 212 · African Americans in the New Jim Crow Era, 1968-present83

Ethnic & African American Studies

An examination of Black political, economic, social, and cultural life in America from the era of colonization to 1905. AFAM 212 African Americans in the New Jim Crow Era, 1968-present (3) (US) This course covers the Black experience after…

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PSYCH 370 · Psychology of the Differently-Abled83

Psychology

This course familiarizes students with the needs and abilities of people with varying physical challenges through academic and experimental exercises. PSYCH 370 Psychology of Differently-Abled (3) (US) In 1991 President Bush signed the…

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Furthest right

None. Pennsylvania State University-University Park has 110 left-framed courses and not one right-framed course.

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 65.8 to 68.4; 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.

Pennsylvania State University-University Park by department (share of courses described from the left)

Department	Left-framed share	Courses
Women's & Gender Studies	68%	25	view
Ethnic & African American Studies	45.7%	81	view
Religious Studies	25%	8	view
Sociology	14.3%	56	view
History	8.4%	131	view
English & Comparative Literature	6.3%	237	view
Philosophy	5.7%	88	view
Psychology	5.1%	79	view
Political Science	3.8%	104	view
Art & Art History	3.5%	142	view
Anthropology	2.9%	70	view
Economics	0%	59	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
Pennsylvania State University-University Park	mean_bias_score	67.1	65.8 – 68.4	1,080	110
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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