Paul Weindling
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264812
- eISBN:
- 9780191754029
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264812.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
The founding of the Academic Assistance Council (AAC) in May 1933 was a rapid and constructive response to the Nazi threat to science and learning. Among the far-sighted academics involved was the ...
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The founding of the Academic Assistance Council (AAC) in May 1933 was a rapid and constructive response to the Nazi threat to science and learning. Among the far-sighted academics involved was the physiologist A. V. Hill (1886–1977). He was to be a consistent, effective, and loyal supporter of the AAC and, as it became in 1936, the Society for Protection of Science and Learning (SPSL). Hill was remarkable in terms of his scientific achievements and his support of scientific organizations, most notably the Royal Society. Accompanying these activities was a set of social values concerning the scientist as citizen in a parliamentary democracy, and an agenda for science to modernize health care provision. Hill's commitment to the cause of academic refugees can be understood within a broader set of commitments and activities. Apart from many acts of practical assistance, Hill contributed to a broadening of the agenda of the SPSL, making academic freedom a core value. This chapter examines Hill's broader political vision of the defence of learning.Less
The founding of the Academic Assistance Council (AAC) in May 1933 was a rapid and constructive response to the Nazi threat to science and learning. Among the far-sighted academics involved was the physiologist A. V. Hill (1886–1977). He was to be a consistent, effective, and loyal supporter of the AAC and, as it became in 1936, the Society for Protection of Science and Learning (SPSL). Hill was remarkable in terms of his scientific achievements and his support of scientific organizations, most notably the Royal Society. Accompanying these activities was a set of social values concerning the scientist as citizen in a parliamentary democracy, and an agenda for science to modernize health care provision. Hill's commitment to the cause of academic refugees can be understood within a broader set of commitments and activities. Apart from many acts of practical assistance, Hill contributed to a broadening of the agenda of the SPSL, making academic freedom a core value. This chapter examines Hill's broader political vision of the defence of learning.
Ming Sing
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501740916
- eISBN:
- 9781501740930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501740916.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This afterword addresses how the prodemocracy community and activists have been besieged by the battle of defending Hong Kong against the perceptible erosion of its freedoms and its turn to greater ...
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This afterword addresses how the prodemocracy community and activists have been besieged by the battle of defending Hong Kong against the perceptible erosion of its freedoms and its turn to greater authoritarianism. The Umbrella Movement of 2014 in Hong Kong shocked the world and captured global attention. Indeed, the movement has been hailed by many in the world, as so many Hong Kong people had the courage to challenge bluntly the largest dictatorial regime on earth for democracy. That said, the democracy movement has hit a bump, with Beijing not budging on democratization. What is worse, Beijing and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government have patently tightened their control over Hong Kong's freedoms and genuine electoral contestation in the aftermath of the movement. Soon after the termination of the Umbrella Movement, Beijing doggedly stuck to its hardline policy on Hong Kong by dramatically raising the political cost for those challenging its suppression of Hong Kong's democratization. To pre-empt another large-scale Occupy Movement, Beijing and the HKSAR government have also curbed Hong Kong's press freedom and academic freedom.Less
This afterword addresses how the prodemocracy community and activists have been besieged by the battle of defending Hong Kong against the perceptible erosion of its freedoms and its turn to greater authoritarianism. The Umbrella Movement of 2014 in Hong Kong shocked the world and captured global attention. Indeed, the movement has been hailed by many in the world, as so many Hong Kong people had the courage to challenge bluntly the largest dictatorial regime on earth for democracy. That said, the democracy movement has hit a bump, with Beijing not budging on democratization. What is worse, Beijing and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government have patently tightened their control over Hong Kong's freedoms and genuine electoral contestation in the aftermath of the movement. Soon after the termination of the Umbrella Movement, Beijing doggedly stuck to its hardline policy on Hong Kong by dramatically raising the political cost for those challenging its suppression of Hong Kong's democratization. To pre-empt another large-scale Occupy Movement, Beijing and the HKSAR government have also curbed Hong Kong's press freedom and academic freedom.
Ilana Redstone
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
Colleges tend to have policies on academic freedom that on their face appear to confer broad protection. But the actual scope of protection is a matter of interpretation, and is often much narrower. ...
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Colleges tend to have policies on academic freedom that on their face appear to confer broad protection. But the actual scope of protection is a matter of interpretation, and is often much narrower. In practice, the measure of acceptable campus expression is often based on the extent to which speech offends or is viewed as harmful. The contemporary technology environment amplifies this dynamic. Social media help ensure that expression that is accused of being offensive is communicated to the very people most likely to view it as such, leading to a feedback cycle that further increases the risks that opinions or research conclusions falling outside of campus-proscribed boundaries will attract attention and protest. This is the academic freedom elephant in the room, and it plays a far more powerful role in shaping discourse and research than does the text in a university’s formal academic freedom policy.Less
Colleges tend to have policies on academic freedom that on their face appear to confer broad protection. But the actual scope of protection is a matter of interpretation, and is often much narrower. In practice, the measure of acceptable campus expression is often based on the extent to which speech offends or is viewed as harmful. The contemporary technology environment amplifies this dynamic. Social media help ensure that expression that is accused of being offensive is communicated to the very people most likely to view it as such, leading to a feedback cycle that further increases the risks that opinions or research conclusions falling outside of campus-proscribed boundaries will attract attention and protest. This is the academic freedom elephant in the room, and it plays a far more powerful role in shaping discourse and research than does the text in a university’s formal academic freedom policy.
Ilana Redstone
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
The tenure decision is intentionally constructed around the very idea of career vulnerability, since the real possibility of its denial is central to the entire process. The last thing a tenure-track ...
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The tenure decision is intentionally constructed around the very idea of career vulnerability, since the real possibility of its denial is central to the entire process. The last thing a tenure-track professor wants or needs is to do or say anything that will motivate people to oppose a positive tenure decision. The surest way to avoid this is to steer clear of both research and social media activity that might stir up opposition. Thus, obtaining tenure now requires a more careful effort than in the past to steer clear of politically controversial topics, both in research and in public statements on any topic.Less
The tenure decision is intentionally constructed around the very idea of career vulnerability, since the real possibility of its denial is central to the entire process. The last thing a tenure-track professor wants or needs is to do or say anything that will motivate people to oppose a positive tenure decision. The surest way to avoid this is to steer clear of both research and social media activity that might stir up opposition. Thus, obtaining tenure now requires a more careful effort than in the past to steer clear of politically controversial topics, both in research and in public statements on any topic.
Ilana Redstone
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
Academic freedom is particularly tenuous for the growing number of college instructors who hold positions that are neither tenured nor on the tenure track. The temporary, one-semester-at-a-time ...
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Academic freedom is particularly tenuous for the growing number of college instructors who hold positions that are neither tenured nor on the tenure track. The temporary, one-semester-at-a-time nature of many adjunct contracts creates a set of incentives not to run afoul of college administrations. An adjunct who wants to continue to teach will tread very carefully, with the goal of ensuring that even the most easily offended student in a class doesn’t hear or read anything that might spur the filing of a complaint. The tenuous nature of adjunct appointments is incompatible with strong academic freedom protections. Even if such protections existed, the nature of adjunct positions would make those protections difficult to enforce.Less
Academic freedom is particularly tenuous for the growing number of college instructors who hold positions that are neither tenured nor on the tenure track. The temporary, one-semester-at-a-time nature of many adjunct contracts creates a set of incentives not to run afoul of college administrations. An adjunct who wants to continue to teach will tread very carefully, with the goal of ensuring that even the most easily offended student in a class doesn’t hear or read anything that might spur the filing of a complaint. The tenuous nature of adjunct appointments is incompatible with strong academic freedom protections. Even if such protections existed, the nature of adjunct positions would make those protections difficult to enforce.
Michael V. Metz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042416
- eISBN:
- 9780252051258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042416.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
Numerous university faculty appeared at the board of trustees meeting, declared support for DuBois Club recognition, and stated there was no evidence to deem the club subversive and that the ...
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Numerous university faculty appeared at the board of trustees meeting, declared support for DuBois Club recognition, and stated there was no evidence to deem the club subversive and that the university’s educational environment required an open exchange of ideas. The board’s own subcommittee agreed and also recommended approval. The board voted to accept these recommendations and allow the university to recognize the club. Politicians and newspaper editorial writers immediately attacked the decision. President Henry supported the decision.Less
Numerous university faculty appeared at the board of trustees meeting, declared support for DuBois Club recognition, and stated there was no evidence to deem the club subversive and that the university’s educational environment required an open exchange of ideas. The board’s own subcommittee agreed and also recommended approval. The board voted to accept these recommendations and allow the university to recognize the club. Politicians and newspaper editorial writers immediately attacked the decision. President Henry supported the decision.
Michael V. Metz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042416
- eISBN:
- 9780252051258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042416.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
Henry announced he’d taken the DuBois Club decision out of Millet’s hands and passed it to a committee of the board of trustees. Millet appeared relieved to be done with it. The president had faced ...
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Henry announced he’d taken the DuBois Club decision out of Millet’s hands and passed it to a committee of the board of trustees. Millet appeared relieved to be done with it. The president had faced situations of this nature in the past and successfully managed through them. Tensions between campus activists and university administrators increased, as evidenced in a Millet appearance at an SDS meeting that only served to agitate his audience. His talk was criticized in a Daily Illini editorial that alluded to “Berkeley riots.”Less
Henry announced he’d taken the DuBois Club decision out of Millet’s hands and passed it to a committee of the board of trustees. Millet appeared relieved to be done with it. The president had faced situations of this nature in the past and successfully managed through them. Tensions between campus activists and university administrators increased, as evidenced in a Millet appearance at an SDS meeting that only served to agitate his audience. His talk was criticized in a Daily Illini editorial that alluded to “Berkeley riots.”
Ilana Redstone
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
Multiple counterarguments could be voiced in response to the assertions made in this book. It could be asserted that there is no crisis in academia. Or one could suggest that while the three beliefs ...
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Multiple counterarguments could be voiced in response to the assertions made in this book. It could be asserted that there is no crisis in academia. Or one could suggest that while the three beliefs constrain dialog, they do so appropriately. Additional counterarguments are that academic freedom in this restricted environment is broad enough, and that it must yield to claims of harm arising from assertions deemed offensive. This chapter explains and offers a rebuttal to each of these counterarguments. In doing so, we aim to explain what is lost when the range of on-campus discourse is overly constrained.Less
Multiple counterarguments could be voiced in response to the assertions made in this book. It could be asserted that there is no crisis in academia. Or one could suggest that while the three beliefs constrain dialog, they do so appropriately. Additional counterarguments are that academic freedom in this restricted environment is broad enough, and that it must yield to claims of harm arising from assertions deemed offensive. This chapter explains and offers a rebuttal to each of these counterarguments. In doing so, we aim to explain what is lost when the range of on-campus discourse is overly constrained.
Michael V. Metz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042416
- eISBN:
- 9780252051258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042416.003.0018
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
In a private meeting with faculty, President Henry revealed his personal opposition to the Clabaugh Act, suggesting that today’s students did not need such protection, that the law was unenforceable ...
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In a private meeting with faculty, President Henry revealed his personal opposition to the Clabaugh Act, suggesting that today’s students did not need such protection, that the law was unenforceable anyway, and that it interfered with the spirit of academic freedom. His (leaked) opinions were printed in the Daily Illini; he did not deny them. Protesters were disconcerted by their Diskin success, arguing about the way forward as the DuBois Club met in student-government offices. As the semester came to a close, Henry and Millet spoke confidently to the board about the coming year, while Vic Berkey predicted big happenings.Less
In a private meeting with faculty, President Henry revealed his personal opposition to the Clabaugh Act, suggesting that today’s students did not need such protection, that the law was unenforceable anyway, and that it interfered with the spirit of academic freedom. His (leaked) opinions were printed in the Daily Illini; he did not deny them. Protesters were disconcerted by their Diskin success, arguing about the way forward as the DuBois Club met in student-government offices. As the semester came to a close, Henry and Millet spoke confidently to the board about the coming year, while Vic Berkey predicted big happenings.
Ilana Redstone and John Villasenor
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
Colleges and universities in the United States play a profoundly important role in American society. Currently, that role is being hampered by a climate that constrains teaching, research, hiring, ...
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Colleges and universities in the United States play a profoundly important role in American society. Currently, that role is being hampered by a climate that constrains teaching, research, hiring, and overall discourse. There are three core beliefs that define this climate. First, any initiative framed as an antidote to historical societal ills is automatically deemed meritorious, and thus exempted from objective scrutiny of its potential effectiveness. However, to use a medical analogy, not all proposed cures for a disease are good cures. Second, all differences in group-level outcomes are assumed to be due entirely to discrimination, with little tolerance given to exploring the potential role of factors such as culture or preferences. Third, everything must be interpreted through the lens of identity. Non-identity-centered perspectives, regardless of how worthy they might be, are viewed as less legitimate or even illegitimate. All of these beliefs are well intentioned and have arisen in response to important historical and continuing injustices. However, they are enforced in uncompromising terms through the use of social media, which has gained an ascendant role in shaping the culture of American campuses. The result is a climate that forecloses entire lines of research, entire discussions, and entire ways of conducting classroom teaching. The book explains these three beliefs in detail and provides an extensive list of case studies illustrating how they are impacting education and knowledge creation—and increasingly the world beyond campus. The book also provides a detailed set of recommendations on ways to help foster an environment on American campuses that would be more tolerant of diverse perspectives and open inquiry.
A note about Covid-19: While the production of this book was done in spring and summer of 2020, we completed the manuscript in 2019, well before the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered American college campuses in March 2020. To put it mildly, the dynamics of campus discourse are very different when dorms have been largely emptied and instruction has been moved to Zoom. Of course, at present we cannot know when students will be able to return to campus in significant numbers. That said, we are confident that our call for a culture of more open discourse in higher education will remain relevant both during the pandemic and after it has passed.Less
Colleges and universities in the United States play a profoundly important role in American society. Currently, that role is being hampered by a climate that constrains teaching, research, hiring, and overall discourse. There are three core beliefs that define this climate. First, any initiative framed as an antidote to historical societal ills is automatically deemed meritorious, and thus exempted from objective scrutiny of its potential effectiveness. However, to use a medical analogy, not all proposed cures for a disease are good cures. Second, all differences in group-level outcomes are assumed to be due entirely to discrimination, with little tolerance given to exploring the potential role of factors such as culture or preferences. Third, everything must be interpreted through the lens of identity. Non-identity-centered perspectives, regardless of how worthy they might be, are viewed as less legitimate or even illegitimate. All of these beliefs are well intentioned and have arisen in response to important historical and continuing injustices. However, they are enforced in uncompromising terms through the use of social media, which has gained an ascendant role in shaping the culture of American campuses. The result is a climate that forecloses entire lines of research, entire discussions, and entire ways of conducting classroom teaching. The book explains these three beliefs in detail and provides an extensive list of case studies illustrating how they are impacting education and knowledge creation—and increasingly the world beyond campus. The book also provides a detailed set of recommendations on ways to help foster an environment on American campuses that would be more tolerant of diverse perspectives and open inquiry.
A note about Covid-19: While the production of this book was done in spring and summer of 2020, we completed the manuscript in 2019, well before the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered American college campuses in March 2020. To put it mildly, the dynamics of campus discourse are very different when dorms have been largely emptied and instruction has been moved to Zoom. Of course, at present we cannot know when students will be able to return to campus in significant numbers. That said, we are confident that our call for a culture of more open discourse in higher education will remain relevant both during the pandemic and after it has passed.
Michael V. Metz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042416
- eISBN:
- 9780252051258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042416.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
Koch was an assistant professor of biology and author of a letter to the student newspaper condoning premarital sexual intercourse and cohabitation for sufficiently mature university students. ...
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Koch was an assistant professor of biology and author of a letter to the student newspaper condoning premarital sexual intercourse and cohabitation for sufficiently mature university students. Parents, community leaders, and Illinois newspapers strongly condemned him and called for his firing. A faculty committee quickly recommended dismissal, which President Henry approved. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Illinois students, and many faculty, both at Illinois and across the nation, came to Koch’s defense, to no avail. The case was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the firing stood.Less
Koch was an assistant professor of biology and author of a letter to the student newspaper condoning premarital sexual intercourse and cohabitation for sufficiently mature university students. Parents, community leaders, and Illinois newspapers strongly condemned him and called for his firing. A faculty committee quickly recommended dismissal, which President Henry approved. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Illinois students, and many faculty, both at Illinois and across the nation, came to Koch’s defense, to no avail. The case was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the firing stood.
Ilana Redstone
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190078065
- eISBN:
- 9780190078096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190078065.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Science, Technology and Environment
Campuses have long had unwritten rules about what can and can’t be said. But in recent years, social media have emerged as a powerful tool in academia both for direct censorship and for strengthening ...
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Campuses have long had unwritten rules about what can and can’t be said. But in recent years, social media have emerged as a powerful tool in academia both for direct censorship and for strengthening the incentives for self-censorship. Much of contemporary academic discourse is based on three foundational beliefs that are enforced in part through social media. The beliefs are grounded in good intentions and reflect understandable responses to historical and continuing societal wrongs. But when they are enforced in absolutist and uncompromising terms, they can unreasonably constrain discourse on issues that in fact merit more nuanced analysis.Less
Campuses have long had unwritten rules about what can and can’t be said. But in recent years, social media have emerged as a powerful tool in academia both for direct censorship and for strengthening the incentives for self-censorship. Much of contemporary academic discourse is based on three foundational beliefs that are enforced in part through social media. The beliefs are grounded in good intentions and reflect understandable responses to historical and continuing societal wrongs. But when they are enforced in absolutist and uncompromising terms, they can unreasonably constrain discourse on issues that in fact merit more nuanced analysis.