An Interview with Alan Dershowitz

John K. Wilson asked Alan Dershowitz to respond to some questions via email about his role in the denial of tenure to Norman Finkelstein. With the exception of correcting Dershowitz’s mistake of referring to Peter Novick as “Michael,” his full and unedited response is below. Here are the questions:

The Tenure Denial of Norman Finkelstein

By Peter Kirstein DePaul University denied Dr. Norman Finkelstein tenure and promotion to associate professor on Friday, June 8, 2007. I posted on my blog several leaked documents, none from Finkelstein I might add, including College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Chuck Suchar’s infamous non-recommendation for tenure. I was attending the AAUP annual meeting…

Finkelstein, Academic Freedom, and a Demand to Fire Professors

Five years ago this week, DePaul University denied tenure to political scientist Norman Finkelstein (pdf of tenure denial letter). To mark the anniversary of this important academic freedom case, Academe Blog will have essays by Peter Kirstein and DePaul professor Matthew Abraham, and interviews with Norman Finkelstein and Alan Dershowitz. Finkelstein remains a figure who…

“Assessment as a Subversive Activity”

The 2011 volume of the AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom contained two articles—by John Champagne and John Powell—critical of “the relentlessly expanding assessment movement.” In response, Berea College professor Dave Porter describes his own extensive experience with assessment, arguing that assessment is about creating a culture of evidence that is much more than merely collecting…

Academic Freedom: The View from Mauritius

Ramola Ramtohul is a professor of Social Studies at the University of Mauritius. In addition to surveying Mauritian university and higher ed landscape, Professor Ramtohul describes the precarious state of academic freedom in the country. Academic freedom is stronger than in most other African nations, but government authorities monitor academics closely, leading to a “chilling…

Academic Freedom in Algeria

New in the AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom: “Academic Freedom in Principle and Practice: The Case of Algeria.” Malika Rebai Maamri describes a great effort by Algeria’s president to improve the quality and availability of higher education. But despite many new institutions, articulation of democratic ideals, and resources to support higher education, things have gone awry.…

A New Look at the Dismissal of Ralph Turner

The 1920s and 1930s were a period of struggle at the University of Pittsburgh, with no tenure or due process rights for faculty and an autocratic chancellor focused on fundraising. When, in 1934, professor Ralph Turner was abruptly dismissed from his post, AAUP and state investigations ensued and speculation abounded. Was Turner dismissed because of…