The next part of the seminar series on academic freedom is completed
The first seminar in the series on academic freedom was a success with 70 people in attendance and about 300 viewers on Youtube. The next seminar will take place in Sundsvall in connection with the academic ceremony on 3 October.
The theme is the autonomy of universities, i.e. the form of governance and the importance of being government agencies.
Why have you chosen that theme?
"The issue of autonomy is one of the core issues in academic freedom, but has not been included in legislation in Sweden. From an international perspective, universities in Sweden have relatively low autonomy. The fact that they are government agencies also restricts academic freedom in several areas. The seminar will include discussions both on autonomy and the consequences of the form of government for academic freedom and the universities' working methods," says Deputy Vice-Chancellor Anna Olofsson.
Two external and one internal speakers
As last time, there will be two external speakers and one internal. External speakers are Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg, Professor of Political Science at Uppsala University and Björn Brorström, Professor of Business Administration and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Borås. Shirin Ahlbäck Öberg will speak on the theme "Academic freedom in Sweden – freedom without guardrails?" and Björn Brorström will talk about the theme "Academic freedom is everyone's responsibility: About doing instead of talking".
The internal speaker is Louise Beskow, University Director, who will speak from an administrative perspective. The seminar ends with a discussion between the speakers and the opportunity for questions from the audience.
The seminar series is aimed at all employees and students.
Why is it important for staff and students to participate in the seminars?
" Academic freedom affects all our activities, and a lively discussion about what it means and how we can contribute to preserving and strengthening it both internally and in society at large is important," says Anna Olofsson.
" The fact that there were so many people who participated in the first seminar is great and it shows the importance of arranging the seminar series.
The seminar on October 3 will also be livestreamed, it will also be followed by a post-seminar.
Third seminar to be held in December
In the third week of December, the third part of the seminar series will be arranged. The theme is threats and hatred in academia, with a particular focus on researchers who can no longer be active in their subjects or in their countries.
Helen Lindholm, Professor of Peace and Development Stages at the University of Gothenburg and Associate Professor Ayse Serdar, Istanbul Technical University, former SAR researcher at Mid Sweden University, are booked. From Mid Sweden University, it is clear that Katarina Giritli Nygren, professor of sociology, will give a lecture.