Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters
Given the magnitude and scope of the problem of threats against scholars and higher education institutions, it is important to enhance understanding about why academic freedom is important, not only to academics, but to all of society. One major output of the Academic Refuge project will be a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on this topic, where we will grapple with questions such as:
- What is academic freedom and how does it relate to other higher education and societal values?
- Why are academic freedom and related values important, and what threats or challenges to these values may be faced in different contexts?
- How can you as a student, academic or other staff member in higher education promote and defend academic freedom and related values
The course will be launched on the Futurelearn platform on 4th June 2018, and it will be free and available for everybody with internet access through a computer or phone. It is open for registration. The course will run online for 3 weeks with an expected work load of 3 hours per week and ample opportunity to discuss with fellow course participants around the world.