Academic Freedom
Academic Freedom, the right of teachers, especially in colleges and universities, to seek knowledge and present their findings without interference.
Academic freedom is based on the principle that the function of an institution of higher learning is to increase and preserve knowledge, evaluate it, and impart it to others. For the institution to perform this function its scholars must be free to hold and express unpopular or even mistaken views, for it is only through an open exchange of varying points of view that ideas can be tested and knowledge advanced.
Conflicting interpretations of the limits and obligations of academic freedom have led to disputes between teachers and school officials, primarily university presidents, ecclesiastic authorities, and members of governing boards. In some states teachers in public institutions are required to sign loyalty oaths, swearing that they do not advocate violent overthrow of the government. In many church-sponsored institutions, the academic freedom of teachers is abridged with regard to theological, philosophical, and scientific ideas that conflict with religious beliefs of the church. Many other church-sponsored institutions, however, permit complete academic freedom.
Various pressure groups attempt to influence the content of courses and instructors' selection of books. An ethnic or religious minority may try to force teachers to stop using certain texts or materials deemed offensive to their group. A patriotic group may demand a teacher be fired for holding what it feels are subversive views. Pressure is sometimes exerted on art or drama departments to stop presentations that some segment of the public considers unpatriotic, obscene, or blasphemous.