Diversity studies are common in higher education today. However, these often only include ethnicity and gender issues. This research focused on intellectual diversity and uses the controversial writer and philosopher, Ayn Rand, as an illustration of the issues facing intellectual diversity in higher education today. The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of professors who teach Ayn Rand as part of their curricula as a means to better engage with the topic of intellectual diversity. This study serves as one of the first qualitative studies that addresses intellectual diversity through the lens of professors who teach unpopular ideas, as exhibited through the use of Ayn Rand. This qualitative research used a narrative counter-storytelling approach through the lens of critical theory to tell the stories of 16 professors who taught Ayn Rand and to understand their views on intellectual diversity. Four main themes emerged: the professors' perception of intellectual diversity, the experience the participants had in using Ayn Rand in their classes, the student perception of the teaching of Ayn Rand, and how colleagues responded to their teaching of Ayn Rand. This research demonstrated that there were issues with intellectual diversity in higher education, including some disciplines being less open to other viewpoints and evidence of professors showing bias to both students and colleagues who had different ideas from them. This research indicates that more awareness of intellectual diversity needs to be promoted in higher education, and like ethnic and gender diversity; it may initially receive some backlash from some in the academy. However, it is an important aspect of higher education that through more research can become part of the dialogue to improve colleges and universities for all.
展开▼
