KNOWLEDGE IN THE MAKING This page intentionally left blank joan delfattore Knowledge in the Making academic freedom and free speech in america’s schools and universities new haven & london Publishedwithassistancefromthefoundationestablishedinmemoryof PhilipHamiltonMcMillanoftheClassof1894,YaleCollege. Copyright©2010byJoanDelFattore.Allrightsreserved.Thisbookmay notbereproduced,inwholeorinpart,includingillustrations,inany form(beyondthatcopyingpermittedbySections107and108oftheU.S. CopyrightLawandexceptbyreviewersforthepublicpress),without writtenpermissionfromthepublishers. SetinScalaandScalaSanstypeby TheComposingRoomofMichigan,Inc. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData DelFattore,Joan,1946– Knowledgeinthemaking:academicfreedomandfreespeechin America’sschoolsanduniversities/JoanDelFattore. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. isbn978-0-300-11181-1(alk.paper) 1. Educationallawandlegislation—UnitedStates. 2. Freedomof speech—UnitedStates. 3. Academicfreedom—UnitedStates. I. Title. KF4124.5.D45 2010 344.73(cid:2)078—dc22 2010019280 AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. Thispapermeetstherequirementsofansi/nisoz39.48–1992 (PermanenceofPaper). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 TomycousinChuckRohde;hiswife,Barbara;andtheirwonderful childrenandgrandchildren.Wearebornintoourfamilies andchooseourfriends.Thanksforbeingboth. Wherethereismuchdesiretolearn,thereofnecessitywillbemucharguing, muchwriting,manyopinions;foropinioningoodmenisbutknowledgein themaking. —JohnMilton,“Areopagitica” CONTENTS Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii 1 ASeatattheTable 1 2 Freedomand(or)Equality 27 3 Price-FixingintheFreeMarketplaceofIdeas 56 4 RainbowBeforetheStorm 85 5 HereComesDarwin 117 6 AndYetItMoves 147 7 TheMoteandtheBeam 179 8 AllRoadsLeadtoGarcetti 214 9 Caution!ParadigmsMayShift 239 Afterword 268 Notes 273 Index 299 This page intentionally left blank PREFACE atalllevelsofeducation,fromkindergartenthroughgraduateschool, public schools and universities must address the issues raised by the ex- pressionofcontroversialviews.Whatistheidealbalancebetweenthema- jority’srighttomakedecisions,directlyorthroughitsrepresentatives,and the individual’s right to dissent? When constituencies clash over what shouldbetaughtorpublished,whoseviewsprevailorshouldprevail,andon whatbasis?Ifdecisionsreflecttheinterplayofmultipleconstituencies,how shouldthecontrolbeshared?Theanswerstosuchquestionsarelikelytobe different for elementary and secondary (K–12) schools, on the one hand, anduniversities,ontheother.Farfromdrawingabrightlinebetweenthem toavoiddealingwiththesedifferences,itisimperativethatweconsiderpub- liceducationasawholeinordertodeterminehow,andhowsuccessfully,it deals with controversial ideas at each level. Most significantly, what is it teachingnotonlyaboutthecontentofparticulardisputesbutaboutthebest waystohandledifferencesofopiniononsensitivesubjects? Iexploresuchquestionsbymeansofcasestudiesinvolvingfourareasof controversy.Thefirstoftheseisthepoliticallyandemotionallychargedissue ofrace,whichprovidesanopportunitytoconsiderwhathappenswhenfac- ultyandstudentssaythingsthatconflict,orareperceivedtoconflict,with importantschooloruniversityinitiatives.Suchincidentsillustratethedeli- catebalancebetweentheinstitution’srighttopromotecertainideasinits own voice and its obligation to respect academic freedom and the free- speechrightsofindividuals.Thebookoffersasimilartreatmentofdisputes overtheexpressionofcontroversialopinionsabouthomosexuality.Follow- IX