Robert Weissberg
{{short description|American political scientist and writer (born 1941)}}
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| birth_place = United States
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| education = Teaneck High School
| alma mater = Bard College
University of Wisconsin
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| occupation = Political scientist, writer
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Robert Weissberg ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|v|aɪ|s|b|ɜr|g}}; born 1941) is
an American political scientist and writer. He was a professor of political science at the University of Illinois and is the author of twelve books on politics and pedagogy. He published numerous scientific papers in leading journals in political science.For example, "Political Efficacy and Political Illusion," Journal of Politics 37 (1975): 469-487, "Consensual Attitudes and Attitude Structure," Public Opinion Quarterly 40 (1976): 349-359, "Collective vs. Dyadic Representation in Congress, American Political Science Review 72 (1978): 535-547; (with Ben Ginsberg) "Elections and Mobilization of Popular Support," American Journal of Political Science 22 (1978): 31-55, and "Assessing Legislator-Constituency Policy Agreement," Legislative Studies Quarterly 4 (1979): 605-622. Weissberg has also written for outlets such as Forbes, Society, The Weekly Standard and American Thinker.
Education and academic career
Raised in Teaneck, New Jersey and a graduate of Teaneck High School, Weissberg earned an A.B. from Bard College and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin.[https://www.jamesgmartin.center/author/robertweissberg/ Robert Weissberg], James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. Accessed February 13, 2020. "Robert Weissberg was born in New York City and graduated from Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey. He received his bachelor's degree from Bard College and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison." He was an assistant professor at Cornell University and later associate and full professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from where he retired in 2003."One hundred thirty-four faculty members and academic professionals retire," University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign News Bureau, Inside Illinois, [http://news.illinois.edu/ii/03/1106/retirees.html Vol. 23, No. 9, Nov. 6, 2003].
Reputation
In his 2010 book, Bad Students, Not Bad Schools Weissberg argued that students, rather than teachers or curriculum, are the root cause of poor educational outcomes.{{cite journal |last1=Patrick |first1=Barbara |last2=Rollins Jr. |first2=Aaron |title=Shifting the Blame in Public Education: Are There Parallels Between Opinion and Policy? |journal=Journal of Public Management & Social Policy |date=2016 |volume=23 |issue=2 |url=https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/jpmsp/vol23/iss2/5 |accessdate=2 December 2018}} A review in the Journal of School Choice praised the book as bold and readable, but also criticized what the author viewed as occasionally an "intellectually lazy and (arguably) racist" argument.{{cite journal |last1=Maranto |first1=Robert |title=Debating Robert Weissberg: Why We Should Read but Not Accept "Bad Students, Not Bad Schools" |journal=Journal of School Choice |date=2012 |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=504–509 |doi=10.1080/15582159.2012.733239 |s2cid=145466138 |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ987421 |accessdate=2 December 2018}}
Weissberg's John K. Wilson, "The Racist Professor at the University of Illinois," The Academe Blog, [http://academeblog.org/2014/09/04/the-racist-professor-at-the-university-of-illinois September 4, 2014].Rich Lowry, [http://www.nationalreview.com/phi-beta-cons/295729/regarding-robert-weissberg-rich-lowry "Regarding Robert Weissberg"], April 11, 2012 National Review.
In April 2012, in the wake of the John Derbyshire firing, National Review ended its relationship with Weissberg, noting that the editors had only recently discovered that Weissberg had "participated in an American Renaissance conference where he delivered a talk about the future of white nationalism."Rich Lowry, [http://www.nationalreview.com/phi-beta-cons/295729/regarding-robert-weissberg-rich-lowry "Regarding Robert Weissberg"], April 11, 2012 National Review.Annie-Rose Strasser, [http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/11/461692/national-review-race-problem/ "National Review Fires Another Racist Writer"], April 11, 2012 Think Progress.
Books
- American Democracy: Theory & Reality (1972), ASIN B000SGT9O4.
- Political Learning, Political Choice, & Democratic Citizenship (1974). {{ISBN|978-0136849933}}.
- Elementary Political Analysis (co-authored with Herbert Jacob) (1975). {{ISBN|978-0070321366}}.
- Public Opinion and Popular Government (1976). {{ISBN|978-0137379088}}.
- Understanding American Government (1979). ASIN B000OA72PM.
- Political Tolerance: Balancing Community and Diversity (1998). {{ISBN|978-0803973435}}.
- The Politics of Empowerment (1999). {{ISBN|978-0275964269}}.
- Democracy and the Academy (2000). {{ISBN|978-1560727835}}.
- Polling, Policy, and Public Opinion: The Case Against Heeding the "Voice of the People" (2002). {{ISBN|978-0312294953}}.
- The Limits of Civic Activism: Cautionary Tales on the Use of Politics (2004). {{ISBN|978-0765802613}}.
- Pernicious Tolerance: How Teaching to "Accept Differences" Undermines Civil Society (2008). {{ISBN|978-1412845793}}.
- Bad Students, Not Bad Schools (2010). {{ISBN|978-1412813457}}.
Articles
- "Academic Deception for Fun and Profit". [http://www.telospress.com Telos] 112 (Summer 1998). New York: Telos Press.
- "The Perils of Keeping America America". [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=4882 Human Events] August 25, 2004
References
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Category:American political scientists
Category:Critics of multiculturalism
Category:Cornell University faculty
Category:Teaneck High School alumni
Category:People involved in race and intelligence controversies
Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni