Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Can a New University Really Fix Academia’s Free Speech Problems?


Listen Later

A group of scholars and journalists announced last month that they were founding the University of Austin on the belief that free speech is being stifled on college campuses across America.
“The reality is that many universities no longer have an incentive to create an environment where intellectual dissent is protected and fashionable opinions are scrutinized,” wrote Pano Kanelos, the inaugural president, in the initial statement.
But the news was followed by intense scrutiny and backlash on social media as part of a longstanding debate about the state of free speech on college campuses. From students boycotting controversial guest speakers to petitions demanding the resignation of faculty members with polarizing opinions, institutions of higher education have been hotbeds of a larger conversation around censorship of speech in the country.
To debate the free speech crisis — or lack thereof — on campuses, Jane Coaston brought together Greg Lukianoff, the president and C.E.O. of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and Mark Copelovitch, a professor of political science and public affairs and the director of the Center for European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They discuss whether the new university can address deep-rooted issues on campus or will just fall into the same “thought bubble” that plagues other institutions.
Mentioned in this episode:
“Why We Need New Colleges” by Ross Douthat in The New York Times
“It’s the University of Austin Against Everyone — Including Itself,” by Derek Robertson in Politico
“Greg Lukianoff: We Are Creating a Culture of Student Fragility,” a podcast episode of “The Bulwark”
This op-ed on the Thompson Center’s “free speech” report, by Mark Copelovitch, Jon C.W. Pevehouse and Jessica L.P. Weeks in The Cap Times
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Interesting Times with Ross DouthatBy New York Times Opinion

  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1

4.1

6,254 ratings


More shows like Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

View all
The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,868 Listeners

Popcast by The New York Times

Popcast

1,446 Listeners

Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Political Gabfest

8,480 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,215 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,893 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,593 Listeners

Modern Love by The New York Times

Modern Love

8,747 Listeners

Inside The Times by The New York Times

Inside The Times

133 Listeners

The Gray Area with Sean Illing by Vox

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

10,641 Listeners

The Run-Up by The New York Times

The Run-Up

2,067 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

86,220 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,334 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,277 Listeners

Change Agent by The New York Times

Change Agent

1,466 Listeners

Caliphate by The New York Times

Caliphate

12,630 Listeners

Charm City by The New York Times

Charm City

299 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,438 Listeners

The Latest by The New York Times

The Latest

469 Listeners

The Candidates by The New York Times

The Candidates

52 Listeners

Jungle Prince by The New York Times

Jungle Prince

2,289 Listeners

The Choice by New York Times Opinion

The Choice

380 Listeners

Rabbit Hole by The New York Times

Rabbit Hole

6,670 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,351 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,210 Listeners

Day X by The New York Times

Day X

1,495 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,444 Listeners

The Run-Up (2016) by The New York Times

The Run-Up (2016)

7 Listeners

The Argument by New York Times Opinion

The Argument

16 Listeners

Impromptu by The Washington Post

Impromptu

170 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

383 Listeners

The Run-Up Guide to 2024 by The New York Times

The Run-Up Guide to 2024

0 Listeners

The New York Times Narrated by The New York Times

The New York Times Narrated

17 Listeners