Few issues are as hotly debated or misunderstood as academic freedom. Reichman's book sheds light on and brings clarity to those debates. Winner of the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award by the American Library Association Academic freedom—crucial to the health of American higher education—is threatened on many fronts. In The Future of Academic Freedom, a leading scholar equips us to defend academic freedom by illuminating its meaning, the challenges it faces, and its relation to freedom of expression. In the wake of the 2016 election, challenges to academic freedom have intensified, higher education has become a target of attacks by conservatives, and issues of free speech on campus have grown increasingly controversial. In this book, Henry Reichman cuts through much of the rhetoric to issue a clarion call on behalf of academic freedom as it has been defined and defended by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) for over a hundred years. Along the way, he makes it clear that this is the issue of our day. Over the course of ten audacious essays, Reichman explores the theory, history, and contemporary practice of academic freedom. He pays attention to such varied concerns as the meddling of politicians and corporate trustees in curriculum and university governance, the role of online education, the impact of social media, the rights of student protesters and outside speakers, the relationship between collective bargaining and academic freedom, and the influence on research and teaching of ideologically motivated donors. Significantly, he debunks myths about the strength of the alleged opposition to free expression posed by student activism and shows that the expressive rights of students must be defended as part of academic freedom. Based on broad reading in such diverse fields as educational theory, law, history, and political science, as well as on the AAUP's own investigative reporting, The Future of Academic Freedom combines theoretical sweep with the practical experience of its author, a leader and activist in the AAUP who is an expert on campus free speech. The issues Reichman considers—which are the subjects of daily conversation on college and university campuses nationwide as well as in the media—will fascinate general readers, students, and scholars alike.
The essential guide to the AAUP's best practices and policies for higher education, now in its centennial edition. For the past century, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has developed standards for sound academic practice while working for the acceptance of these standards by the higher education community. The Association has long been viewed as the authoritative voice of the academic profession in this regard. The AAUP's Policy Documents and Reports (widely known as the Redbook because of the color of its cover) presents in convenient format a wide range of policies, in some instances formulated in cooperation with other educational organizations. The current edition, the eleventh, includes basic statements on academic freedom, tenure, and due process; academic governance; professional ethics; research and teaching; online and distance education; intellectual property; discrimination; collective bargaining; accreditation; and students' rights and freedoms. The new edition has been thoroughly updated and reorganized thematically. Brief historical introductions have been added to each section, along with an introductory essay on incorporating AAUP principles into faculty handbooks. Among the eighteen new reports included in this edition are statements on academic freedom and outside speakers, campus sexual assault, the inclusion of faculty on contingent appointments in academic governance, and salary-setting practices that unfairly disadvantage women faculty.
"Do we need to talk to our lawyers about this?" "What do the attorneys say?" "Why didn't you get the lawyers involved before now?" Just about every department chair and dean, certainly every provost and president, and an ever-increasing number of faculty find themselves asking—or being asked—such questions. Dealing with issues ranging from academic freedom to job security and faculty discipline, lawyers, legal requirements, and lawsuits has become an established part of the apparatus of American higher education. Higher Education Law was written to help faculty and administrators navigate critical legal issues and avoid potential legal pitfalls. Drawing on his experience as university counsel, administrator, and teacher at a number of institutions, Steven G. Poskanzer explains the law as it pertains to faculty activities both inside and outside the academy, including faculty roles as scholars, teachers, and members of institutional communities, as well as employees and public citizens. In each of these areas, he expands his discussion of cases and decisions to set out his own views both on the current status of the law and how it is likely to evolve.
Academic freedom rests on a shared belief that the production of knowledge advances the common good. In an era of education budget cuts, wealthy donors intervening in university decisions, and right-wing groups threatening dissenters, scholars cannot expect that those in power will value their work. Can academic freedom survive in this environment—and must we rearticulate what academic freedom is in order to defend it? This book presents a series of essays by the renowned historian Joan Wallach Scott that explore the history and theory of free inquiry and its value today. Scott considers the contradictions in the concept of academic freedom. She examines the relationship between state power and higher education; the differences between the First Amendment right of free speech and the guarantee of academic freedom; and, in response to recent campus controversies, the politics of civility. The book concludes with an interview conducted by Bill Moyers in which Scott discusses the personal experiences that have informed her views. Academic freedom is an aspiration, Scott holds: its implementation always falls short of its promise, but it is essential as an ideal of ethical practice. Knowledge, Power, and Academic Freedom is both a nuanced reflection on the tensions within a cherished concept and a strong defense of the importance of critical scholarship to safeguard democracy against the anti-intellectualism of figures from Joseph McCarthy to Donald Trump.
This book offers a concise explanation of the history and meaning of American academic freedom, and it attempts to intervene in contemporary debates by clarifying the fundamental functions and purposes of academic freedom in America.--From publisher description.