Social Science Space

Should student social media posts be punishable, even if they are made off-campus?

Spats, fall-outs and intellectual and personal feuds have long been commonplace among scholars. And, because critiques of ideas and publications are also exercises in freedom of expression, they are integral to the rough and tumble of academic life. But British universities are now facing much more insidious challenges…

Concerns that free speech is being on university campuses, at least in the United Kingdom, are overblown, with the biggest threat originating not on campuses but from the government and its Prevent program. That’s a key takeaway in a new paper from Britain’s Higher Education Policy Institute, Free Speech and Censorship on Campus.

Some language in campus speech legislation may be largely symbolic and not change what many colleges are already doing. But, argues Neal Hutchens, some provisions in legislation could change campus speech rules in important ways.

This is an edited version of a speech given by Glyn Davis, distinguished professor of political science at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University, at a summit to explore issues of academic freedom and autonomy hosted by the Australian National University.

Researches at the University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information have studied the rights of public employees when they speak with the news media. Here, they look specifically at professors at public universities in the United States and find there are broad protections – within limits.

Around the United States, state lawmakers have been talking about – and legislating – ways intended to protect free speech on college campuses. Bt some of the approaches may do more harm than good, argues Neal Hutchens.

Once the cry at universities was “Dare to know!” But with speech that could make some people uncomfortable, the new cry is increasingly, “Dare to no!”

Canadian scientists are being prevented by the state from discussing research findings in public, even about earthquakes in their backyard. Mark Frary reports

How an unholy alliance of arrogant scientists and self-interested federal bureaucrats came to widen the net of ethical regulation intended to deal with abuses in medical research to empirical investigation in the humanities and social sciences.

The British government has confirmed that it will introduce a Defamation Bill in the spring, to change the law on […]