2018 Speaker and Panelists

Sigal Ben-Porath

SPEAKER

Sigal Ben-Porath received her doctorate in political philosophy from Tel Aviv University in 2000, after which she joined Princeton University’s Center for Human Values as a post-doctoral fellow. In 2004, she moved to the University of Pennsylvania where she is currently a professor of education, philosophy, and political science. Her most recent book is Free Speech on Campus (Penn Press, 2017), and her previous books include Citizenship under Fire: Democratic Education in Times of Conflict (2006) and Tough Choices (2010), both from Princeton University Press. Sigal serves on the board of The Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy, as well as the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia. She has been chairing the University of Pennsylvania’s Committee on Open Expression since 2015. 

 

Paul Axelrod

PANELIST

Paul Axelrod is a retired York University professor and former dean of York’s Faculty of Education. He has written widely on the history and policy development of schooling and higher education. Paul is the author or editor of nine books, including Values in Conflict: The University, the Marketplace, and the Trials of Liberal Education; The Promise of Schooling, Education in Canada, 1800-1914; and Making Policy in Turbulent Times: Challenges and Prospects for Higher Education (co-editor).

Shree Paradkar

PANELIST

Shree Paradkar writes about discrimination and identity issues for the Toronto Star, focussing on intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender. Her writing aims to shine an uncomfortable spotlight on how unequally we treat those who live in our societies, even as we claim lofty egalitarianism. Shree is a seasoned international journalist who has worked in leading newsrooms in Bangalore, Mumbai, Singapore, and Toronto. 

Scott Jaschik

PANELIST

Scott Jaschik is one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed. With Doug Lederman, he leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, career advice, blogs, and other features. Scott is a leading voice on higher education issues, quoted regularly in publications nationwide, and publishing articles in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon. He serves on the board of the Education Writers Association.

Jasmin Zine

PANELIST

Jasmin Zine is a professor of Sociology and the Muslim Studies Option at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of critical Muslim studies, Islamophobia studies, race/anti-racism, postcolonial / anti-colonial studies, social justice education, decolonizing research, and critical ethnography. Her books include: Canadian Islamic Schools: Unraveling the Politics of Faith, Gender, Knowledge and Identity (2008, University of Toronto Press), the edited collection, Islam in the Hinterlands: Muslim Cultural Politics in Canada (2012, University of British Columbia Press), and a co-edited book with Lisa K. Taylor, Muslim Women, Transnational Feminism and the Ethics of Pedagogy: Contested Imaginaries in post-9/11 Cultural Practice (2014, Routledge Press).

Simona Chiose

MODERATOR

Simona Chiose covers universities and colleges for The Globe and Mail where she has written hundreds of articles about university finances, governance, labour relations and conflicts over academic freedom and freedom of speech. She is particularly interested in how social media drives public discussion and misunderstanding of freedom of speech on campus.