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The New Academic Freedom and Its Effects on Higher Education

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The idea of “academic freedom” in American higher education is a fairly new concept. Before a recent change in educational practices, religious ideals were deeply rooted in higher education curriculum. By the late-twentieth century, however, the idea of academic freedom became more prevalent across the higher education community. As a result, the influence of religion played a lesser role in the development of curriculum across colleges and universities as professors seized their newly granted academic freedom. With the advent of the modern liberal movement in the United States, the atmosphere in colleges and universities has become increasingly oppressive of Christianity in the name of “academic freedom”. This issue was effectively …show more content…

According to Buckley, such anti-Christian attitudes were prevalent across all departments at Yale University, even the Department of Religion itself. Because Buckley provides an analysis of the state of Yale’s religious attitudes from personal experiences, God and Man at Yale is written entirely in a first person point-of-view. Throughout his account, Buckley offers a broad span of examples in demonstrating the extreme secularism present at Yale in the 1950s, as well as when he addresses the state of academic freedom there. In his section on academic freedom, Buckley offers his point of view on the issue, saying, “I believe it to be an indisputable fact that most colleges and universities… cannot practice, and cannot even believe what they say about education and academic freedom” (Buckley 145). He argues that institutions of higher education push the idea of academic freedom when it is nearly impossible to achieve in practice. Throughout the book, Buckley provides a breadth of insight into the state of religion and academic freedom at Yale using examples as he did above when discussing a variety of issues. Through using a first person point-of-view, Buckley effectively grasps the reader’s attention and helps relate his experiences to those who have experienced an educator who minimizes one’s beliefs. In

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