The Practice of Academic Freedom in Classroom Speech in U.S. Catholic Higher Education: A Case Study with Suggestions Concerning Religious Mission

This article reports a case study of seventeen faculty leaders teaching at a Catholic university who responded to a questionnaire concerning academic freedom and its practice in classroom speech. Situating the responses within a heuristic model, this article offers a portrait that provides insight into how these faculty leaders define academic freedom and its practice in classroom speech. The article closes with suggestions to administrators about how they might address the anxiety of faculty members who do not understand what academic freedom means in light of the American Association of University Professors' policy and "Ex corde Ecclesiae" or who were hired without a clear understanding of the university's religious mission.