In Defense of Academic Freedom: Dewey and the 100th Anniversary of the American Association of University Professors

• In Event: 26.054 - Contemporary Interpretations and Enactments of John Dewey's Legacy

Abstract

This paper examines contemporary and historical issues of academic freedom in American colleges and universities through the lens of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)’s 1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure, which was adopted at the group’s inaugural conference under the direction of its founding president, John Dewey. The authors discuss the ways in which World War I presented an immediate challenge to the specific ideals of academic freedom laid out by the AAUP and Dewey’s meliorism more generally and conclude with a discussion that bridges the AAUP’s foundational concerns about academic freedom with contemporary issues in higher education.

Authors

• Deron R. Boyles, Georgia State University

• Nicholas Eastman, Georgia State University