I recently read about the case of Joy Karega, who was dismissed last fall from her tenure track position at Oberlin College for "intellectual dishonesty" in her Facebook posts (for a few more specifics on this case, see also here). The initial objections to her Facebook posts stemmed from their allegedly anti-semitic character. At least one of … Continue reading Conspiracy Theories and Academic Freedom: Part I.
Category: Higher Ed
Reforming Economics Education
There is a good deal of discussion these days about what is wrong with how economics is taught at the University level. For some examples, see Lars Syll's blog , The Institute for New Economic Thinking, and this recent article in VOX about controversies surrounding Greg Mankiw's Principles of Economics course and text and alternatives to it at Harvard. I've now completed the … Continue reading Reforming Economics Education
Janus: What is all this fuss Abood?
On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, ruled in Janus that a provision of the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act which allowed public employee Unions to negotiate "fair share fees" violated the First Amendment rights and the right to free Association of public employees (see also Ohio Revised Code 4117 ). … Continue reading Janus: What is all this fuss Abood?
Are some ideas not worth debating?
In an article in the AAUP's Journal of Academic Freedom, noted historian Joan Wallach Scott draws a distinction between the protections afforded by Academic Freedom and the First Amendment. The distinction is an important one: the claim to protection for academic freedom rests on a claim to expertise in one's discipline. In contrast, the First Amendment … Continue reading Are some ideas not worth debating?
