Dissent on Campus

media release: Police violence, the war in Gaza, and reproductive rights are among the events fueling campus protests and demonstrations in recent months (and years). But what exactly does dissent on campus look like today? In collaboration with the Human Rights Program, this Humanities NOW discussion will dive deep—beyond the events that fuel dissent—to explore the politics, strategies, vulnerabilities, and histories of student, faculty, and staff protests at UW-Madison and other academic institutions. We’ll talk about the political and philosophical value of dissent and how it’s linked to both liberal and epistemic conceptions of injustice. We’ll also discuss how dissent on campus is policed from both a legal and social perspective.

As we witness demonstrations of dissent at universities and institutions across the country, and as we navigate the new “expressive activity” policies here at UW-Madison, we invite you to join us in this timely conversation about injustice, free speech, external pressures, institutional organizing—and about hearing one another. We’ll have ample time for audience Q&A following the discussion. The conversation is free and open to all.

We’ll be joined by four esteemed panelists:

• Amadi Ozier (Department of English)
• Franciska Coleman (Law School)
• Michelle Schwarze (Department of Political Science)
• Patrick Iber (Department of History)
• Moderated by Russ Castronovo, director of the Center for the Humanities, Hilldale Professor of the Humanities and Tom Paine Professor of English

About the Human Rights Program: The Human Rights Program, based in the UW-Madison Law School, seeks to synergize existing resources in a way that creates a unique research platform for a wide range of scholars and students on campus while promoting a significant institutional innovation that will help to strengthen and sustain human rights as an important dimension of our international capabilities. The Human Rights Program is supported by the International Division and coordinated by the Global Legal Studies Center.