Friday, August 26, 2016

University of Chicago as a model for discourse

International higher education faculty and administration are often influenced by the actions of elite U.S. universities. There is growing awareness that U.S. practices, even when they are borrowed from elites, should be carefully considered and perhaps adapted or avoided; the University of Chicago has provided a perfect example where caution may be warranted.

The University of Chicago recently announced that it advocates an open marketplace of ideas that students need to understand and learn to accommodate. Practices such as "safe zones" for those who believe they are marginalized or threatened by other's views, "trigger warnings" for potentially unsettling topics, or restricting speakers of any perspectives will not be part of the University of Chicago campus scene.

This news has been posted in a variety of social media and appears to be embraced by many. When I first saw the announcement my reaction was positive as well - advocate open exchange which then takes away any need to prepare for, monitor, or take action that can be construed as a violation of free speech rights so highly valued on university campuses and more broadly in the U.S.A.  On further reflection, it may be important for educators, students, and families to all consider the context and then determine if the University of Chicago's approach is one that could/should be transferred elsewhere.

The University of Chicago has a venerable history based on the Germanic institutions of higher learning that dominated research exploration and productivity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. William Rainey Harper, early President of the University of Chicago and a driving force for higher education reform, advocated for education based on the "great books" of standard authors thought to be worthy of study and he didn't want first and second year students at all, believing that such low level education should be handled by "junior colleges." As one of the most elite intellectual institutions in the U.S.A. it has drawn students, many of whom were from privileged economic or social backgrounds, who by virtue of their class had a voice that they believed was valid, therefore allowing them to be comfortable in contributing their ideas to the marketplace of ideas that the University of Chicago has been so successful in creating.

So, to the question of transferability... While the idea of establishing a climate where all voices can be expressed is laudable, not all institutions have students (or faculty/staff for that matter) who have the intellectual privilege and assertiveness to compete when differing voices become strident. In addition, where do all students, regardless of their privilege and backgrounds, learn how to express dissent, to discern the worth of an argument, and to gain comfort in abandoning their own perspective long enough to learn from someone with a different view?

The University of Chicago has established a very interesting and provocative position regarding free speech on campus. It may work for some institutions but others may not have the climate to make it work. Most importantly, in an era where political discourse has sunk to new lows in relation to evidence and rationality, what should higher education do to establish practices and approaches that free intellectual discourse rather than push divisive discourse to the level that few can tolerate listening to each other?

Not surprisingly, there have been numerous responses to the University of Chicago's announcement to its new students that the campus does not provide safe space or refuge from uncomfortable issues. One of the responses that raises the core and complicated questions that higher education leaders might need to explore was offered by Brown University's Chair of American Studies, Professor Mathew Pratt Guterl. Guterl concluded his essay with, "Faculty members and administrators thus have a calling to act. Without delay. To remove that racist mural and relocate it to a museum. To rename that building and historicize the old name. To practice discernment in scheduling talks or speakers, so that we don't bring that bigot, thug or provocateur to the campus just to win a news cycle or to get your think tank in the paper. To prioritize ideas and visitors who are actively, constructively engaged in solving (and not making) social problems." This has a much higher likelihood of creating both a more open dialogue as well as a culture of respect and learning on the campus than simply saying, "It's not the university's business to make the hard decisions related to cultivating a campus culture that empowers all to speak their truth."

A letter from more than 150 faculty at the University of Chicago was published in the university's student newspaper on September 13 expressing concern about the Dean of Students' letter to entering students. The letter linked to mid-20th century efforts "to create places protected from quite real forces of violence and intimidation." One faculty member in Middle Eastern History, Holly Shissler, indicated that the faculty were not consulted in drafting the Dean's letter, saying that the "statement touches fundamentally on our role as teachers and mentors. We were -- or at least I was -- taken aback to have such a public statement made about teaching and intellectual life generally at the university without any consideration of the actual views and experience of the faculty."

The discussion became increasingly complicated when Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK, criticized the idea of "safe spaces" as closing down necessary debate in the academic community.

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