Trans activists are running a campaign against University of Melbourne philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith. It raises a host of challenging ethical questions.
Pinar Selek at a conference in Paris in 2010.
Streetpepper/Wikimedia
A refugee in France, the Turkish sociologist has been persecuted in her country for 25 years. Her case is emblematic of the repression of academics in Turkey – and elsewhere.
Otago University has followed Massey in aspiring to be a “Tiriti-led” institution. But this implies being on the Crown side of the partnership – which is not where a university should be.
Outside of teaching and writing, Samuel Steward took up tattooing.
The Estate of Samuel M. Steward
The ability of professors to freely teach and write about controversial topics without fear of retribution is nothing new.
People in Montréal attend a demonstration on May 15, 2021, to denounce Israel’s military actions in the Palestinian territories.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
When universities are seen as favouring one position on the Palestine/Israel issue, their ability to uphold academic freedom as a fundamental tenet of democracy is jeopardized.
The true value of tenure goes beyond protection of the individual. It protects society from ideologically motivated restructuring as an alternative to poor performance management.
While academic freedom itself might sound like a unique notion, granting special tools or rights to specific professions is rather commonplace.
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Academic freedom is increasingly caught up in partisan debates around freedom of speech. But the idea behind it is not only vital but shared across many other professions.
Academic freedom has a positive effect on democracy, as measured by the quality of elections and executive accountability.
Quebec’s bill may be seen as part of on-going ‘culture wars,’ and alongside Ontario and Québec conservative governments’ grandstanding about ‘free speech’ on university campuses.
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In addition to undermining universities’ and faculty members’ autonomy, the bill blurs distinctions between free expression and academic freedom, and turns academic freedom into a political weapon.
With academic freedom comes moral responsibility. Men within New Zealand universities – and beyond – must challenge misogynistic abuse of their women colleagues and not stay silent.
More discussion is needed about how power shapes access to learning and speaking in a university environment.
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When speakers seek to responsibly disseminate knowledge they must be aware of their audience and how what they are saying may resonate.
U.S. universities are cutting ties with their Russian counterparts, such as Moscow State University, shown here.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Decades of collaboration between Western and Russian universities have come to a halt because of the war in Ukraine. An expert on U.S.-Russia relations explains what’s at stake.
A national security report released this week made several recommendations for universities to protect themselves and their research from foreign interference and espionage.
Demonstrators march at a rally in support of Ukraine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. on Feb. 28.
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Canada and its universities have roles to play in providing safe spaces to scholars in regions where research is under threat due to conflict and repression.
In Georgia, the Board of Regents has given its universities the power to fire tenured professors without faculty input. Now some fear that academic freedom is threatened.
(Zach J. Beavers)
When the University of Florida barred three professors from testifying in a lawsuit over voting restrictions, it raised important questions of academic freedom and free speech.
Recent controversies involving academic freedom and responsibility raise important questions about how publicly accountable Aotearoa’s universities should be.
Three professors from the University of Florida have been barred from participating as expert witnesses in a voting rights case.
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The University of Florida is barring three scholars from testifying as expert witnesses in a highly political lawsuit. A veteran college administrator looks at what’s at stake.
The court found the university was unjustified in censuring the academic for initial conduct that was protected as an exercise in intellectual freedom. But his response to disciplinary action wasn’t.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University