Academic freedom has recently sparked intense debate. Controversy has engulfed universities’ free expression in teaching and research—values historically seen as integral to our mission of truth-seeking and education. As challenges to academic freedom grow, we, as humanists, must examine our own work and the role it can play in this fraught time. The arts have certainly been the objects of debates over free speech—think of banned books, for example—but can they also serve as agents in these debates? That question motivates this seminar.

We will consider the oft-neglected topic of the humanities’ place in academic freedom. How have the humanities conceptualized academic freedom? And how might they continue to shape these ideals in the years ahead? In particular, what insights can the humanities yield about the function of freedom in pluralistic democratic societies? After all, the right of free speech granted to private citizens shares many similarities to the concept of academic freedom as applied to teachers and scholars.

For the next year, we will come together—find shared ground—as we seek to understand these questions more fully.

Please use the navigation menus above or below to learn more about this seminar’s intellectual goals, upcoming events, and the exciting work being pursued by our Humanist in Residence.

We hope you will join us throughout the year for what are sure to be engaging, thoughtful, and illuminating discussions. We would love to see you attend all our events, but please come as you are able. Participants need not attend every session.

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