The Academic Freedom Podcast

About The Academic Freedom Podcast

The official podcast of the Academic Freedom Alliance, a nonpartisan and ideologically diverse coalition of faculty members committed to defending free speech in academia. We interview a diverse array of scholars about the latest developments in the academic freedom movement, from breaking news, to precedent-setting court cases, to modern takes on the timeless principles that underlie professorial free speech. Learn more about the AFA at www.AcademicFreedom.org.

Publisher

AcademicFreedom

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Jun 2021

Latest episode

18 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Aug 2026

   On the Rising Challenges to Academic Freedom Across the Globe

   Keith Whittington is joined by Sunil Amrith, the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University and a leader of the Yale chapter of the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR). SAR is an international network of institutions and individuals whose mission is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom, in part by arranging temporary academic positions for individuals facing grave threats at their home institutions and countries. Professor Amrith discusses the program, its history, its recent Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, and the challenges facing academic freedom across the globe.

2. 

   21 Jul 2026

   On the Pernell Decision: Stopping the Stop WOKE Act

   Keith Whittington is joined by Greg Greubel, a senior attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and one of the lead attorneys who argued the case against Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act restrictions of faculty speech in public university classrooms. The 11th Circuit just handed down an opinion in that case, Pernell v. Florida Board of Governors. It is one of the most consequential academic freedom cases of recent years. They discuss the case, the constitutional doctrine relating to academic freedom, and the implications of the opinion for the future.

3. 

   22 Jun 2026

   The Opinionated University: A Conversation with Brian Soucek

   Keith Whittington is joined by Brian Soucek, the Martin Luther King J. Professor of Law at the University of California at Davis School of Law and a member of the American Association of University Professors’ Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. They discuss his recent book, The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education. They discuss diversity initiatives at American universities, institutional speech by academic departments and universities, and their relation to academic freedom and the mission of the university.

Who has been a guest on The Academic Freedom Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Brian Galle
• Daniel Hemel
• Michael Berube
• Jennifer Ruth
• Timothy Zick

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

11 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

18

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact The Academic Freedom Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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  Advisory Opinions

Questions about The Academic Freedom Podcast