Roundtable: Social Justice Research and Academic Freedom in a Red State Under the Current Political Regime

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Sessions

Abstract/Description

An academic scholar's freedom to express ideas without risk of official interference or professional disadvantage is one of the strongholds and creeds of academia in higher education. However, under the current political regime, the rhetoric, threats of, and actual removal of backing and funding for research, as well as elimination of DEI programs, the challenge for teaching, researching, and publishing in criminal and social justice work is making many uneasy and feeling targeted. The risk of having departments and centers shutdown, loss of funding, and having the government dictating what private and public institutions can/can’t teach – even based on empirical work, is not only incredulous, and disheartening, but terrifying as well. As a brand-new criminal justice master’s program at a public regional comprehensive university in the south, students and faculty will have a discussion to formulate ideas on how to proceed in order to preserve truth and integrity in, not only academia, but also criminal and social justice.

Sub Unit

• Area XIV. Roundtables

Chairs

• Tracey L. Woodard, University of South Carolina Upstate

• Courtney McDonald, University of South Carolina Upstate

Discussants

• Kaylee Basto, University of South Carolina Upstate

• Madison Diaz, University of South Carolina Upstate

• Natalie Freeman, University of South Carolina Upstate

• Heather Owens, University of South Carolina Upstate