The Threat to Academic Freedom and the Contingent Scholar

Abstract

The future of scholarship in Christian ethics is jeopardized by the predominance of contingent faculty at American universities. Over seventy percent of all higher education faculty are adjuncts, with half of the teaching faculty having part-time appointments. This article examines threats to academic freedom in research and in the classroom faced by contingent faculty. For the contingent scholar, both areas can be easily infringed and make it difficult to be an engaged scholar. After confirming that academic freedom is beneficial for the common good, this article explores the following problems faced by adjuncts: The difficulty of research amid a lack of resources and financial stability. The possibility of termination for sharing/discussing unpopular opinions in one’s field, often without the college providing any reason or recourse. The active censorship of adjuncts by departments that edit their syllabi and reserve the teaching of certain classes for tenured faculty. As the adjunctification of colleges continue, these dilemmas will only become more pronounced. The article specifies various remedies, all which will entail collaboration and sacrifice.