Refreshments served at 1:30 p.m. in the TBE Lounge. Talk starts at 2pm in the sanctuary

Academic freedom originated in the United States as a response to the arbitrary firings of professors in the early 20th century. These dismissals were the result of teaching and publishing papers that clashed with the opinions of university trustees, university presidents or politicians. In 1915, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was founded, and the concept of academic freedom and faculty self-governance was established. Although related to free speech in some instances, academic freedom is distinct from the legal protections of the First Amendment.  It is intended to protect the rights of faculty to teach, do research and publish, and the rights of students to learn. It is enforced through the system of faculty self-governance, peer review, and the awarding of tenure.

This talk will explore the history of academic freedom, how it protects higher education, and its significance for advancing and protecting especially the careers of women, all people of color, and religious minorities. Bettina will draw upon her personal history and experiences, as well as historical research

Bettina Aptheker, is Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Feminist Studies Department at University of California, Santa Cruz, where she taught for 40 years. Some 16,000 students took her most popular course, Introduction to Feminism. She is the author of 8 books, and numerous articles. While a student leader of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in the 1960s, she first learned about the principles of academic freedom from faculty who had been fired for refusing to sign the Loyalty Oath during the McCarthy repression of the 1950s. Bettina is a member of Temple Beth El.