Abstract
This paper examines the definitions, understanding of and legal effect of academic freedom in American schools, colleges and universities. The paper looks at how the concept of academic freedom has evolved and inherent tensions that operate within the concept.

Tags:Academic, freedom, in, educational, institutions

Abstract
This paper explains that academic freedom 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 academic freedom, 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 Academic Freedom
German Universities Create Modern Traditions of Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom in the Modern University
Corporate Pocketbooks and Academic Freedom
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."

Tags:church, german, corporations, faculty, policy

Abstract
This essay examines the ways certain kinds of information are suppressed and censored in academic contexts as a way to advocate a politically correct relation to intellectual activity. By suppressing and censoring activities such as race science and historical revisionism, the possibility of teaching intellectuals how to interact with contradictory and contentious information is eclipsed. In this paper, regulations of free speech are explored with regards to contentious kinds of information in academic communities, and compared to the ideas of Orwell's novel 1984.

Abstract
Paul Robeson's 1936 film, Song of Freedom, is not often hailed today as one of the great films in American cinematic history; indeed, it has largely been forgotten outside of academic circles. Yet, the film has a powerful message: The African-American can achieve great things in life, can even become a king among men, and he can do so without sacrificing his African heritage or his cultural authenticity; in effect, he can stop being a comic figure (as the white establishment would like him to be) and start being a person of substance and consequence - even if some of his own resent him for striving so ambitiously to be great. The next few pages will elaborate upon this thesis.

From the Paper
What is the Message in Paul Robeson's Song of Freedom? Paul Robeson's 1936 film, Song of Freedom, is not often hailed today as one of the great films in American cinematic history; indeed, it has largely been forgotten outside of academic circles. Yet, the film has a powerful message: The African-American can achieve great things in life, can even become a king among men, and he can do so without sacrificing his African heritage or his cultural authenticity; in effect, he can stop being a comic figure (as the white establishment would like him to be) and start being a person of substance and consequence - even if some of his own resent him for striving so ambitiously to be great. The next few pages

Tags:paul, robeson, freedom

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.

Tags:freedom, of, expression

Abstract
This paper studies the different concepts related to networks and communications, as well as the establishment of an online academic community for artists. It looks at the online academic community that Stanford University has started in the pursuit of determining whether such a community can be beneficial for all the artist students. The paper includes graphs and tables.

Paper Outline:
Introduction
Review of Literature
Network Defined
Social Networks
The Upsurge of Different Social Networks
The Role that Social Networks Play
Communication Networks
Computer Mediated Networks and Hyperlink Networks
The Internet Phenomenon
Community Web Sites
Emergence of Networks' Commercial Markets
Privatization and Rising up of World Wide Webs
Academic Networks
Personal or Face-to-Face Networks
Online Networks
Implication to Communication and Information Networks
Barriers to Network Communication
On Freedom
On Control
Establishment of an Online Community
Comparison of an Online Community versus Physical Community
The Artist
The Artist as An Inventor and Scientist
The Artist As Part of An Online Academic Community
Case Study (Club Nexus)
Discussion
Advantages of putting up an Online Academic Community
Other Areas to Consider
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Meanwhile, the coming of the new millennium has brought new and more challenging technologies. Different forms of communications such as Internet, mobile phones and SMS, Internet chat or MIRCs, and e-groups penetrated majority of the countries around the world. Communication through computer - generated networks became very visible. This enables any individual to talk with someone you cannot see in a face-to-face basis, to buy something and have it delivered without having to go out of your home, to research for any information with just one click on the Internet, or to meet new friends. Even on - line studies or distance education through computer - generated communication sprouted like mushrooms. More and more schools started to offer distance form of learning to accommodate students who, due to lack of time, opted to enroll in a much "scheduled-free" learning method. Furthermore, the idea of learning through online gave birth to online academic communities, as pioneered by Stanford University's Club Nexus. This academic community brings the students of the same preference closer to one another and at the same time broadens the students "world"."

Tags:sociology, hyperlink, intranet, telecommunications

Abstract
This paper examines the right to freedom of speech and discusses the threats to its protection throughout the history. The paper maintains that regardless of the source of threat -- whether academic, police or corporate -- the freedom of speech is essential to an open society and must be protected, regardless of public opinion. The paper cites several recent examples of such controversial speech, including by Professor Ward Churchill, who compared the victims of 9/11 to cogs in Hitler's war machine.

From the Paper
"The guarantee of free speech is both a sign of an open society and a protection that distinguishes the United States from other, less open societies that offer their citizens no such protections. Freedoms guaranteed United States citizens based on the First Amendment include freedoms of "speech; press; religion, assembly and petition" ("About the First Amendment"). Further, "Without the First Amendment, religious minorities could be persecuted, the government might well establish a national religion, protesters could be silenced, the press could not criticize government, and citizens could not mobilize for social change" ("About the First Amendment"). Freedom of speech also protects movies, videos, song lyrics, advertisements, and other communications that may not be to everyone's taste. The alternative to freedom of speech is government censorship. As Wikipedia points out, however ("Freedom of Speech"): "The philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville observed that people may be hesitant to speak freely not because of fear of government retribution but because of social pressures." That is, when an individual states an opinion that is not mainstream, or is considered unpopular, he or she might be subjected to peer pressure to change or retract the opinion; community rejection; disdain or ostracism, or even threatening or violent reactions from others. As Tocqueville correctly predicted, the fear of such reaction to the exercise of free speech, on the part of many individuals, even with the free speech protections granted by the U.S. Constitution, often functions as a sort of self censorship."

Tags:first, amendment, constitution, speech, protection, fire, in, a, crowded, theater, civil, liberties

Abstract
The paper discusses the book "Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote" the electric story of the battle for suffrage, written by Doris Stevens in 1920, a leader of the National Woman's Party (NWP) in that era. The paper then reviews a new, abridged version of the book, edited by Carol O'Hare and shows how this author has changed the book to suit popular audiences more than the academic ones.

From the Paper
"Originally brought into a memoir as the history of the National Woman's Party, the revision of the 1920 edition made its timely appearance in the year celebrating the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. O'Hare editions aim to keep the narration lively, and to maintain flow and continuity. Yet it is an attempt to retain the integrity of the original in tone and content. The introduction is a capsule to the history of the women's suffrage movement and the leaders' strategies and personalities.

"Despite the fact that this edition makes a truly heroic story accessible to a larger audience beyond the college classroom, O'Hare has edited out the "minute detail of legislative politics, author bias, and verbiage," leaving a vivid partisan account that clearly conveys the excitement of both battle and victory."

Tags:Nineteenth, Amendment, President, Wilson, partisan

Abstract
The paper discusses how people in our society are wont to take great pleasure in the reassuring notion that we live in a free country, however, recent academic publications give cause to consider whether in fact we are free at all. The paper discusses Vered Amit-Talai's research-based article "Waltz of Sociability: Intimacy, Dislocation, and Friendship in a Quebec High School" that paints a bleak picture of adolescents whose lives are entirely circumscribed by adult's preconceptions, and who are ultimately coerced into an understanding of intimacy as a prelude to loss. Moving to the adult realm, the paper looks at how Tom Delph-Janiurek in "Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal Performances in English University Teaching Spaces" suggests that we do not even choose our voices - that female and male voice patterns and tones are a response to socialization. The paper addresses the fascinating terrain of gender as controlled not by biology, but by a more subtle (but equally irresistible) force, that is, social expectations and conditioning. The paper explains that all of this begs the question of whether it is possible to escape socializing forces and create one's own personality and expression. In this respect, the paper then considers Cheshire Calhoun's discussion of butch and femme lesbianism in her article "Separating Lesbian Theory from Feminist Theory."

From the Paper
"People in our society are wont to take great pleasure in the reassuring notion that we live in a free country. However, recent academic publications give cause to consider whether in fact we are free at all. For example, Vered Amit-Talai's research-based article "Waltz of Sociability: Intimacy, Dislocation, and Friendship in a Quebec High School" paints a bleak picture of adolescents whose lives are entirely circumscribed by adult's preconceptions, and who are ultimately coerced into an understanding of intimacy as a prelude to loss. Moving to the adult realm, Tom Delph-Janiurek in "Sounding Gender(ed): Vocal...""

Tags:freedom, calhoun, society

From the Paper
"TENURE
Tenure for university faculty is increasingly coming under attack. Proponents of tenure argue that it provides academic freedom and represents a trade-off to low salaries paid to faculty; opponents argue that there are other ways to protect academic freedom and that tenure merely protects incompetent and lazy individuals. Like most other institutions, tenure's moment to be evaluated in the glaring public spotlight has arrived.
Academe's tenure system came into existence in 1915 when the American Association of University Professors issued "its first manifesto linking academic freedom and job security" (Lederman & Mooney, 1995, p. A17). The principles were restated in 1940 and included this definition of academic freedom: ?Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teach.."