Category: academic freedom

Beijing Surveillance in Australia Universities Rob Students and Academics of Freedom: HRW Report

June 30, 2021
academic freedomacademic freedom concernsAsia & PacificAustraliaaustralian educationAustralian UniversityChinaChina-Australia Relationsfreedom of speechInternationalWorld
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Just hours after attending a rally in support of Hong Kong’s freedoms, a student from mainland China studying in Australia received a message from a mainland classmate at 2 a.m. saying: “I’m watching you.” Zhang Xiuyang, a pseudonym used for safety, said she had known the classmate for a long time, was aware of their…

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Universities Given Till the End of the Year to Adopt Freedom of Speech Code

June 3, 2021
academic freedomAlan TudgeAustraliaAustralian UniversityCampus Free Speechfreedom of speechInternationalWorld
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Australian Education Minister Alan Tudge has given universities until the end of this year to enforce a freedom of speech code, threatening to use legislation if universities refuse or cannot implement it. “You cannot pursue truth without freedom of expression. You cannot create knowledge without freedom of academic inquiry,” Tudge said in a speech to…

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Academic Left-Wing Bias in Canada Threatens Dissenting Voices

May 24, 2021
academic freedomCanadaCanadian universitiesPolitical BiasWorld
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Some three-quarters of Canadian academics describe themselves as being on the political left, leaving right-wing professors quiet about their contrary views. The U.S.-based Centre for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology surveyed academics and PhD students at universities in Canada, the United States, and the UK. In a recent report, it found that 73 percent…

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Mount Allison University Signals Its Social Justice Commitments Loud and Clear in the Rima Azar Case

May 9, 2021
academic freedomCanadafreedomOpinionsocial justiceViewpointsWorld
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Commentary Intellectual engagement with the things of the world involves critical discussion. Since critical discussion can require one to hear unpleasant ideas about things that matter deeply to one, intellectual engagement can be threatening. Nonetheless, because universities are places of intellectual engagement, students must expect to feel, every now and then, that what is important to them…

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University of San Diego Ends Investigation on Professor Who Questioned CCP Virus Origin

May 5, 2021
academic freedomAMERICACCP Viruscover-upHealth EducationSan DiegoUSUS News
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University of San Diego (USD) said it will not punish a professor who has been under investigation in the past two months after writing in his personal blog about the Chinese regime’s role in the global pandemic. The investigation stemmed from a Mar. 10 blog post, in which USD law school professor Thomas Smith cited…

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Biden Administration Draws Criticism for Decision to Scrap Trump’s Policy on Confucius Institutes

February 10, 2021
academic freedombiden administrationChinaChina-US NewsChinese RegimeConfucius InstituesMichael McCaulTrump Administration
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The Biden administration has quietly killed a rule proposed by the Trump administration to safeguard U.S. academic freedom from the threat of Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes (CIs). The proposed rule, named “Establishing Requirement for Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certified Schools to Disclose Agreements with Confucius Institutes and Classrooms,” was submitted by the Trump administration to…

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