Difficult Dialogue: Academic Freedom

Difficult Dialogues

Difficult Dialogue: Academic Freedom

Part of the CHA'sÌýDifficult DialogueÌý²õ±ð°ù¾±±ð²õ

February 26, 2025
12pm - 1:30pm
CBIS Room M549 - Norlin Library's 5th floor

A conversation on the evolving landscape of academic freedom.Ìý

About the Event

Event Overview

ÌýÌýPart of the CHA'sÌýDifficult DialogueÌý²õ±ð°ù¾±±ð²õ
ÌýÌýWednesday, February 26, 2025
ÌýÌý12 pm - 1:30pm
ÌýÌýCBIS Room M549 - Norlin Library's 5th floor
ÌýÌýTreats and coffee/tea for all attendees
ÌýÌý99 people attendedÌý

Five years ago, 91¸£ÀûÉç experts gathered to explore the meaning and application of academic freedom (see more about 2020 event here). Now in 2025, we revisited this topic with a focus on how academic freedom has been reshaped by the significant changes that have unfolded since.

Given the changes since February 2020—including the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, political polarization across two presidential elections, and increasing restrictions on diversity and inclusion—our 3 91¸£ÀûÉç faculty panelists, moderated by Philosophy PhD Candidate Idowu Odeyemi, explored how academic freedom has evolved in response to our political climate.Ìý

This panel discussion focused heavily on audience questions, but some of the prepared questions addressed to our panel were:Ìý

  • What does academic freedom mean to you?
  • What is the greatest threat to academic freedom in this political/social climate?
  • What do you hope/wish/want the leaders of the CU system and 91¸£ÀûÉç to do that they aren’t already doing to preserve and strengthen academic freedom?

Hosted by the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA), in collaboration with CU Faculty Affairs, and as part of theÌýDifficult Dialogue series, this discussion will explore what academic freedom means for faculty as teachers, researchers, and artists, and the rights and responsibilities that come with it. This event was free for all to attend, and we had a standing room only audience with snacks and refreshments provided.

Note: To access the CBIS Room, please enter through the west entrance of Norlin Library, located near Norlin Quad. Once inside, the elevator will be on your left. Take the elevator or stairs to the 5th floor for the CBIS Room.

Please contact the CHA for any questions at cu-cha@colorado.edu.

Panelists

Honor Sachs, Associate Professor, Department of History, 91¸£ÀûÉç

Professor Sachs teaches courses on early America broadly, with particular focus on the revolutionary and founding eras, histories of race and slavery, legal and constitutional history, and histories of family, genealogy, and memory. Her research has been supported by multiple organizations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and the Huntington Library.

, Professor of Law, 91¸£ÀûÉçÌý

Wadie Said is Professor of Law at the University of Colorado School of Law, where he teaches classes in Criminal Law and Procedure. He is the author ofÌýCrimes of Terror (OUP 2015) and many studies regarding the effects of criminal law, terrorism, immigration law and international law on each other in the American and global context. He was previously an assistant federal public defender and is a member of the American Law Institute.

Jennifer Ho, Professor, Ethnic Studies; Director, Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA)

The daughter of a refugee father from China and an immigrant mother from Jamaica, whose parents themselves were immigrants from Hong Kong,ÌýJennifer Ho is theÌýdirector of the Center for Humanities & the Arts andÌýProfessor of Ethnic Studies, and she wants you to know that making visible her connections to refugees and immigrants are important to how she navigates the world.Ìý

(Moderator), Philosophy PhD Candidate, 91¸£ÀûÉç

Idowu Odeyemi is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the 91¸£ÀûÉç. His research and teaching centers on epistemology, moral philosophy, and social and political philosophy. He is an alumnus of the Open Student Workshop at the University of Oxford. His essay "Living in America, Leaving Nigeria" was recognized as one of the 18 notable essays by a Nigerian in 2023. The philosophical issues he tends to focus on are non-idealized, particularly focusing on how to morally evaluate oppressive epistemic agents who are products of oppressive social structures. More narrowly, his research focuses on how to account for moral responsibility in oppressive social structures and how we should build a more just world in light of our understanding of moral responsibility in oppressive systems. His works have appeared or are forthcoming inÌýThe Republic,ÌýMetaphilosophy,ÌýBrittlepaper, Barren Magazine, Olongo Africa,ÌýIsele Magazine, andÌýPithead Chapel, among others.

TheÌýDifficult Dialogue event seriesÌýbrings together local voices to explore complex topics, fostering mutual understanding and a respectful discourse. Difficult Dialogue events aim to create a space for grappling with tough subjects that people may find difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. These events are not debates but platforms for thoughtful exchange.

Please note: The CHA actively chooses not to record Difficult Dialogues events, given the sensitive nature of topics and questions that may be asked in response to and during the event.

Our purpose is to hold dialogues on topics considered difficult, provocative, or controversial, among constituents that may have strong conflicting views.ÌýOur objective is NOT to necessarily agree, fix anything, prove anyone right or wrong, or alter anyone’s position.

We are committed to fostering productive dialogues in the hopes that minds and hearts might expand. We ask that you:

  1. Keep an open mind
  2. Be respectful of others
  3. Listen with the intent to understand
  4. Speak your own truth

We expect to experience discomfort when talking about hard things. Remain engaged and recognize that the discomfort can lead to problem-solving and authentic understanding.

Resources on Academic Freedom:

Center for Humanities & the Arts logo
CU Faculty Affairs logo