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University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota's course descriptions average 69.2 on the 100-to-0 ruler: clearly left of center. Across all 100 schools, the average is 67.5, so University of Minnesota reads 1.7 points further left.

Liberal (100)center (50)Conservative (0)
University of Minnesota: 69.2 (likely range 67.8 to 70.6) All 100 schools: 67.5 each other school in the comparison

Where its courses fall

2%Far left92–100
29%Left75–91
64%Center-left59–74
5%Center42–58
0%Center-right26–41
0%Right9–25
0%Far right0–8
147 plotted courses (the ones with a political framing). 100 = far left, 50 = the average American, 0 = far right.

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

Furthest left

AFRO 3125W · Black Visions of Liberation: Ella, Martin, Malcolm, and the Radical Transformation of U.S. Democracy92

Ethnic & African American Studies

Course on the critical thought of Black intellectual-activists and others enmeshed in the struggles for the radical transformation of U.S. democracy. Introduces the following three leaders and activists--Ella Baker, Martin Luther King, Jr.,…

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CSCL 3425W · Critical Theory and Social Change92

English & Comparative Literature

This course introduces students to influential thinkers in the field of critical theory, broadly conceived. Critical theory is similar to philosophy because it asks big questions that stretch the boundaries of human knowledge. But it is…

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POL 4463 · The Cuban Revolution Through the Words of Cuban Revolutionaries92

Political Science

Why do policy makers in Washington, D.C. continue to rail against the Cuban Revolution? Despite their best efforts, both Republican and Democratic administrations, the Revolution is still in place after six decades. How to explain? This is…

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Furthest right

None. University of Minnesota has 147 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 67.8 to 70.6; 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.
University of Minnesota by department (share of courses described from the left)
DepartmentLeft-framed shareCourses
Women's & Gender Studies33.8%65view
Ethnic & African American Studies25.2%143view
Sociology19.3%119view
Political Science13.1%145view
English & Comparative Literature8.2%183view
History7.9%190view
Anthropology7.7%104view
Religious Studies5.6%36view
Art & Art History3.6%138view
Philosophy2.5%81view
Economics0%97view
Psychology0%112view

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
NameMetricValue95% intervalnscored
University of Minnesotamean_bias_score69.267.8 – 70.61,413147
All 100 schoolsmean_bias_score67.567.4 – 67.7124,29010,124
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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