(2023). How Fashion and Fast Food Create a Perfect Learning Combo: A Class Exercise in Ethics, Freedom of Speech, and Intellectual Property. Journal of Legal Studies Education, v40 n2 p235-270. A brief examination of the fashion world reveals a multitude of learning opportunities for the business law curriculum. Fashion Law, a niche legal practice that addresses the broad range of business law concerns facing the fashion industry, has only recently gained a more respected position within legal research, debate, and discourse. This article provides a class exercise based on the 2014 Fall Moschino "McDonald's" collection. The exercise is designed to prepare students for a variety of legal issues they will confront as business professionals. It can be introduced within an instructor's established business law curriculum to supplement the topics of intellectual property, free speech, and business ethics. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate how a particular industry, in this case fashion, can encompass many facets of business law, including ethics, intellectual property, and freedom of speech considerations. It encourages students to be cognizant of the… [Direct]
(2021). Higher Education: Conservative Policy Responses to COVID-19. Backgrounder. No. 3575. Heritage Foundation The coronavirus pandemic has and will continue to change many aspects of life. Higher education is no exception, which raises the question of how the conservative approach to higher education should change in response to the pandemic. A conservative response to the coronavirus should include liability protection from virus-related lawsuits, deregulation of competency-based education, voucherization of state funding, and the introduction of alternative accountability metrics. These conservative policy reforms can help higher education get through the current coronavirus epidemic and lay the foundations for a durable and innovative higher education system that America will need to succeed in the future. The key takeaways from this report include: (1) Policymakers should enact real reforms in higher education that allow new educational models, free from excessive government interference, to emerge; (2) The COVID-19 pandemic brought substantial shocks to higher education, from forcing… [PDF]
(2020). The AGB 2020 Trustee Index. Concern Deepens for the Future of Higher Education. Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) 2020 Trustee Index is the third annual survey of governing board members regarding matters imperative to the higher education sector, as well as to the colleges, universities, and multicampus systems they hold in trust. This AGB survey, conducted in collaboration with Gallup, engaged trustees from across the nation regarding topics such as diversity and inclusion initiatives, admissions practices, free speech regulations, and accreditation, as well as preparedness to address these emerging issues. Additionally, this report provides new data on the following topics measured in 2017 and 2018: views on higher education's future, graduates' workforce preparedness, trustee advocacy, and the time boards invest on particular issues. Striking shifts in perceptions of higher education indicate board members are increasingly concerned about the sector's future. [For "The AGB 2018 Trustee Index. Affordability and Value:… [PDF]
(2020). Verbal Short-Term Memory Underlies Typical Development of "Thought Organization" Measured as Speech Connectedness. Mind, Brain, and Education, v14 n1 p51-60 Feb. Formal thought organization obtained from free speech, a key feature for psychiatric evaluations, has been poorly investigated during typical development. Computational tools such as speech graph connectedness (LSC) currently allow for an accurate quantification in naturalistic settings. LSC's typical development is better predicted by years of education than by age. Among beginning readers, the LSC of stories composed of short-term memory predicted reading independently from IQ. Here we set out to test a longitudinal sample (6-8 years old, n = 45, followed for 2 years) to verify whether the LSC is predictive of various memory measures, and whether such relations can explain the correlation with reading. The LSC was specifically correlated with verbal short-term memory performance. The results support the notion that the short-term storage of verbal information is necessary to plan a story. Given the limited sample size, the relationship of this interaction with reading remains… [Direct]
(2020). Viewpoint Diversity. Blueprint for Reform. James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal Viewpoint diversity is essential to the academic mission of colleges and universities. Academic freedom, open inquiry, honest debate, and the search for truth rely on diverse viewpoints being welcomed and protected on campus. In the past three decades, university faculty and administrators have become overwhelmingly liberal. This orthodoxy of opinion is bad for academic research, students learning, and for universities' respect and support in the eyes of the public. This document describes the negative impact the lack of viewpoint diversity on campus has, concluding that viewpoint diversity is necessary to create a climate of truth-seeking and civil discourse–on campus as well as off. Steps that policymakers, university boards, and faculty governing committees can take to promote and protect viewpoint diversity at colleges and universities are described. [For a related document, see "Free Speech on Campus. Blueprint for Reform" (ED608290).]… [PDF]
(2023). The Future of Democracy and Academic Freedom in Central Europe: A Neo-Nationalism and University Brief. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.16.2023. Center for Studies in Higher Education This brief discusses cases of neo-nationalist violations of academic freedom in Hungary and Poland. The most prominent case of neo-nationalist violation of academic freedom in Hungary is the fate of the Central European University (CEU). The circumstances of CEU's forced move out of Hungary came before the European Court of Justice regarding it a possible violation of EU law. The Court cited the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) under one of the three pillars of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) 1994 agreement, free trade, and the determination that CEU was a form of international educational services that should not be denied to the people of Hungary. Poland has a similar hostile environment to academics and academic freedom, although with a glimmer of hope following recent elections. The brief also discusses how such open breaches of academic freedom as in Hungary or Poland, in which politicians directly try to exert influence on research institutions and professors,… [PDF]
(2018). Changing Public Perceptions of Higher Ed. New England Journal of Higher Education, Mar. The benefits of going to college and the importance of higher education institutions were once held to be a creed as American as apple pie. But recurring state budget challenges have constrained investment. Consistently rising tuitions–fueled by increasing college costs–have alarmed many. Politics and free-speech controversies have raised questions about college and universities' openness and balance of perspectives. In short, times have changed. A New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) panel discussion on "The Changing Public Perceptions of the Value of Higher Education: Is It a Public Good?," examined the waning public confidence in higher education…. [Direct]
(2020). Why Intellectual Freedom and Equitable Access Are Even More Important Today. Knowledge Quest, v49 n1 p10-17 Sep-Oct. Libraries still stand as a source of knowledge that can guide us to make informed decisions through the use of credible sources. A balanced collection that provides access to all points of view empowers a community to use information responsibly and make decisions independently. Intellectual freedom and equity of access are still important issues today, especially when confronting uncertain times with the COVID-19 virus and distance education. Through education and the information found in libraries, democracy allows citizens to experience free speech through dialogue not diatribe and to support our opinions with a respect for the diversity of our fellow citizens and a desire to realize equity and justice. From physical access to material selection to policies dealing with challenges to privacy of patron information, the article argues that school librarians must demonstrate intellectual freedom to maintain a free and open forum for ideas. They should be protectors of intellectual… [PDF]
(2021). Making Sense of Right Hemisphere Discourse Using RHDBank. Topics in Language Disorders, v41 n1 p99-122 Jan-Mar. Purpose: Right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) commonly causes pragmatic language disorders that are apparent in discourse production. Specific characteristics and approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of these disorders are not well-defined. RHDBank, a shared database of multimedia interactions for the study of communication using discourse, was created to address these gaps. The database, materials, and related analysis programs are free resources to clinicians, researchers, educators, and students. Method: A standard discourse protocol was developed to elicit multiple types of discourse: free speech, conversation, picture description, storytelling, procedural discourse, and question-asking. Testing included measures of cognition, unilateral neglect, and communicative participation. Language samples were video-recorded and transcribed in CHAT format. Currently, the database includes 24 adults with RHD and 24 controls. Results: Illustrative analyses show how RHDBank can… [Direct]
(2021). In the Aftermath of a Racialized Incident: Exploring International Students of Color's Perceptions of Campus Racial Climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v14 n3 p386-397 Sep. The purpose of this study is to illuminate international students of Color's experiences with a campus racial incident at a predominately White institution (PWI). This study emerged after the release of a YouTube video from a self-proclaimed White supremacist at the participants' institution, who made comments such as "I am the most active white nationalist in [the state]." In this study, we seek to answer the question: How does a campus racialized incident affect international students of Color's experience and perceptions of the campus climate at a PWI? The experiences of this population must be considered, especially due to the rise in incidents on campuses that are related to race, racism, and nativism. Findings from this study include how participants made sense of the incident from personal, institutional, national, and transnational perspectives. Participants share their concerns with discrimination and campus safety, confusion about free speech and institutional… [Direct]
(2021). The Enduring Legacy of Indigenous Parrhesiastes. Higher Education Research and Development, v40 n1 p5-18. Indigenous academics are often faced with a balancing act between the danger and risk of critiquing the institutions within which they reside, and the duty or obligation they feel to do so. As Indigenous Maori academics located within three different business schools across Aotearoa New Zealand, our work in both research and teaching is often highly critical of the institution, which can leave us exposed, vulnerable and grasping to hold onto a fragile sense of identity in the academy. We use the conceptual framework of parrhesia as a critical response to the institutional landscape of business schools and higher education in general. Parrhesia can be described as free speech directly critiquing hegemonic norms and practices. In this article, we share our experiences as episodes of parrhesia, as voice and action derived from our Indigenous worldview, to illustrate the utility of Indigenous parrhesiastes. Finally, we suggest that parrhesia offers us as Indigenous academics mode and… [Direct]
(2022). Self-Access Learning of English Intonation with Speech Software: Examining Learners' Perceptions with a Focus on Their Concerns and Negative Comments. Language Learning in Higher Education, v12 n1 p209-229. Language laboratories exist in many language centres across the globe. Situated in the popularity of self-access and computer-assisted language learning in the present era, the study investigated tertiary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' general and, particularly, negative views of speech analysis software. Two hundred and eighty intermediate-level (CEFR B1 and B2 levels) EFL participants completed trial sessions with some free speech software in which they listened to and recorded utterances to practise English intonation at a language laboratory in Hong Kong. Each participant was observed during the session, completed a questionnaire, and attended a brief post-questionnaire interview after the session. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The results showed that learning with this kind of software was perceived generally positively in relation to language enhancement and self-access learning. However, from the qualitative data collected about… [Direct]
(2023). Understanding UK University Academic Staff Attitudes towards Recognising and Responding to Student Radicalisation. British Educational Research Journal, v49 n6 p1254-1272. Higher education institutions in England, Scotland and Wales have an obligation under the 2015 Counter Terrorism and Security Act to protect students from being drawn into terrorism. This legislation has proved controversial, with concerns about the securitisation of education, as well as fears of over-reporting which could stigmatise individuals or communities. Despite the significance of the Act to the education sector and concerns about the implications of compelling educators to report radicalisation concerns, there is limited empirical research exploring how teachers and academics have engaged with the policy. The evidence for higher education settings is particularly limited. This study employed a survey experiment with 1003 academics working in British universities to examine willingness and ability to recognise and respond to student radicalisation. Our data provides no evidence for over-reporting. Rather, it suggests that academics teaching in British universities are… [Direct]
(2020). Democracy under Siege: What Are Colleges and Universities to Do?. Liberal Education, v106 n1-2 Win-Spr. The levels of alienation and anger animating contemporary politics, the lack of commitment to democratic institutions, the distance ordinary citizens feel from government–all are issues of enduring danger and also form the ground on which actual enemies can act. How do institutions committed to the broadest liberal education of students respond to "democracy under siege"? The author suggests two things. First, to make clear policy preferences: support for DACA, opposition to deportations of undocumented students, belief in science and support of initiatives to address the climate crisis, increased access and lower fees for students, support for student voting and polling places on campuses, opposition to white supremacy and misogyny and expressions of hatred even while supporting free speech. Second, even if university and college leaders have to avoid institutional partisan expressions for any particular candidate they do not have to remain silent in their personal… [Direct]
(2021). Academic Freedom of Students. Educational Philosophy and Theory, v53 n11 p1108-1115. Academic freedom is often regarded as an absolute value of higher education institutions. Traditionally, its value is related to such topics as tenure, and the need for academic work to be free from undue political influence and other pressures that can challenge time-consuming research processes. However, when an analysis of student freedom begins with arguments about free research and free speech, undergirded as they generally are by liberal political philosophy, other considerations, related to broader views of freedom, can slip through the cracks. In this essay, I want to take a step back from typical discussions of academic freedom, to take a broader perspective, before considering how freedom relates to student experience. The first part of this essay explores diverse elaborations and defences of freedom: How it is upheld in the liberal philosophy of Kant, the critical pedagogy of Freire, existentialism, and the capabilities approach to development. Exploring the often… [Direct]