Publicly posting required course content and course objectives will produce a chilling effect where faculty feel pressure to self-censor the content of their courses to avoid being pulled into the political spotlight.(Photo of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carroll Hall by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)
The UNC system recently decided behind closed doors that faculty syllabi are no longer their own intellectual property and instead are public records. This is a bad thing for all North Carolinians, and here’s why.
The University is supposed to be a place where there is a free exchange of ideas, learning, and conversations that develop critical thinking. This is essential for growing a healthy workforce in North Carolina. Publicly posting course syllabi will stifle this free exchange of ideas and lead to safety concerns for campus communities.
Publicly posting required course content and course objectives can lead to the weaponization of this information. This will produce a chilling effect where faculty feel pressure to self-censor the content of their courses to avoid being pulled into the political spotlight. As a result, students will be exposed to a smaller range of viewpoints, which is antithetical to the UNC system’s own “Equality Policy.” Students need to be exposed to a range of ideas so that they can develop their own thoughts and opinions.
The content of the ideas students are exposed to should not be subject to political zeitgeist or public opinion. It should be determined by the faculty who have expertise in the issues and have developed their craft of teaching over decades.
Second, publicly posting course syllabi threatens the safety of our campus communities. We are in an era of political extremism, where disagreement about ideas can lead to online doxxing, terminations of employment, and physical intimidation and violence. Politically motivated shootings, disrupted lectures, and doxxing of faculty are already happening around the country. Publicly posting course syllabi only increases access to sensitive information by bad actors. This is a real security concern that can be avoided.
Our students deserve to learn in safe environments where viewpoint diversity is celebrated. Our faculty deserve to teach in environments where their safety is paramount and their expertise is lauded. Publicly posting syllabi supports neither of these goals. Instead, it deepens division, stifles creativity and innovation, and stokes fear that can lead to tangible harm for our campus communities.
Ultimately, this move by the UNC system will worsen the UNC system and North Carolina will suffer as a result. Please reach out to UNC System Office to express your disfavor of this policy.
Annelise Mennicke is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who studies violence prevention. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Caitlin Schroering is a sociologist and an assistant professor at UNC Charlotte. She lives in Charlotte, NC. The views expressed herein are their own and do not represent the university.
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