Academics in both the industrial world and developing countries face funding declines, growing state intervention, public hostility, and corporate pressure. Simultaneously, they are experiencing internal wars over policy, curriculum, and nature of scholarly communities. In North America debates about academic freedom center on tenure and free…

The plaintiff in Pico v. Island Trees, a 1982 landmark Supreme Court case that declared local public school boards cannot ban books merely because they dislike the ideas expressed in them, describes that censorship battle. The major components of the court decision are discussed, and strategies for combatting censorship in school libraries are…

Sexual harassment is abuse of power. It should be prohibited in colleges and universities, not through constraints on academic freedom such as speech codes, but through enforcement of standards of ethical professional conduct. Faculty have an ethical obligation not to engage in harassment and to hold colleagues accountable if they do so. (MSE)

Discusses recent trends of historiography, particularly efforts to include women and minority groups in U.S. history. Concludes that history that excludes portions of U.S. culture and ignores the experiences of segments of the U.S. population fails to fully explain the American experience to U.S. citizens and others. (CFR)

Academic freedom in the universities of South Africa is examined, focusing on competing conceptions of the university's role, limits on the university's autonomy, selection of students and related concerns of enabling black student enrollment while maintaining academic standards, and intellectual freedom in the context of political pressures. (DB)

Describes how the growing pervasiveness of computers and telecommunications influences knowledge and idea exchanges required by democracies for survival. Technology makes it possible to abuse an underdeveloped popular epistemology by influencing mechanisms of publicity and privacy. Challenges presented by technology, and the university's role in…

Defines two terms, censorship and "disturbation," and relates them to the responsibility of art educators to allow artistic free expression, but within certain realms of social responsibility. Argues that art educators should attempt to develop a provocative young artist's "disturbation" into mature and conscious forms. (DSK)

Discusses the Freedom Forum poll on the First Amendment that was conducted by telephone between July 17 and August 1, 1997. Expounds that the Freedom Forum intended to depict the opinions within the United States concerning the First Amendment and to trace changes in opinion. Describes the results in detail. (CMK)

In this new feature of the "Academe" journal, work by faculty members is highlighted who are mobilizing in support of academic freedom on their campuses and beyond. This September-October issue of the journal includes the following brief reflections from faculty all relating to the central theme of "fighting back": "Free…

The author has been asked to discuss academic freedom and political correctness in wartime or times of great stress. He talks about real threats to security--not the danger that one will be offended by a student's or professor's arguably sexist, racist, or homophobic point-of-view and will feel dis-empowered, demeaned, or stripped of self-esteem.…

A 6-8 day secondary level social studies unit explores censorship in education through a variety of activities. Students participate in a preassessment poll measuring their opinions on academic freedom, answer a questionnaire entitled "What do you think?" concerning local school board and community powers, rank a list of possible teacher…

The IFLA/FAIFE World Report Series is unique. It is the only source based on a systematic data collection process that provides an overview of how libraries around the world are tackling barriers to freedom of access to information and freedom of expression. This year's edition includes 84 country reports which detail the extent of Internet access…

Articles of The Bill of Rights, although comprising the fundamental principles of American society, are often opposed by many people on varying grounds. For example, many people support physical abuses by law enforcement officials, even though they might violate constitutional rights. The First Amendment, simple in original wording, has resulted…

Noting dramatic changes in First Amendment protections for high school students and new legal issues facing college newspaper editors, this book describes in detail the legal rights and responsibilities of both the high school and college press. While the book is extensively footnoted, it intentionally avoids "legal-ese" and "brings…

This paper looks at the meaning of academic freedom and threats to that freedom in recent conflicts and legal rulings. The introduction calls academic freedom confusing and widely misunderstood and offers an historical and legal explanation of the concept as well as discussion of the traditional areas of conflict in instruction, research,…