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Democracy and Academic Freedom: A Forum – Session 1
September 3, 2025 @ 7:30 pm
Event of Interest:
The College of Wooster will welcome three speakers for a series of lectures and dialogues titled Democracy and Academic Freedom, A Forum. Speakers will address a range of topics, reflecting on academic freedom in global, institutional, and educational contexts, with a Q&A session to follow. The series, which begins Wednesday, Sept. 3, includes the annual Constitution Day and Bell Lecture in Law on Sept. 17, and the Annual Lindner Lecture on Ethics on Oct. 15. Open to the public, the talks will take place in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street) at 7:30 p.m. and will also be live streamed on the College website.
Eve Darian-Smith, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Global and International Studies at University of California, Irvine will open the series with “Contemporary Attacks on Academic Freedom: Historical and Comparative Perspectives” on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Darian-Smith, an award-winning scholar and teacher, trained in law, history, and anthropology, will discuss situations affecting colleges across the United States and around the world. “Reflecting on the global context helps us to better understand what we are facing, and how to resist and defend our right to think freely and challenge antidemocratic forces,” said Darian-Smith. She has published widely in her field including seven books and seven edited volumes. Her most recent book, Policing Higher Education: The Antidemocratic Attack on Scholars and Why It Matters (2025, Johns Hopkins UP) explores the essential role of higher education and academic freedom in thriving democracies. She is a fellow at the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom (American Association of University Professors) which develops national briefs and strategies to defend scholars who have been censored.
More information is available at https://wooster.edu/2025/08/07/wooster-to-welcome-speakers-for-democracy-and-academic-freedom-a-forum-beginning-in-september/