Free Speech presentation at NDSU

 

Amna Khalid, associate professor of history at Carleton College, and Jeff Snyder, associate professor of educational studies at Carleton College, will argue that academic freedom is central to the basic mission of colleges and universities: teaching and research. Increasing threats to academic freedom come from across the political spectrum as well as from inside and outside of academe. Khalid and Snyder will outline the nature of these threats, including anti-CRT laws, mandatory DEI trainings and political litmus tests for campus speakers. 

The event is part of the “Exploring Academic Freedom/Freedom of Speech” project of the Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU, Tri-College University, Humanities ND, NDSU Student Government, and the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

The presentation by Khalid and Snyder will begin the program, followed by a moderated conversation and audience questions.

The event is provided free of charge to all NDSU stakeholders and the public.

Khalid’s work focuses on modern South Asian history and the history of medicine. Growing up under a series of military dictatorships, she has a strong interest in issues relating to censorship and free expression. Last year, she served as the inaugural John Stuart Mill Faculty Fellow at Heterodox Academy. This academic year, she is a senior fellow with the Study of Liberalism and a Free Society at the Institute of Humane Studies. Khalid hosts a podcast called “Banished,” which explores what happens when people, ideas and works of art come into conflict with modern sensibilities.

Snyder studies historical questions about race, national identity and the purpose of public education in the United States. He wrote the 2018 book, “Making Black History: The Color Line, Culture and Race in the Age of Jim Crow.” Snyder has an interest in issues of academic freedom and free expression, especially as they relate to liberal arts education.

Together, Khalid and Snyder have written numerous pieces about academic freedom and free expression and how these issues intersect with social justice concerns and campus diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Their co-written works have appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed and the New Republic, among other publications.

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