Journal of Academic Freedom Call for Papers

Dear Colleague,

The American Association of University Professors' Journal of Academic Freedom--a peer-reviewed, online, open access publication--is accepting submissions of scholarly articles for potential inclusion in its 2015 issue.

The AAUP’s Journal of Academic Freedom welcomes essays on Steven Salaita’s “de-hiring” by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the aftermath of the decision by UIUC chancellor Phyllis Wise and the board of trustees to withdraw the offer of a tenured position in the Native American Indian Studies program.

The Salaita case raises serious issues related to the AAUP’s 2011 recommendations on the hiring of politically controversial professors; the AAUP’s recently revised guidelines regarding electronic communications and the use of social media; the AAUP’s policies regarding the criterion of “collegiality” in tenure and promotion; and, not least, its guidance on the role of chancellors and trustees in faculty decision-making.

Essays that draw out these implications are especially welcome. Essays should not confine themselves to supporting or challenging the decisions made by Chancellor Wise and the board of trustees; on the contrary, essays should ideally expand on the broader implications of those decisions–for academic freedom, for extramural speech, for professors’ use of social media, and for the relations between faculty, administration, and trustees.

In addition to seeking scholarly papers relating to these topics, the Journal of Academic Freedom continues to welcome submissions on eclectic subjects relating to academic freedom.

The full Call for Papers, including submission guidelines, may be found at http://www.aaup.org/reports-publications/journal-academic-freedom/2015-call-papers.

Electronic submissions should be sent to jaf@aaup.org and must include an abstract of around 150 words. The Journal uses the sixteenth edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, and authors should anticipate that, if an article is accepted for publication, it will need to be edited for Chicago style.

The due date for papers is March 15, 2015. An invitation to submit an article does not guarantee publication; the Journal of Academic Freedom is under no requirement to publish any submission.

The Journal of Academic Freedom discourages the following:

• Submissions primarily devoted to specific ongoing disputes involving individuals and their colleges or universities, except in cases of national significance. In such cases, submissions should focus on the wider implications and lessons.
• Submissions that are primarily focused on another national higher education group or union.
• Submissions primarily devoted to specific ongoing disputes involving individuals and AAUP entities including chapters, conferences, or affiliates. However, productive self-reflection and critique of an AAUP entity's successes and failures are welcome.
• Submissions of material previously published elsewhere. Such submissions must be clearly marked as previously published material.