Cornell Insider

What is academic freedom? Liberals and conservatives have sparred over the meaning of the term seemingly for years. Prof. Stanley Fish of Florida International University put in his two cents in his NYTimes blog today.

Fish writes in reaction to a University of Ottawa physics professor who last semester gave all students in his course an A+ and turned the format of his class into a platform to spout his thoughts on political activism.

He says:

What I have been trying to say is that while academic work is different — it’s not business, it’s not medicine, it’s not politics — and while the difference should be valued, academic work should not be put into a category so special that any constraints on it,whether issuing from university administrators or from the state as an employer, are regarded as sins against morality, truth and the American Way.

Fish makes a poignant statement, academic freedom should allow professors and students to debate subjects without regard for the mores of political correctness. But one must balance that need with the university’s obligation to give its students an education in their field of study.

I’m sure students were thrilled with the A+. But what about students who had their eye on medical school or a career in the field and actually needed to learn the subject matter? No professor has the right to deprive students of that need.

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