Free Speech isn’t always free
The Downside to Academic Life in the United States
I can either go along and not make waves, or I can be an interesting and honest teacher who challenges students to think and learn. I’m not at all sure I can do both.
I used to have only good things to say about university teaching. When I was a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in pursuit of my MBA in Science and Technology, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Twenty years on, I switched to the other side of the lectern with the fond memory of what made for a good student experience. I have been a lecturer associated with the University of Zurich since 2013. More recently, I started a Visiting Researcher semester at Georgetown University. A lot has changed since my student days in the United States.
For one, I can see that teaching at a Swiss university is not the same as teaching in the United States, for the simple reason that free speech rights are less secure in the U.S. As a lecturer on U.S. constitutional law, it pains me to say this. But ample evidence supports my claim.
