Title: Should economics educators care about students' academic freedom?

Authors: Robert F. Garnett, Michael R. Butler

Addresses: Department of Economics, Texas Christian University, Box 298510, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA. ' Department of Economics, Texas Christian University, Box 298510, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA

Abstract: Is it the duty of economics educators to help their students achieve a threshold level of intellectual independence? Should the learning goals of the undergraduate economics major include the ability to think for oneself – to reach reasoned conclusions – in the face of analytical, empirical and normative uncertainties? The authors examine these ethical questions through the lens of academic freedom, specifically the academic freedom of students. They argue that academic freedom provides a robust rationale for extending the standard educational goal of |thinking like an economist| to include the liberal art of reflective judgment.

Keywords: economics education; economic education; academic freedom; academic rights; academic duties; intellectual freedom; liberal education; reflective judgment; critical thinking; pluralism.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2009.028971

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2009 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.148 - 160

Published online: 16 Oct 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article