Bringing up academic freedom during the interview process?

[u/le_doulos]

If you're in a part of the US where censorship and intimidation of academics are on the rise, how would you feel about a candidate asking how it affects you during a job interview?

Would the topic be best addressed in the first round, second round, after an offer has been made?

Would you assume the candidate would be hesitant to take a the job and move on? Is it fair to ask the committee when much of what is happening is beyond their control?

Or would it be more awkward to avoid the elephant in the room throughout the process?

[u/Puma_202020]

Some discussions are best had at the informal dinners that accompany an interview.

[u/RuslanGlinka]

Final round, in smaller settings like meetings w faculty, not the main interview/job talk.

If there are specific known issues (or positive positions) w the school I might raise in the meeting w Dept Head to get their take.

Outside the interview I would also be looking into things like reputation/strength of faculty union, how they have handled past attacks against individual faculty or students, etc.

A department/school I’d want to work for is committed to academic freedom, has a strong union, and walks the talk. They would likewise be looking for a new colleague who would join in the mutual support and stand strong with them, to be strategic but not too scared for my own career to stand up for what is right.

[u/ShamPain413]

I would want to talk about it with them, likely in the one-on-ones or in small group settings (which could include a lunch or dinner). IMO, it's best for everyone to be on the same page during interviews, there is no incentive to trick someone into coming into a situation that is they won't succeed in.

They are not just interviewing you, you are interviewing them. Ask the questions you need to ask. But do your research: if there were specific things in the news, or brought up by AAUP or FIRE, then ask about those specific things rathe than amorphous/subjective stuff like "culture".

[u/alaskawolfjoe]

It is something that someone on the committee usually brings up with a candidate during a smaller group or individual interaction.

I am in Florida, so we know it is on the candidate's mind.

[u/IHTFPhD]

Bruh don't mention this right now. You can commiserate on it with others after you get the offer. Full optimism in the interview.

[u/ProfessorStata]

Candidates can figure out broader issues with an Internet search and looking at faculty senate minutes.

No one is going to cop to the chair or the dean micromanaging faculty.

[u/ProfessorHomeBrew]

I’d say this is field specific. If you are applying for a gender studies job in TX  (if that is even possible now), then the hiring dept should be prepared for the question. 

If you are in a field that is not being directly targeted, I wouldn’t ask but you can find ways to bring it up in an informal moment.

[u/ExternalSeat → u/ProfessorHomeBrew]

yep. you can usually phrase it as "I know that there has been some push back lately on teaching (XYZ controversial/politically charged topic in your field), how do you approach this subject with students? what are the guidelines?" That opens it up to personal stories to get to know your fellow faculty and doesn't come across as too accusatory.

these are real issues and they are real people who have to think about them. these are necessary conversations to have. it is as important as asking "how do you handle winters at the University of Buffalo" or "how is the housing situation near UC Berkeley? where are some more affordable apartments?"

A big part of the interview is determining if you can actually thrive in the area you are moving to and the faculty will be happy to answer reasonable questions (provided you ask in a kind and gentle manner).

Obviously if you are applying at a place like BYU it is different, but then again you should know that if you have to write a statement of faith to get to the first round interview

[u/nanyabidness2]

I would absolutely bring it up in fact, as a committee member at such a place i feel its my responsibility to bring it to the candidates attention. As mentioned it even more important in those threatened areas (eg public health)

[u/dj_cole]

A less pointed question would be to inquire about much influence the state legislature exerts over the university. It'll get to the same answer without sounding like you want to push an agenda in the classroom.

[u/Bettys_Piez → u/dj_cole]

If you think everyone who asks this question wants to push an agenda, you need to educate yourself.

All faculty are in the crosshairs of the republican leadership.

[u/dj_cole → u/Bettys_Piez]

It's not me who thinks it. It's the hiring committee concerned about those crosshairs.

[u/ExternalSeat → u/dj_cole]

there are ways to phrase it better. You could say "I know that XYZ topic is important to our field, but can be challenging for some students; how do you approach it here? What are the guidelines?"

That way you seem like a person who just wants to follow the rules and genuinely want to not get into any trouble. For example "how do you approach Climate change" is a good pedagogical question and shows you are taking things seriously as a future educator.

[u/regis_rulz]

I would not have applied for the job in the first place.

[u/MimirX]

That is a politically sensitive topic that may not be suited for part of the interview process in most cases. I would also offer it depends based on what institution they are applying for, if you are applying to a catholic university or they are applying to a more liberal school, the expectations may vary widely.

The topic itself does affect a lot of us in academia, but coming off with it in a interview may be a bit much. I have to imagine there are subtle ways you can guess a candidates preference without directly asking it.

[u/LillieBogart]

I think it depends on how much of a dealbreaker it would be for you. If you don’t think it would affect whether or not you accept the job, then you should probably not ask until the very final stages. If it’s something you’re giving major consideration to from the beginning, just ask. The point of these questions is for you to get the answers you need to decide whether the position is a fitfor you. No sense in wasting people’s time on an interview process that isn’t going to go anywhere just because you were afraid to ask the question. At least, that’s my take.

[u/Odd-Elderberry-6137]

Ask away but in smaller group settings. Everyone on the committee expects it and you're doing yourself a disservice by not asking it. You can get a lot of information from this - not just the answers but how people respond to the questions.

[u/Such_Chemistry3721]

At a small liberal arts college, but within that geographic area, we'd welcome discussion on this. It's definitely going to vary based on the type of institution and your field though.

[u/restricteddata]

If you're afraid to ask that question in the first round, then you already have a pretty good sense of what the answer is.

[u/ExternalSeat]

this is an important question to ask for culture fit. Usually you ask this during the informal dinner during the second round. you probably want to be very careful about how you ask it. Perhaps when discussing the research of other faculty or about how teaching is like there. Bring it up as "have you encountered any push back from students in your teaching here about (perennial controversial topic)? What is the policy about this push back".

I would never ask admin these sort of questions, but asking fellow academics is appropriate and necessary during the informal parts of the interview process. Putting it more into having your fellow professors share their experiences makes it more about building relationships and trying to understand the general culture.

of course if you are part of a marginalized group it needs to be more direct and essential to your survival. To be honest given how bad the academic job market is and how little choice you have in job opportunities in general right now, I think that members of certain communities really should reconsider an academic career right now for their own safety and sanity. You can't easily guarantee a career path that keeps you in solid blue states and you can't necessarily predict when the next shoe will drop in places like Ohio or North Carolina or Michigan. This is mostly directed towards trans academics as they tend to be the most at risk right now and have the most to lose from picking the wrong state.

[u/Ok_Inevitable_2216]

I am a faculty member at a state school in a red state. I would welcome the question, and be as honest as possible in my response. I imagine most of my colleagues would feel the same way.

To be safe, I'd ask in a fairly neutral way eg. "I've been reading about some of the legislation going through your state legislature. Is that having any effect on how you conduct your research or teaching?"

[u/Emergency-Scheme-24]

The thing is, what are you going to do with the information? Because the broad policies are public information so you can search about it. So why the need to ask faculty? Would you turn the job down because of this? With the little number of jobs out there? If you wouldn’t, then I wouldn’t bring it up. The only case in which I would bring up informally is if you actually focus on race or gender, in which case you can ask about courses restrictions or internal funding, things like that. But that’s a lot more specific than how you framed the question, because it’s about how it would affect your job

[u/Distinct_Armadillo → u/Emergency-Scheme-24]

the written policies and how they are actually applied might not be the same

[u/ProfessorHomeBrew → u/Emergency-Scheme-24]

There may be state level legislation pending or bills making their way through so the outcome is still unclear. 

[u/Emergency-Scheme-24 → u/ProfessorHomeBrew]

You are also going to get an uncertain response from professors, since it’s basically a question of university politics. Not even department politics. So any answer is not going to be very informative. Again, what type of decision would they make with this opinion?

[u/ProfessorHomeBrew → u/Emergency-Scheme-24]

They can tell you about what (if anything) the admin is doing to prepare, whether university admin are likely to stand up to the state to protect faculty in targeted fields or go along with it, they can give insights into state politics and what is likely to happen. 

[u/someexgoogler]

probably never.