UC Berkeley reinstates class on Palestine following outcry over its suspension [View all]
Source: The Guardian
UC Berkeley reinstates class on Palestine following outcry over its suspension
The controversial class was halted after complaints it was
antisemitic and anti-Israel, but critics said the suspension
threatened academic freedom
Sam Levin in San Francisco
Monday 19 September 2016 22.36 BST
The University of California, Berkeley has reinstated a controversial course examining Palestine through the lens of settler colonialism after facing intense backlash that it was stifling academic freedom.
A coalition of Jewish organizations had launched a campaign against the course, claiming it was antisemitic and anti-Israel, and last week the elite school suspended the class, saying it did not receive a sufficient degree of scrutiny.
But on Monday, UC Berkeley announced that a review had determined the course does not cross the line between teaching and political advocacy and organizing.
Im hoping that this will make the administration think twice before they respond to outside political pressure, said undergraduate Paul Hadweh, who created the course, which is part of a UC Berkeley program that allows students to teach classes to their peers.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/19/uc-berkeley-palestine-class-controversy