{"684859":{"#nid":"684859","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Symposium Explores Past, Present, and Future of Academic Freedom ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe United States has enjoyed academic freedom for 110 years \u2014 causing many of us to take it for granted, said Kate Pride Brown, an associate professor in the School of History and Sociology and the organizer of the Academic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBut it was established in the face of threats,\u201d Brown said. \u201cUnderstanding the history of where it comes from and what it means is important.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe full-day Academic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium explores just that.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt will take place at Price Gilbert Library on Oct. 10 and feature research on how academic freedom began in the United States, as well as challenges and observations from the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Turkey, Mexico, China, Russia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event brings together scholars from Georgia Tech and Georgia State University and will conclude with a keynote address by Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese examples show us that academic freedom is not simply pretty words. It\u0027s a value that is central to any democratic society,\u201d Brown said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen citizens have access to valid knowledge, they can make more informed choices.\u0026nbsp;But better-informed choices may not always conform to what\u0026nbsp;powerful people\u0026nbsp;might like,\u201d she added. \u201cScholars\u2019 fundamental interest is in making sure that knowledge is valid, despite what other interests are at stake. That\u0027s their biggest contribution, and it is where they find their greatest success.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_9yml6CrnFJG6U4u\u0022\u003ERSVP to attend\u003C\/a\u003E the Academic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium (lunch will be provided). Speaker topics include:\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcademic Freedom Within the Field of Power \u2014 Kate Pride Brown, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcademic Freedom: History and Fading Future \u2014\u202fDeron Boyles, GSU\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGalileo on Trial \u2014\u202fNick Wilding, GSU\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDoublespeak and Aesopian Language in the Soviet Union \u2014 Nikolay Koposov, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EUnmasking Rousseau: Victor Klemperer and Academic Freedom in Nazi Germany \u2014 Victoria Thompson, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcademic Freedom in Mexico: A Few Observations \u2014 \u0026nbsp;German Vergara, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIron Curtain, Bamboo Curtain, and the Great Firewall: The Limited Progress in Freedom of Information and Expression in China \u2014 Hanchao Lu, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAcademic Censorship and Control in Russia: My Experience at the Siberian Federal University \u2014\u202fEvgeny Tikhonravov, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFrom Campuses to Courtrooms: The Slow Death of Academic Freedom in Turkey \u2014 Kemal Budak, Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAuthoritarian Nicaragua and Venezuela: Closing Space for Academic Freedom and Human Rights \u2014 Jennifer McCoy, GSU\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKeynote Address, Protecting Our Freedoms: It\u2019s Not Just Academic \u2014\u202fMichael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThe full-day Academic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium will take place on Oct. 10. It will feature research on how academic freedom began in the United States, as well as challenges and observations from around the world.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The full-day Academic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium will take place on Oct. 10. It will feature research on how academic freedom began in the United States, as well as challenges and observations from around the world."}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2025-09-15 15:50:26","changed_gmt":"2025-09-19 13:01:23","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677995":{"id":"677995","type":"image","title":"campus.jpg","body":null,"created":"1757951433","gmt_created":"2025-09-15 15:50:33","changed":"1757951433","gmt_changed":"2025-09-15 15:50:33","alt":"Georgia Tech campus","file":{"fid":"261966","name":"campus.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/15\/campus.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/15\/campus.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":191497,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/15\/campus.jpg?itok=_Ww3ehAg"}}},"media_ids":["677995"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_9yml6CrnFJG6U4u","title":"RSVP "}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1288","name":"School of History and Sociology"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:k.p.brown@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKate Pride Brown\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 Associate Professor, School of History and Sociology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["k.p.brown@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}