Provost talks classroom politics

Does academic freedom extend to classroom discussions of the war in Iraq?

Provost Peter Lange gave his answer to this question Thursday afternoon in the Academic Council meeting. An unnamed faculty member solicited Lange’s response to a letter to the editor published in The Chronicle Jan. 25 concerning a “teach-in” in a Chinese history class.

The inquiry is one of a series of anonymous “Questions to the Provost” Lange has been answering at council meetings all year. Although Lange welcomed the opportunity to speak on the important issue of academic freedom and dialogue, he pointed out that the limited information in the letter did not permit him to make a firm response about the specific event.

“Students learn many things in many ways throughout their campus careers, and faculty can contribute to that learning in multiple ways,” Lange said.

Academic freedom is an important right, Lange emphasized. He noted that although the announced subject matter should be the focus of a course, professors may choose how best to use their classroom time to enhance the education of students and faculty alike.

Lange affirmed his faith in professors’ judgement: “Rare is the circumstance in which [faculty] will abuse the ability to choose what they teach or to squander the time that they have to teach their subjects.”

An environment characterized by “shared norms of conduct” is the best way to foster learning, Lange said. He added that students should handle concerns about politics in the classroom by directly approaching the professor in question or, if necessary, going to another member of the department.

“Recourse to the Allen Building is unlikely to be the first-, second- or even third-best course of action,” Lange concluded.