Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Education Policy (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Education Reform

Advisor/Mentor

Maranto, Robert A.

Committee Member

Cheng, Albert A.

Second Committee Member

Wolf, Patrick J.

Keywords

Antisemitism; Education policy; Jew

Abstract

Since October 7, 2023, there has been a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents on American college campuses, highlighting the urgency for additional research on this issue. Chapter Two examines Jewish students' perspectives on freedom of speech on college campuses, using a 2022 survey of 44,847 undergraduate students on 208 campuses conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE, 2022). The survey reveals that Jewish students often feel inhibited in expressing their opinions due to potential reactions from peers, professors, or their campus administration. Jewish students’ comfort levels increase when there are more fellow Jewish students on campus. Additionally, Jewish students are more hesitant than non-Jewish students to voice unpopular opinions on social media. A significant disparity is observed in their views on discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Jewish students being nearly 30 percentage points likelier than their non-Jewish peers to find such conversations challenging on campus. While these results may vary since the events of Fall 2023, they shed light on the freedom of speech environment for Jewish students and point to areas of concern for educators and policymakers striving for inclusive and secure campus settings. Chapter Three builds on our prior research exploring the concept of freedom of speech on college campuses (Harris & Maranto, 2024), with a particular focus on Ivy League universities due to their relative influence. The findings reveal several key insights regarding students' experiences and perspectives about freedom of speech at Ivy League institutions when compared to non-Ivy League colleges. We find that Ivy League students demonstrate relatively higher tolerance for a campus speaker proposing that “getting rid of inequality is more important than protecting the so called ‘right’ to free speech.” We also find that Jewish students, particularly at Ivy League institutions, feel less comfortable expressing unpopular opinions on social media. Productive discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are more challenging to have at Ivy League colleges, hindering meaningful dialogue at our most influential institutions. Virtually no studies investigate the benefits of educational initiatives that aim to address antisemitism as well as the effectiveness of study abroad programs to Israel. Therefore, to fill this gap, in Chapter Four, we have conducted a randomized control trial to evaluate the impact of a ten-day study abroad trip to Israel on perceptions of antisemitism as well as attitudes about Israel. For our experiment, we recruited 22 students from an American public university and 24 educators from across the United States. Students and educators randomly selected to travel to Israel on a study abroad trip received the opportunity to learn about Israeli culture, history, language, and public policy. We found that the trip increased awareness of antisemitism and resulted in more positive attitudes towards Israel and Jews. Our findings lend empirical support to the benefits of study abroad programs as an effective intervention to counter antisemitism.

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