Thu, Apr 24, 2025
[Archive]
Volume 6, Issue 1 (MARCH ISSUE 2025)
johepal 2025, 6(1): 199-210 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Elgin C. (2025). Academic Freedom Across Liberal Arts Colleges in Europe. johepal. 6(1), 199-210. doi:10.61186/johepal.6.1.199
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-1118-en.html
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-1118-en.html
Abstract: (242 Views)
This paper develops a novel index to assess academic freedom within liberal arts colleges (LACs) in Europe, addressing a critical gap in current higher education assessments. Existing university rankings largely overlook academic freedom, an essential element for fostering intellectual inquiry and democratic values. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining legal analysis, surveys, events data, media reviews, and social media analysis—the study constructs a comprehensive tool that captures both overt and subtle forms of academic repression. Findings reveal significant disparities in academic freedom among European LACs, influenced by governance structures, institutional policies, and external pressures such as political interference. The index not only highlights these differences but also offers a framework for policy development and institutional reform. By emphasizing academic freedom as a foundational pillar of higher education, this research calls for stronger institutional commitments and policy frameworks to safeguard it. The index can serve as a model for broader applications beyond the European context, informing global debates on academic autonomy.
Keywords: Academic Freedom, Liberal Arts Colleges, European Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Institutional Autonomy, Academic Repression
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/12/15 | Accepted: 2025/03/7 | Published: 2025/03/31
Received: 2024/12/15 | Accepted: 2025/03/7 | Published: 2025/03/31
Online Supplement [PDF 1156 KB] (19 Download)
References
1. Altbach, P. G. (2001). Academic freedom: International realities and challenges. Higher Education, 41(1-2), 205-219. [DOI]
2. Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3-4), 290-305. [DOI]
3. Altbach, P. G., & Peterson, P. M. (Eds.). (2007). Higher education in the new century: Global challenges and innovative ideas. Brill.
4. Barendt, E. (2010). Academic freedom and the law: A comparative study. Hart Publishing.
5. Brown, R., & Carasso, H. (2013). Everything for sale? The marketisation of UK higher education. Routledge.
6. Bryden, J., & Mittenzwei, K. (2013). Academic freedom, democracy and the public policy process. Sociologia Ruralis, 53(3), 311-330. [DOI]
7. De George, R. T. (1997). Academic freedom and tenure: Ethical issues. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
8. Fuchs, R. F. (1963). Academic freedom - Its basic philosophy, function, and history. Law and Contemporary Problems, 28(3), 431-446. [Article]
9. Giroux, H. (2002). Neoliberalism, corporate culture, and the promise of higher education: The university as a democratic public sphere. Harvard Educational Review, 72(4), 425-464. [DOI]
10. Giroux, H. A. (2014, April 22). Neoliberalism, democracy and the university as a public sphere [Interview by Victoria Harper]. Truthout. [Article]
11. Haukland, L. H. (2020). The Bologna process and HEIs institutional autonomy. Athens Journal of Education, 7(4), 365-383. [Article]
12. Hayek, F. A. (2011). The constitution of liberty (The definitive edition). The University of Chicago Press.
13. Karran, T. (2007). Academic freedom in Europe: A preliminary comparative analysis. Higher Education Policy, 20(3), 289-313. [DOI]
14. Kinzelbach, K., Saliba, I., Spannagel, J., & Quinn, R. (2021, March 11). Free Universities. Putting the Academic Freedom Index into Action. Global Public Policy Institute. [Article]
15. Lynch, K., & Ivancheva, M. (2015). Academic freedom and the commercialisation of universities: A critical ethical analysis. Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, 15(1), 71-85. [DOI]
16. Marginson, S. (2016). The dream is over: The crisis of Clark Kerr’s California idea of higher education. University of California Press.
17. Noori, N. (2017). Academic freedom and the liberal arts in the middle east: Can the US Model Be Replicated?. In P. Marber & D. Araya (Eds.), The evolution of liberal arts in the global age (pp. 141-149). Routledge.
18. Olsen, J. P., & Maassen, P. (2007). European debates on the knowledge institution: The modernization of the university at the European level. In P. Maassen, & J. P. Olsen (Eds.), University dynamics and European integration (pp. 3-22). Springer. [DOI]
19. Pincoffs, E. L. (Ed.). (1975). The concept of academic freedom. University of Texas Press.
20. Scholars at Risk. (2023). Free to Think Report. [Article]
21. Stensaker, B., & Harvey, L. (Eds.). (2011). Accountability in higher education: Global perspectives on trust and power (1st ed.). Routledge.
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
