Liberty and Learning

Discipline: Professional Resources

Copyright: 2009

Grade(s): 9 - 12

Delivery Method: Print

Province: National

Imprint: Heinemann

Author(s): David Moshman

Liberty and Learning

Academic freedom, argues David Moshman, is neither a special privilege of college faculty nor a First Amendment right of individual teachers and students. Rather, academic freedom is intellectual freedom in academic contexts, consisting of five principles that everyone is obligated to respect:

  • Freedom of belief and identity
  • Freedom of expression and discussion
  • Freedom of inquiry
  • Freedom from indoctrination
  • Rights of equality, privacy, and due process

Moshman succinctly shows readers how these principles resolve some of the most intractable problems facing education today. On matters ranging from evolution to sex education to the literary canon, his principles address the concerns of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and their communities alike, providing tools that promote real student learning and thinking.