“In Case of Emergency”: Protecting Political Scientists’ Academic Freedom
A recent spate of targeting academics on social media and in classrooms demonstrates a need to protect instructors’ academic freedoms. Professors are labeled as “promoting a radical agenda” (e.g. Turning Point USA’s Professor Watchlist) or shamed for critiquing political figures. In light of this, there is a need to promote awareness of this issue and resources for political scientists to protect their academic freedoms. This targeting – both in the classroom and online on social media – can cause significant reputational, personal, and professional repercussions. There are a number of possible short- and long-term solutions to combating this targeting, the first of which is initiating a discussion on the matter. This proposal seeks to develop a short course to promote awareness and discussion of issues of academic freedom in light of the aforementioned targeting. This course would be led by professors and practitioners in the fields of law and civil liberties. Workshop leaders will be contacted upon acceptance of this course into the 2017 APSA Annual Conference program. The proposed short course could also interest a number of APSA sections, such as the Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence and Political Science Education sections, and committees, such as the Professional Ethics, Rights, and Freedoms Committee, the Teaching and Learning Committee, as well as each of the Status Committees. Estimated attendance: 20-30 participants
**All Short Courses will take place on Wednesday, August 30 at the APSA 2017 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.**