摘要：Academic freedom is defined as the “freedom of the individual scholar to pursue truth wherever it leads, without fear of punishment or of termination of employment for having offended some political, methodological, religious, or social orthodoxy.”1(p5) In American colleges and universities the concept of academic freedom is outlined in the “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.”2 This document provides the fundamental basis for faculty rights (see http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs) regarding teaching and scholarly activities, tenure, and the students’ rights in learning.2 Revised in 1969, 1989, and 1990 to remove gender-specific references from the original text, the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure with 1970 Interpretive Comments2 continues to make academia the unique institution it is today and continues to apply the principle of the “advancement of truth” to a faculty member’s role both in teaching and researching. In fact, academic freedom at public higher education institutions is linked to First Amendment rights and has traditionally been supported by the courts..
