Lecture Abstract
Academic freedom includes protections for faculty against reprisal for “extra-mural speech,” but how do we decide what kind of speech is “extra-mural”? Some scholars argue that any protections afforded extramural speech by institutions of higher education are already covered by constitutional rights of free speech. But is there really no distinction? This lecture will consider how we conceive of extra-mural speech, and how the distinction between intra- and extra-mural has become increasingly difficult to draw. Considering the figure of the “wall” that separates the academy from public life, a number of challenges emerge: is the academy meant to serve public debate and, if so, in what way? Is the classroom supposed to be “neutral” on questions of shared public concern? Does academic freedom belong only to faculty, or does it presuppose open debate on campus that includes students and staff? Finally, what does academic freedom in its many senses presume about the enduring character of universities? If universities are defunded, privatized, or destroyed in war, have the necessary conditions of academic freedom also been destroyed. Or is there, as is argued in this lecture, an extra-institutional right to education that makes itself known in the midst of destruction times.
Additional Events
Alongside the DMN Lecture, two supplemental events will be held alongside this event, including: