During ordinary times, scholars and faculty members at colleges and universities have the dual responsibilities of pursuing knowledge, engaging in critical thinking, and fostering intellectual growth on the one hand and, on the other, preserving human dignity and participating in public discourse on critical societal issues.

Today, American Democracy is under a coordinated assault that undermines democratic practices and promotes authoritarian rule.

The question that arises is “What should be the role of scholars and faculty during these dark times?” Should they remain silent about the undermining of democracy, or should they shed light on the steps taken toward authoritarianism and the dangers they pose to American society?

Rubén O. Martinez

Hosted by Emeritus Professor Rubén O. Martinez. Dr. Martinez is an emeritus professor at Michigan State University, where he also served as director of The Julian Samora Research Institute. He is the editor of the Latino in the United States book series and has published several books, including a special issue titled Diálogo on Latina/os in the Midwest and co-edited a volume of Occupational Health Disparities among Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Formulating Research Needs and Directions. He has co-authored several other books, including “A Brief History of Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, MI,” “Chicanos and Higher Education,” and “Diversity Leadership in Higher Education.” He is the founder of FutureU.

With panel members.

Adrian Lenardic

Professor Adrian Lenardic. Adrian Lenardic is a Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, based in the Rice Space Institute. He teaches courses in modeling and design, visualizing nature, and planetary science. His research focuses on geodynamics, geophysics, and planetary science, particularly interactions between Earth’s interior and surface environments, model development, and tectonic processes. He was born in Zagreb, Croatia (and rarely misses a Croatian soccer match). His BSc is from UW-Madison, where he was an art major before switching to physics. His PhD is from UCLA, where he was introduced to planetary science. Adrian’s scientific research focuses on understanding interactions between the Earth’s interior and surface environments, model development, and multiple tangent meanderings.

Jennifer Ruth

Professor Jennifer Ruth. Jennifer Ruth is Professor of Film and Associate Dean in the College of the Arts at Portland State University (PSU). She teaches courses in film history, theory, and interpretation, as well as topics courses on sinophone cinema, global art film, and the cinemas of China, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Her scholarly work spans film studies, Victorian literature, and higher education policy. Her 2006 book, Novel Professions: Interested Disinterest and the Making of the Professional in the Victorian Novel (Ohio State University Press), explores the emergence of professional identity in Victorian fiction. She has also published on modernist and fin-de-siècle British culture, including Modernism, Romance, and the Fin de Siecle: Popular Fiction and British Culture, 1880–1914.

Nathan Rousseau

Professor Nathan Rousseau. Nathan Rousseau is a professor of sociology at Indiana University, Columbus. He earned a PhD in sociology at the University of Oregon. While in graduate school, he attended seminars given by Albert Ellis, Carl Rogers, Angela Davis, Jacob Needleman, Maurice Friedman, Alan W. Anderson, J. Krishnamurti, Herbert Guenther, and Benton Johnson, and became engaged in civil rights activities, including organizing events in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., raising awareness about human trafficking, and serving as a Human Rights Commissioner. First appointed at Jacksonville University and now at IU Columbus, he remains interested in civil rights, trends in higher education, and the sociology of mental health. My current research is on race and ethnic relations and neoliberalism in higher education.

John W. Traphagan

Professor John W. Traphagen. John W. Traphagan is Professor Emeritus of Human Dimensions of Organizations and Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Professor of Religious Studies and a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Fellow at UT Austin. His academic career has spanned anthropology, religious studies, and the cultural dimensions of science. He has held positions at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Michigan (as a National Institute on Aging Postdoctoral Fellow and research affiliate), and California State University, Fullerton. He has been a visiting scholar at institutions including Arizona State University, Waseda University, Clark University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His publications include Rethinking Autonomy: A Critique of Principlism in Biomedical Ethics (2013) and Depopulation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in 21st-Century Japan (2020).

Video produced by Frank A. Fear, professor emeritus at Michigan State University and Managing Editor of FutureU.

From The Authoritarian Playbook: Professors Defend Academic Freedom (KALY, Bay Area, 91.7 FM)