AKA Review - 12.15.2023

From New York Magazine
The College Presidents Were Right About Campus Anti-Semitism

By Jonathan Chait

Examining the now-viral exchange between three elite university presidents and Representative Elise Stefanik in the recent House hearing, journalist Jonathan Chait suggests the presidents were right to make a distinction between speech and conduct. He argues that Stefanik was both disingenuous and wrong in trying to conflate them—in effect, demanding "the wholesale ban on rhetoric and ideas that Jews find threatening, regardless of context." Unquestionably a university should protect students from physical harm. But "protecting" them from, for example, a student editorial calling to "globalize the intifada," would be a clear violation of free speech. Read this article.

From The New York Times
At a Hearing on Israel, University Presidents Walked Into a Trap

By Michelle Goldberg

The furious public reaction to the House hearing described above highlights the inconsistent defense of free speech by universities. As a result, many Jews see a galling double standard as elite schools embrace free expression to avoid charges of coddling antisemites when, in the past, they have privileged community sensitivity over unrestrained speech. Reflecting on one president’s post-hearing apology, the author reluctantly concludes we should "expect more safety and less freedom." Read this article.

From The Chronicle of Higher Education
How Sexist is Science?
By Wendy M. Williams and Stephen J. Ceci
Elite science media consistently agree: in the STEM fields, there is strong bias against women. Yet when Cornell researchers systematically analyzed journal and grant reviews, hiring, teaching evaluations, salaries, and references, they found a much more positive picture. Of these areas, significant bias against women exists in only two: teaching evaluations and salary. And in tenure-track hiring, women have a substantial advantage over men. Women considering "science careers need these real facts, not the distorted narratives" peddled by even the most respected science journals. Read this article.

From The New York Times
An Ancient Solution to Our Current Crisis of Disconnection

By John Bowe

"What if [society’s] alienation stems…from our educational system’s failure to teach the habits of connection, most of which boil down to thinking of others before speaking to them?" asks speech expert John Bowe in this appropriately conversational essay. He argues for reintroducing training in rhetoric—an educational cornerstone until the 1700s—to "arm [students] to engage as citizens in an irrational and contentious world." And he highlights studies showing that speech training improves student well-being and mental health and helps all of us talk, argue, negotiate and engage—even with those we dislike. Read this article.

From The Chronicle of Higher Education
How Do Humanities Majors Fare in the Work Force?
By Audrey Williams June
This brief article, and the new report from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences that it summarizes, counter the seemingly omnipresent argument that humanities degrees are a waste of money. Among the findings: Not only do humanities graduates out earn people with no college degree, but their earnings are comparable to or better than the salaries of workers who majored in most non-humanities fields. Anyone interested in higher education outcomes will draw on these data—disaggregated by state and soon, by gender, race/ethnicity, and humanities disciplines— for years to come. Read this article.