{"id":62343,"date":"2022-04-04T11:44:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T15:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=62343"},"modified":"2022-04-04T11:44:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T15:44:26","slug":"academic-freedom-cant-be-separated-from-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/academic-freedom-cant-be-separated-from-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic freedom can\u2019t be separated from responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAcademic freedom has become\u00a0a polarizing topic<\/a>. Recent issues at the University of Ottawa expose ongoing challenges of balancing academic freedom with university community members\u2019 rights to respectful and safe classroom and campus spaces.<\/p>\n

In October 2021,\u00a0the university\u2019s Committee on Academic Freedom<\/a>\u00a0issued a report that examined academic freedom, freedom of expression, equity, diversity and inclusion \u2014 and the legal aspects of these issues.<\/p>\n

This work was set in motion after\u00a0controversy surrounding a professor who used a derogatory word for Black people in class<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The committee\u2019s report, and wider\u00a0commentary about<\/a>\u00a0the University of Ottawa controversy<\/a>, point to the need for greater public discussion to understand how academic freedom relates to responsibility.<\/p>\n

As a PhD researcher who examines structural and systematic racism embedded in social institutions, including in education systems, I believe it\u2019s critical to consider failures to understand academic freedom as an ethical concept, rather than\u00a0simply a neutral objective standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Role of responsibilities, ethics in freedom<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At universities, faculty collective agreements\u00a0and university policies<\/a>\u00a0spell out frameworks for academic freedom.<\/p>\n

But as University of Ottawa\u2019s Committee on Academic Freedom noted, universities\u2019 definitions and policies vary, sometimes significantly, in the ways they spell out wider rights, responsibilities, obligations and limits \u2014 or how\u00a0academic freedom relates with equity<\/a>, diversity or ethics.<\/p>\n

The University of British Columbia distinguishes\u00a0between freedom of expression<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 protected in Canada under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms \u2014 and academic freedom in an FAQ about these issues on the university website:
\n\u201cMost significantly, academic freedom is not a legal right, but rather a right or a privilege bestowed by an institution of higher learning. It might best be\u00a0construed as an ethical right, insofar as it serves good ends: the advancement and dissemination of knowledge<\/a>.\u201d<\/em>
\nWhen speakers seek to responsibly disseminate knowledge, they must be aware of who they\u2019re speaking to, and how what they\u2019re saying may resonate.<\/p>\n

Power and privilege<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In October 2020, after the University of Ottawa classroom incident, Qu\u00e9bec Premier\u00a0Fran\u00e7ois Legault<\/a>\u00a0criticized the university for suspending\u00a0the professor<\/a>\u00a0at the centre of the issue.<\/p>\n

As a fully bilingual university close to the Qu\u00e9bec border, the University of Ottawa has close connections with the province.<\/p>\n

At a news conference, the premier said, \u201cI don\u2019t think there should be banned words,\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s as if [the university] has \u2026 censure police.\u201d<\/p>\n

The premier\u2019s comments illustrated power and privilege. Their wider related effects, including\u00a0discussion around Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s commission to study academic freedom<\/a>, have added to the division among professors and students at the University of Ottawa.<\/p>\n

Harms to students<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In its report, the University of Ottawa\u2019s Academic Freedom Committee made several recommendations, including:<\/p>\n