Abstract This paper examines the definitions, understanding of and legal effect of academicfreedom in American schools, colleges and universities. The paper looks at how the concept of academicfreedom has evolved and inherent tensions that operate within the concept.
Tags:Academic, freedom, in, educational, institutions
This paper examines the concept of academicfreedom and its history and contrasts the ideal of academicfreedom with the social, cultural, and economic constraints that are regularly placed upon the faculty.
Abstract This paper explains that academicfreedom is the concept that faculty, and in some cases, students, should be able to study, write, and publish the truth as they see it, free of doctrinal interference from the administration, the church, the corporation, or the state. The author points out that the concept of academicfreedom, which is more prevalent at Western colleges and universities, has its roots in the 17th century, the beginning of the modern era. The paper relates that the power of alumni to shift the direction of a university tends to be limited because most alumni do not have sufficient money to make much of a difference, but this cannot be said for corporations, such as drug companies, which often have almost inconceivably large amounts of money and clearly focused needs and desires.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Beginnings of AcademicFreedom German Universities Create Modern Traditions of AcademicFreedom AcademicFreedom in the Modern University
Corporate Pocketbooks and AcademicFreedom Conclusion
From the Paper "The development of a more fully modern concept of academic freedom came about in the 17th century not because of the work or writings of academics themselves but rather through the work of scholars such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. Locke and Hobbes were not in fact particularly interested in the rights of university faculty per se; they were, however, interested in the rights of all members of a society to certain basic freedoms. Their arguments about liberty and individual rights helped to define the era of the rise of modern democracies, one element of which has been the university that is freed from the church."
Abstract This paper discusses the current state of college newspapers and the challenges that face their continued existence. The paper begins with a discussion of how university policies support or inhibit student newspapers. Next, the paper studies the specific issue of censorship and its impact on academicfreedom. The paper then turns to an evaluation of the quality of college newspapers, focusing on examples of particular high-level journals.
From the Paper "This is against the principle of education promoting academic freedom which ensures the liberty of students and the staff to make statements even if the statements are viewed as being untrue or one-sided. One does not deny that untrue and defamatory writings have no value in terms of free speech, but the students have to be taught that they have the liberty to have their own opinion, and express them in the student publications in the right manner. This has to be accepted, especially if the student magazines permit anonymous publications. Also, if anonymous publications are permitted, then certainly students cannot be punished for such articles. (Censorship of College Student Newspapers) One can clearly see that the biggest reason for all the legal problems has been the difficulty in adjusting with each other, and one has to realize that both the students and their teachers have to accept adjustments in their thought and behavior when they work together in a college."
Abstract The computer age has produced renewed debate pertaining to questions of freedom and speech, as opposed to censorship. This discussion ventures to explain how the advent of the so-called Information Age does not really alter the dynamics of a longstanding question, or rather a set of questions, that have been basic to political theory among other of the social sciences. Two articles selected from The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, on radically different topics, help to reveal certain approaches to all questions of communications, the media, and the 'post-modern' age, within academic research. These materials are examined en route to sections that focus directly on issues of the internet and freedom of expression.
Abstract This paper discusses how to improve academics, specifically learning how to juggle classes, social life and other roles that can be difficult as a college student. The paper recommends ways to obtain academic goals, including looking attributional patterns and changing these as needed, time management, learning to take notes, obtaining better study tips, learning ways to relieve stress, and setting academic goals that can be tested.
From the Paper "Freshman college students find the transition of becoming a college student quite different than high school. Many college students are challenged by time management because they have put on different masks such as being a parent, a worker, and a student. Academic stress often leads to lower grades and depression. "Academic stress pervades the life of students, and tends to impact their mental and physical health, and their ability to perform schoolwork effectively" (Akgun & Ciarrochi, 2003, p. 287). Learning how to juggle classes, social life, and other roles can be difficult as a college student. The academic goal is to become a better student and obtain higher academic grades. Obtaining this academic goal will include looking at attributional patterns and changing these as needed, time management, learning to take notes, obtaining better study tips, learning ways to relieve stress, and setting academic goals that can be tested."
Abstract This paper discusses the "notorious" case of academic fraud by Sir Cyril Lodowic Burt as presented by H. Beloff. The research focuses on the ethical problem presented, the ethical principles breached according to the Australian codes of ethics, the motives and justifications of a commitment of this breach, justification for such actions and solutions for dealing with instances of academic fraud. The paper states that while a brief discourse on the case of Sir Cyril is provided, the primary purpose of the case is to prevent fraud from occurring in the future.
Outline:
Academic Fraud
Cyril Burt
Ethical Issues and Disputes
Code of Ethical Conduct
Proposed Solutions and Actions
From the Paper "The cardinal principles of the Australian Code of Ethics as dictated by the Australian Ethical Society (2003) suggest the following principles must be applied in psychology and in evaluation of academic fraud: (1) professionals have a duty to act using well-informed conscious decision-making, (2) professionals engaged in academic investigation have a duty to act in the interests of the community they serve, (3) professionals and academics have a duty to accept responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of their community before the welfare of their private or personal interests and (4) professionals have an obligation to act with honesty and in good faith to the community, and apply their skill and knowledge in the interests of the community."
Abstract This paper discusses how the explanatory style is a cognitive personality variable that reflects the habitual manner in which people explain the causes of bad events that befall them. According to the paper, researchers believe that attributional style can help provide a better understanding of behaviors and consequences that affect one's performance and actions. The paper further discusses how tests of this relationship have spanned a wide variety of achievement settings including academic, health, athletic, and work settings, and how some of the problems and stresses affect performance, focusing primarily on academics.
Contents:
Chapter One
Performance
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Research Hypothesis
Scope and Limitation of the Study
Definition of Terms
Overview of the Study
Chapter Two
Review of Related Literature
Chapter Three
Methodology
Identification of Subjects
Implementing the Study
Gathering and Analyzing Data
Chapter Four
Data Analysis
Chapter Five
Summary, Recommendations, and Conclusions
From the Paper "For African Americans, ethnic identity and cultural racism significantly predict life satisfaction (Utsey et al, 2002). The study conducted by Utsey et al (2002) dealt with how African Americans felt about the culture and ethnicity that they belonged to, whether they felt they had been the victims of racism during their lifetimes, and also looked at how satisfied they were with their lives. Those that were less comfortable with their ethnicity and those that had been victimized by racism had lower quality of life scores than those that were comfortable and did not feel as though they had been victims. The higher the victimization score, the lower the quality of life score for these individuals.
Phinney, Cantu, and Kurtz (1997) state that having a poorly developed racial identity can lead to depression, a lack of comfort with oneself, and many other emotional problems that can be avoided when racial identity development theory is more clearly understood. On the other hand, having a racial identity that is well developed and that one is very comfortable with produces the opposite effects. While this is not an overly surprising insight, it is important that the correlation be noticed and recognized as something that should be studied and understood more clearly. This understanding of the link between racial identity and well-being has its roots in counseling psychology. By understanding the process of the development of racial identity, counselors felt they could begin to better understand pathology among black patients. Similarly, in investigating life satisfaction among African Americans, researchers (Utsey et al, 2002; Phinney et al, 1997) theorized that they must be attuned to cultural differences. There are significant potential dangers when researchers are unable to incorporate culture as a variable. Without a good understanding of cultural differences, it is possible for behavior to be misunderstood and even pathologized."
Abstract This paper examines the role of the mentor in the academic achievement of low-achieving students. It focuses on the history of mentoring, the description of the mentoring process and the relationship between mentoring and student achievement. The paper concludes that in most cases mentoring is a process that benefits both parties and assists in improving conditions in the academic setting or in the workplace.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
The History of Mentoring
The Mentoring Process
The Relationship Between Mentoring and Student Achievement
Conclusion
From the Paper "As it related to academic achievement, the researchers focused on two measures of academic achievement: test scores and grades. The research results found that the mentored students in the first cohort were more successful academically that the students without mentors by the time 8th grade was completed. On the other hand, the mentored students in the second cohort actually did worse than the students without mentors. The researchers point out several reasons for the differences between these groups. One factor being the differences between the academic statuses of students in these groups. In addition, the participants were chosen differently between the two groups. The first cohort consisted of students that were chosen by teachers and the second was chosen randomly."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of memory and the different types of memory and then takes a look at the relationship between memory and academic achievement. The paper also describes tests used to measure memory and learning.
From the Paper "This literature review, concerning the topic of the relationship between memory and academic achievement, addresses the following areas relevant to this study: history and overview of memory, different types of memory, memory and academic achievement, tests to measure memory and learning and a conclusion. Baddeley reported that whether memory needs to be regarded as a single system or two or more subsystems was a major controversy during the..."
Abstract This paper discusses the limited educational research done to-date that is relevant to the role high school athletic programs plays in motivating Latino students to achieve academically, if any. The paper then goes on to confirm, deny or ascertain that there is a lack of a sufficient body of sound statistical evidence to support the conventional wisdom in the educational field that three is little if any correlation between playing sports and getting good grades in general, and in relation to particular ethnic groups.
Abstract This paper examines the concept of freedom and looks at five different views of freedom. The paper uses e.e. cummings' poem, "and freedom is a breakfast food", and a poem by Alfred Tennyson as examples of different concepts of freedom and ten discusses the inherent contradictions in the concept of freedom.
From the Paper "The themes of this poem are the fleeting nature of all things in life, including intellectual concepts such as freedom and how all these things are always juxtaposed with their opposite. The poem begins with the title line, "as freedom is a breakfast food", suggesting that freedom is the nourishment that gets people through the day. The rest of the poem compares and contrast things with their elementary parts. For example, truth can live with right and wrong..."
Abstract This essay discusses how Locke and Rousseau had two very different conceptions of human freedom. Rousseau's vision entailed a society where the individual's will was subordinate to the "general will." Locke, meanwhile, believed that freedom was impossible if individual freedom was not at the root of society.
Abstract An in-depth discussion of the meaning of freedom in American society. The author argues that freedom can only be obtained and can only have meaning on an individual level. He then supports this by examining the extent of which we are actually 'free' in American society arguing that complete freedom is still not evident.
From the Paper "Freedom is a nonentity, an abstract illusion that represents human wanting and desire for an ideal society. It is not on paper or in a word, freedom exits only in dreams or on the wings of a bird. American identity, as in the works of Douglass and Chopin, was founded on a belief in freedom but is better described by its slavery and repression. Freedom has always belonged to select groups and peoples. Every group and people to come to America, since it became America, has suffered great injustices and repression regardless of their background. America made a great industry of black slavery and black exploitation, women are still struggling to break the bounds of their slavery days and there are always new groups that are targeted every day."
Abstract Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality puts forth the ideas about human beings as a part of nature, but distinct from their natural freedoms because of civilization and social organizations. Rousseau's key idea is that in order to live with equality, we must be prepared to give up freedoms in order to work together so that a community structure can be co-produced. For Rousseau, personal freedom comes at too high a social cost, and so communitarianism is argued as a way to produce social equality.
Abstract Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms identifies Canadians' fundamental freedoms of thought and religion. This discussion assesses its application in the last twenty years. The emphasis is on issues of religious observance-'Sunday shopping' and prayer in schools-and the issue of 'hate crimes' such as holocaust denial.
