ProgCast

Dr Max Price, past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, has an opportunity to respond to criticism levelled at him by other guests interviewed in the series. Scott asks him about UCT’s legacy of academic freedom, and whether that legacy is now under threat. Price offers a different understanding of the concept of academic freedom to the one employed by other guests in the series.

Dr Max Price, past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, has an opportunity to respond to criticism levelled at him by other guests interviewed in the series. Scott asks him about UCT’s legacy of academic freedom, and whether that legacy is now under threat. Price offers a different understanding of the concept of academic freedom to the one employed by other guests in the series.

Scott discusses democracy and the societal roles of universities with Prof Nuraan Davids, Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and author of a new text on academic freedom in South Africa, Universities, Pedagogical Encounters, Openness, and Free Speech. Davids highlights the democratic importance of being willing to listen to all viewpoints in the classroom, even those which conflict with political correctness.

Scott discusses democracy and the societal roles of universities with Prof Nuraan Davids, Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and author of a new text on academic freedom in South Africa, Universities, Pedagogical Encounters, Openness, and Free Speech. Davids highlights the democratic importance of being willing to listen to all viewpoints in the classroom, even those which conflict with political correctness.

Tami speaks to Prof Jonathan Jansen, past Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State. They discuss the effect that student protests at South African universities since 2015 have had on academic freedom in the country. Does academic freedom mean that there should be a limitation on students’ right to protest? Should academic freedom be compromised in the interests of short-term political gain? They end with a conversation about the risk of state involvement in academic institutions’ decision making.