Saturday, March 02, 2013

Singapore professor denied tenure, sparks academic freedom debate...

A Singaporean university has denied tenure for a second time to an outspoken journalism professor known for his critical political commentary, prompting some scholars and students to accuse the school of curtailing academic freedom.

They say that the Nanyang Technological University has no grounds for refusing to grant a permanent position to Cherian George, an academic who they say has produced acclaimed work on Singaporean media and politics. Mr. George, an associate professor of journalism, had his first tenure application rejected in 2009.

The accusations have revived debate over academic freedom in Singapore, a tightly regulated city-state that imposes restrictions on public assembly and limitations on free speech.

NTU’s decision was first reported Sunday by Cardiff University journalism professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, who had reviewed Mr. George’s application as an external expert. Calling the decision “an outrage” on her Twitter page, Ms. Wahl-Jorgensen described Mr. George as “one of the foremost public intellectuals in Singapore [who was] denied tenure because he sometimes expresses political opinions.” Full story...

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