Robert Weissberg
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Robert Weissberg (; born 1941) was an American
political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and writer. He was a professor of political science at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
and was the author of twelve books on politics and pedagogy. He published numerous scientific papers in leading journals in political science. Weissberg has also written for magazines such as ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
,'' ''Society'', and ''
The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...
''. He was also a speaker at American Renaissance Magazine conferences where he was outspoken about his belief in the average mental differences between racial populations.


Education and academic career

Raised in
Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
and a graduate of
Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...
, Weissberg earned an A.B. from
Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...
and a Ph.D. in political science from the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
. He was an assistant professor at
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
and later associate professor and professor at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
. He retired from the University of Illinois in 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. 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. Weissberg's In April 2012, in the wake of the
John Derbyshire John Derbyshire (born 3 June 1945) is a British-born American far-right political commentator, writer, journalist and computer programmer. He was once known as a paleoconservative, until he was fired from the '' National Review'' in 2012 for ...
firing, ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'' ended its relationship with Weissberg, noting that the editors only recently discovered that Weissberg had "participated in an American Renaissance conference where he delivered a noxious talk about the future of white nationalism".Annie-Rose Strasser
"National Review Fires Another Racist Writer"
April 11, 2012 ''
Think Progress ''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Found ...
''.


Books

*''American Democracy: Theory & Reality'' (1972), ASIN B000SGT9O4. *''Political Learning, Political Choice, & Democratic Citizenship'' (1974). . *''Elementary Political Analysis'' (co-authored with Herbert Jacob) (1975). . *''Public Opinion and Popular Government'' (1976). . *''Understanding American Government'' (1979). ASIN B000OA72PM. *''Political Tolerance: Balancing Community and Diversity'' (1998). . *''The Politics of Empowerment'' (1999). . *''Democracy and the Academy'' (2000). . *''Polling, Policy, and Public Opinion: The Case Against Heeding the "Voice of the People"'' (2002). . *''The Limits of Civic Activism: Cautionary Tales on the Use of Politics'' (2004). . *''Pernicious Tolerance: How Teaching to "Accept Differences" Undermines Civil Society'' (2008). . *''Bad Students, Not Bad Schools'' (2010). .


Articles

*"Academic Deception for Fun and Profit"
''Telos''
112 (Summer 1998). New York: Telos Press. *"The Perils of Keeping America America"
''Human Events''
August 25, 2004


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weissberg, Robert 1941 births Living people American political scientists Bard College alumni Cornell University faculty Teaneck High School alumni Race and intelligence controversy University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Writers from New Jersey