Lesson Plan (for instructors)

Here are some resources that might be helpful in structuring the session.

Opening Activity

You can start class by showing this excerpt from Wieman v. Updegraff, the 1952 Supreme Court case ruling that loyalty oaths, including those aimed at university professors, violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

Ask:

1. What is the general purpose of higher education expressed in this quotation? What are the specific activities that faculty members undertake to fulfill this purpose?
2. Are these activities the same, or different, from First Amendment freedoms (of the press, religion, assembly, and the right to petition)

“What is Academic Freedom?” (slides coming soon)

This presentation provides some context for the founding of the AAUP as well as an overview of how academic freedom is formulated within the “1915 Declaration” and “1940 Statement.”

Discussion Questions

1. What are the primary differences between academic freedom and free speech? What is the purpose of First Amendment protection? How does this differ from the purpose of higher education?
2. The AAUP institutionalized academic freedom in the 1940 Statement. What historical context gave rise to this statement? How has the state of higher education changed in the decades since? What do such changes mean for academic freedom today?
3. What is shared governance? How is shared governance supposed to protect academic freedom? What are some of the evolving threats to shared governance and institutional autonomy today?
4. Do your institutional policies, faculty manual, or collective bargaining agreement protect academic freedom and shared governance? Are these policies regularly followed by the administration? What might be needed to better protect academic freedom for all faculty on campus?