What College Won’t Teach You About Conservatism | Joelle Webb

What happens when a college student can take an entire class on Marxism—but struggles to find courses on Locke, Burke, or the ideas behind America’s founding?Author Joelle Webb joins Gen Z Unplugged to explain why that experience inspired her to write Conserving Truth, how political philosophy can help Gen Z move beyond viral soundbites, and why understanding conservatism’s intellectual roots matters now more than ever.From Marxism and campus ideology to liberty, tradition, and the pursuit of truth, Joelle makes the case that young conservatives shouldn’t just know what they believe—they should know why.---Joelle Webb is a writer, legal researcher, and graduate student whose work focuses onAmerican conservatism, constitutional law, civil rights, public policy, and higher education.Webb recently graduated from Drake University with a B.A. in Law, Politics, and Society, whereher studies centered on constitutional law, political theory, contemporary public-policy debates,and legal jurisprudence. She is currently pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at the University ofDenver Sturm College of Law.Her professional experience has spanned politics, state government, public policy,communications, and legal advocacy. Most recently, Webb worked as a Legal ResearchAssistant for the Equal Protection Project, where she assisted attorneys with research related tocivil-rights issues in higher education, including federal civil-rights complaints challengingrace-based programs and policies.Before entering legal advocacy, Webb worked in state government and political campaigns,including the Iowa Attorney General's Office, the Iowa Secretary of State's Office, and nationaland state political organizations. These experiences gave her an opportunity to seeconservative politics from several perspectives: as a student of its intellectual history, assomeone working within the political movement, and as a legal researcher examiningcontemporary constitutional disputes.In 2025, Webb independently published two books exploring questions that had increasinglyshaped her academic and professional interests: What does it actually mean to be aconservative? What principles should conservatism seek to preserve? And whathappens when contemporary institutions move away from principles of individual rightsand equality before the law? ---1:52 — Why Joelle Webb Wrote Conserving Truth3:23 — Taking a College Class on Karl Marx4:23 — Why Marx Gets Taught—but America’s Founders Don’t5:29 — How Campus Ideology Captivates Young People7:38 — Conservatism Isn’t About Stopping Change8:08 — Locke, Burke & Tocqueville: The Ideas Behind America11:23 — Is Gen Z Hungry for Something Deeper Than Soundbites?13:18 — Conservatism vs. the Republican Party15:19 — How a College Journal Became a Published Book19:24 — Conservative Women Shaping the Next GenerationCheck out Joelle's latest book here: https://www.amazon.sg/Conserving-Truth-History-Western-Conservatism/dp/B0FDKZTJFY GenZ Unplugged is the official podcast for the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Rotating hosts are Lauren Husmann, Anastasia Leffas, and Rachel Hurley. Producer is Sandra Scarlatoiu. Listen, rate, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform! ACAST - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - Google Podcasts - YouTube - Rumble Send us your thoughts on this episode @realgenzunplugged!  X - Instagram - Facebook - Truth Social SFX Credits: neon sign buzz hum stereo close lowcut to taste6.flac by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/453493/ -- License: Creative Commons 0swipes and whooshes plastic umbrella fast and short swings stereo ORTF 8040.wav by Soundholder -- https://freesound.org/s/425853/ -- License: Attribution 3.0Power Cord Unplug 1_2 by Joao_Janz -- https://freesound.org/s/477641/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Abstract Glitch Effects_015 by jalastram -- https://freesound.org/s/412303/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.