Free Speech on Campus

Professor Lee Epstein and Chancellor Andrew D. Martin

Political Science 334

Spring 2022


TOOLS 2: HISTORY OF FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS (February 2)

Readings:

  1. Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure

  2. The Power of Student Activism at Wash U.

  3. The 1968 Brookings Occupation

Section/Class Activities

  1. The Statement on Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure (reading #1 above) was written many years ago, reflecting a time when professors were fired because of their research on controversial issues of the day such as immigration and unions. Does it make sense today?

  2. The Statement seems focused on "teachers,'' claiming that "Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching and of the student to freedom in learning." But do/should students enjoy academic freedom, separate and distinct from their professors? What would that freedom cover?

  3. The readings stress the importance of academic/expression freedoms. But there are also efforts on campus to consider the potential harms of free expression. These are not new. In 1974 the UK National Union of Students created a "no-platform'' policy, which "prevents individuals or groups known to hold racist or fascist views from speaking at NUS events. It also ensures that NUS officers will not share a public platform with individuals or groups known to hold racist or fascist views."

    To what extent do no-platform policies further academic freedom/expression interests, or are no-platform policies and academic freedom/expression interests incompatible?