MOVING TO FRONT FROM JUNE 9–UPDATED WITH A TRANSLATION OF THE PROPOSED CODE
You would think this was happening in Hungary, but it's not. Even the AAUP statement on academic freedom cautions that teachers "should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject," but this code goes well beyond that. As legal scholar and philosopher Alon Harel (Hebrew U) wrote to me:
The Minister of Education Mr. Naftali Bennet asked Professor Asa Kasher to develop an ethics code for Israeli universities. The basic idea underlying the code was to control political activities in the universities. Professor Kasher has written a code which limits political activities of the academic stuff.
For instance, it prohibits acting in ways that are "damaging knowingly and intentionally to the institution or to the staff or are detrimental to the reputation of the university." Naturally, almost any criticism of the institution can fall under this rubric. It prohibits a person from boycotting an Israeli university or supporting the boycott of any Israeli university or college including Ariel in the territories. It allows a stuff member of a university to participate in a political activity as long as "this is not naturally interpreted as identification of the institution or the department with the political cause". It allows the institution to impose restrictions on the scope of research. And this is only a small part of this document.
This is a horrible proposal which, if accepted, will destroy academic freedom in Israel. I have a copy of this atrocious document in Hebrew which I am willing to share with Hebrew speakers. Please raise your voice against the adoption of this document and write to the heads of the universities the Minister of education and whoever you know has power or influence in Israel.
Comments are open for suggestions about whom to contact in Israel to oppose this initiative, which would, indeed, destroy one of Israel's treasures, its outstanding university system.
UPDATE: More on the proposed code in Haaretz (you can register for free to read it). (Thanks to David Enoch for the pointer.)
ANOTHER: Alon Harel has forwarded a translation of the proposed Code: Download Rules for Appropriate Conduct where Academic Activities Overlap with Political Activities. A lot of the Code is benign, and echoes the AAUP statement on academic freedom. Others parts are not: B(2) regarding "diversity" in subject-matter is frought with the potential for mischief (so, too, C(3) regarding teaching survey courses); B(4)'s provision that, "An academic unit will hold academic conferences, for the promotion of research or for the education of the students and the general public, only in a manner that is not naturally interpreted as political activity," is fraught with ambiguity ("naturally interpreted"?); C(5) is a license for student grievances against faculty, regardless of merit; C(10) would, in America, be "void for vagueness":
The faculty member may participate in a political demonstration or any other political activity, on the institutions’ campus and outside the context of academic teaching, only if the demonstration or other activity will not be interpreted as an identification of the institution, an academic unit thereof, or the faculty of the institution or the unit, with a political cause, or as allowing political activity under its auspices.
"Interpreted" by whom and on what basis? C(11-13) are the most dangerous provisions, imposing vague obligations upon faculty to protect the "reputation" of their institutions and also forbidding adoption of certain viewpoints. Overall, it is quite clear that this document is meant to empower administrators to micromanage teaching, research and political activities of faculty outside the classroom.
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