This FSO funded project project was designed to contribute to the general debate and culture of inclusion and academic freedom at FSS and UU by working ‘bottom-up’, and program-based, from (the common analyses of) particular and concrete experiences. Currently, the materials, experiences and expertise that was the result of this project are still available to teachers who need help with creating dialogues about sensitive issues.

Background information

In our current academic context, the balance between academic freedom on the one hand and our ability to debate and confront has gained new urgency. Illustrative of this context is the discussion whether ‘woke’, or a cancel culture is threatening academic freedom, a discussion lead amongst others by our former rector magnificus: Is ‘woke’ een bedreiging voor de academische vrijheid? other examples are discussions and protests around Gaza and climate change.

Aims

The aim is to develop and continue developing a ‘living code of conduct’ or ‘code to dialogue’ for teachers and students to address sensitive issues in our teaching programs at the faculty of social sciences, as well as offering a long term commitment to a dialogical space in which this code of conduct is tested and accustomed.

Project description

Project Spaces to Code was initiated in response to emerging critical voices among students regarding the curriculum in the 2022–2023 academic year in the Master Youth Education and Society and the Bachelor Pedagogical Sciences. Initial concerns about inclusion and representation of different perspectives broadened to include questions about political expression in teaching and the university’s role in societal debates.

Dialogues between students and instructors led to the development of an initial ‘code’. This code was subsequently refined and piloted across programmes within Faculty Social Sciences (2023–2025), using discussion-based sessions around a fictional yet reality-based case.

This project was carried out with contributions from students and instructors from the Bachelor Pedagogische Wetenschappen (project leader Dr. Paul Baar), de Master Youth, Education & Society (project leader Dr. Semiha Bekir) and Bachelor and Master Onderwijswetenschappen (project leader Prof. Dr. Jeroen Janssen)

Results and conclusion

The guidelines, lessons learned and available tools for peers, back ground information on the topic as well as invitation to collaborate are presented on this website.