ACADEMIC FREEDOM

From its first formulation in the American Association of University Professors' 1915 General Report of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, the concept of academic freedom has been premised on the idea that human knowledge is a never-ending pursuit of the truth, that there is no humanly accessible truth that is not in principle open to challenge, and that no party or intellectual faction has a monopoly on wisdom. Therefore, academic freedom is most likely to thrive in an environment of intellectual diversity that protects and fosters independence of thought and speech. In the words of the General Report, it is vital to protect “as the first condition of progress, [a] complete and unlimited freedom to pursue inquiry and publish its results....”

The Academic Bill of Rights, crafted in 2003 by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, expands upon this theme:

“Academic freedom consists in protecting the intellectual independence of professors, researchers and students in the pursuit of knowledge and the expression of ideas from interference by legislators or authorities within the institution itself. This means that no political, ideological or religious orthodoxy will be imposed on professors and researchers through the hiring or tenure or termination process, or through any other administrative means by the academic institution. Nor shall legislatures impose any such orthodoxy through their control of the university budget.

“This protection includes students. From the first statement on academic freedom, it has been recognized that intellectual independence means the protection of students – as well as faculty – from the imposition of any orthodoxy of a political, religious or ideological nature. The 1915 General Report admonished faculty to avoid ‘taking unfair advantage of the student’s immaturity by indoctrinating him with the teacher’s own opinions before the student has had an opportunity fairly to examine other opinions upon the matters in question, and before he has sufficient knowledge and ripeness of judgment to be entitled to form any definitive opinion of his own.’ In 1967, the AAUP’s Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students reinforced and amplified this injunction by affirming the inseparability of ‘the freedom to teach and freedom to learn.’ In the words of the report, ‘Students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion.’” In addition to this Academic Bill of Rights, another landmark document regarding academic freedom was the AAUP's 1940 Statement on the subject. It read, in part, as follows:

“Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.”
“Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject....”
“When [college and university teachers] speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.”

In 1970 the AAUP issued a number of interpretive comments to clarify and emphasize some of the positions it had stated thirty years prior. Most notably, the AAUP explained that its intent was “not to discourage what is ‘controversial,’” but rather “to underscore the need for teachers to avoid persistently intruding material which has no relation to their subject.”

This section of Discover The Networks explores the concept of Academic Freedom – its meaning, its protection, and its violation.

CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE (Click on the bullet points to jump to the desired category):

Links

Key Documents

Books

Videos

Articles

Links ( Return to top):

Students for Academic Freedom

Key Documents ( Return to top):

Academic Bill of Rights

Student Bill of Rights

Pennsylvania Committee Report

Academic Freedom Code For K-12 Schools

FIRE's Spotlight on Speech Codes (pdf)

Victory in Pennsylvania
By Sara Dogan
December 8, 2006

Academic Censorship in the Netherlands
By Carine Cassuto
December 5, 2006

AAUP Prez Howls
By David Horowitz
December 1, 2006

What I’m Thankful For
By Jason Antebi
November 24, 2006

We Have Changed the Face of Education in Pennsylvania
By David Horowitz
November 22, 2006

What We're Up Against -- The Lying Pennsylvania Press
By David Horowitz
November 21, 2006

Restoration Weekend 2006: Storming the Universities
By David Horowitz
November 20, 2006

Pennsylvania Committee Finds Students Have No Rights
By David Horowitz
November 15, 2006

MSU Settles Academic Freedom Lawsuit
By Steve Koehler
November 13, 2006

The Professor Unions' Botched Battle
By David Horowitz
November 7, 2006

SAF Timeline Shows Progress of Academic Freedom Movement
By Sara Dogan
November 7, 2006

Distorting Academic Freedom
By Sara Dogan
November 3, 2006

U of Nebraska's Political Litmus Test
By Dwayne Ball and Gerard Harbison
October 24, 2006

University Bans Humor Quotation From Student's Door
By Nathan Burchfiel
October 19, 2006

Academic Freedom at Georgia Tech
By Sara Dogan
October 4, 2006

Does the Academic Bill of Rights Protect or Threaten Academic Freedom? A Debate between David Horowitz and Kurt Smith
September 19, 2006

University Officials Threaten to Arrest Conservative Recruiter
By Nathan Burchfiel
September 15, 2006

Little Ward Churchills
By Dimitri Vassilaros
August 11, 2006

Wag the Scholar
By Matthew Murphy
August 9, 2006

We've Had Enough of 9/11 Conspiracy Theorists
By Green Bay Press-Gazette Editorial
August 8, 2006

What's Going on in People's' Minds?
By Beloit Daily News Editorial
August 8, 2006

Controversial UW Scholar, Theorist Spurs Funding Cut
By Lisa Curtis
August 8, 2006

Barrett Takes on State Lawmakers
By Joanna Pliner
August 8, 2006

UW Lecturer's Media Blitz Panned
By Megan Twohey
August 4, 2006

Letter Warned Barrett to Stop Seeking Publicity
By Ryan J. Foley
August 3, 2006

UW Extension Cut Directed at Lecturer
By Dan Benson
August 3, 2006

Academic Freedom Arrives at Temple
By Julia Seymour
August 2, 2006

A Skeptic on 9/11 Prompts Questions on Academic Freedom
By Gretchen Reuthling
August 1, 2006

Official Presbyterian Publisher Issues 9/11 Conspiracy Book
By Jason Bailey
July 31, 2006

Getting Beyond Barrett: UW-Madison's Easy Decision
By Charles Mitchell
July 29, 2006

Stanley Fish Is Right on Academic Freedom
By The Center for Individual Freedom
July 28, 2006

Wisconsin Lawmakers Want Islam Teacher Booted
By P.J. Huffstutter
July 25, 2006

Temple Looks Right on Academic Rights
By Valerie Richardson
July 24, 2006

The Meaning of Academic Freedom
By Stanley Fish
July 24, 2006

What Makes Kevin Barrett Tick?
By Aaron Nathans
July 22, 2006

Teacher Under Fire for His Cheney-9/11 Theory
By Associated Press
July 21, 2006

Major Victory for Academic Freedom in Pennsylvania
By Elizabeth Ruiz
July 21, 2006

Very Strange Things (on Kevin Barrett)
By David French
July 21, 2006

61 Lawmakers Demand UW Fire Instructor over 9/11 Theory
By AP
July 20, 2006

Enjoying the Academic Freedom to Be an Idiot
By Rick Moran
July 20, 2006

An Ounce of Prevention
By Anne D. Neal
July 19, 2006

Defending Academic Freedom
By Donald Downs
July 18, 2006

Liberals Who Hurt Own Cause
By Cathy Young
July 17, 2006

UW Wrong to Let Professor Spew
By Sheboygan Press Staff Editorial
July 14, 2006

Fiction and Fact at UW
By Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Staff Editorial
July 13, 2006

Public Uproar in Wisconsin
By Sara Dogan
July 11, 2006

Universities Lack Faith in Academic Freedom
By Thomas Sowell
June 29, 2006

Freedom to Think
By Geoffrey Alderman
June 29, 2006

Junk Ethics
By The NRO Editors
June 28, 2006

Students Fight for Rights
By Susan Brinkmann
June 28, 2006

Debating the Academic Bill of Rights
By David Horowitz
June 23, 2006

Assault on Academic Freedom
By Jim Brown
June 23, 2006

American Public Fed-up with Politicized Education
By Students for Academic Freedom
June 23, 2006

Americans' Views of Political Bias in the Academy
By Neil Gross
May 22, 2006

A Campus Movement is Born: Timeline of the Academic Freedom Movement
By Students for Academic Freedom
May 2006

A Rousing Success: The First National Academic Freedom Conference
By Sara Dogan
April 11, 2006

Academic Freedom Conference: Transcript of "The Need for a K-12 Academic Bill of Rights" April 7, 2006

Academic Freedom Conference: Transcript of the "Legislative Issues" Panel
April 7, 2006

Academic Freedom Conference: Transcript of "Is Legislation Necessary or Advisable?"
April 7, 2006

Academic Freedom Conference: Transcript of Morning Session with Senator Lamar Alexander
April 7, 2006

Betraying Academic Freedom
By David Horowitz
January 20, 2006

Academia's Failing Grade
By American Council of Trustees and Alumni
December 14, 2005

Enforcing the Academic Party Line
By Larry Schweikart
May 24, 2005

Chickens: the Ward Churchill and Larry Summers Story
By Stanley Fish
May 13, 2005

The Strange and Dishonest Campaign Against Academic Freedom
By David Horowitz
April 29, 2005

The Case of the Colorado Exam
By David Horowitz
April 21, 2005

Defending a Patriotic Arab Student's Rights
By Sara Dogan
March 31, 2005

'At Stake Is Academic Freedom'
By Stephan Thernstrom
March 17, 2005

Why an Academic Bill of Rights is Necessary
By David Horowitz
March 15, 2005

Ward Churchill Is Just The Beginning
By David Horowitz
February 8, 2005

Intimidating College Liberals
By Michael Wiesner
December 15, 2004

Liberal Groupthink Is Anti-Intellectual
By Mark Bauerlein
November 12, 2004

How the Academic Blacklist Works
By Mike S. Adams
June 2, 2004

Why We Built the Ivory Tower
By Stanley Fish
May 21, 2004

The Antidote to Academic Orthodoxy
By Stephen Balch
April 23, 2004

In Defense of Intellectual Diversity
By David Horowitz
February 10, 2004

The Professors' Orwellian Case
By David Horowitz
December 5, 2003

The Campus Blacklist
By David Horowitz
April 18, 2003

A University is Not a Political Party
By Stanley Fish
January 23, 2003

AAUP Statement on the Academic Bills of Rights
By American Association of University Professors
2003

The Problem with America's Colleges and the Solution
By David Horowitz
September 3, 2002

Missing Diversity On America's Campuses
By David Horowitz
September 3, 2002

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