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[Reflect] Make connections: Ideology underlying judgments.

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Gladwell asserts that “implicit ideological choices” underlie ranking systems (par. 11). The word ideology refers to the values and beliefs that influence people’s thinking. An important sign of underlying ideology is the fact that the U.S. News rankings leave out how much it costs to go to each college. This omission is significant, especially at a time when there is “a crisis of accessibility and affordability” (par. 14).

To think about the role of ideology in your own choice of a college, reflect on your personal experience as well as your observations of others choosing a college. Your instructor may ask you to post your thoughts on a class discussion board or to discuss them with other students in class. Use these questions to get started:

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What colleges did you consider, and what criteria (cost, location, standing in the U.S. News college ranking, and so on) did you use?
Choose one or two of your criteria, and consider what values and beliefs were behind your choice. For example, was it important to you to attend a college with a winning football team, with a particular religious orientation, with opportunities for undergraduates to do scientific research?
How would comparing the criteria you used with the criteria your classmates used help you better understand the ideology—values and beliefs—behind your choices?

[Reflect] Make connections: Ideology underlying judgments.

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