Five Defences of Academic Freedom in North American Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-262
Author(s):  
Haley J. Nutt

This article provides a descriptive study of the FSU Rock Ensemble to demonstrate the value of providing inclusive popular music-based ensemble learning and opportunities in higher education. Beginning with an autoethnographic study of my experiences as a drummer in – and eventually director of – the non-auditioned ensemble, followed by a consideration of the attitudes articulated by several other drummers who recently participated in the ensemble, I analyse how musicians learn a traditionally non-academic music in an academic space. I conclude with a critical assessment of challenges that the group faced, with the hope that such considerations are useful for universities interested in establishing similar ensembles. Overall, the inclusive nature of the Rock Ensemble facilitated interactions that I argue are advantageous within the current climate of North American higher education, allowing students, drummers and non-drummers alike, unprecedented opportunities to perform music they love, forge new relationships and engage with the local community.


Author(s):  
Xeturah M Woodley

The experiences of Black women educators are important, and yet their personal and professional experiences are rarely included as part of the faculty narrative at most North American higher education institutions. The continued normalization of White Supremacy and androcentricity, within North American higher education, maintain systems of oppression that perpetuate the systematic marginalization of Black women within the faculty ranks. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Black women educators in New Mexico's higher education institutions. With a grounding in Black Womanist and Critical Race Theories, this qualitative research study employed snowball sampling as a means to engage ten Black women faculty members, via semi-structured interviews, in critical inquiry about their professional experiences with higher education. Study participants testified about experiences with microaggressions, discrimination, and racial battle fatigue as well as feeling intellectual, campus, and community isolation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Owens

North American higher education finds itself on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, it accepts droves of freshmen who equate learning with rote memorization and who correlate achievement with the ability to pass narrowly focused standardized tests. On the other hand, it is expected to contribute to the country's cultural and economic vibrancy by graduating engaged citizens and creative professionals. After contextualizing its desirability and the support for its efficacy, this paper discusses how one pedagogical technique - the classroom critique - can help higher education to resolve the discrepancy between the improperly prepared student and the excellence a college education is expected to impart. The author suggests that this neo-Socratic method can not only help to correct previous educational deficiencies but can also nurture the civic and creative skills necessary to a democratic society and required by a competitive business community.


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