Increasingly, professors and academic leaders are called upon to exemplify courage across all aspects of their work, whether in teaching, scholarly research, service, or leadership activities within or beyond the academic realm. The need to deploy courage is especially present for women and is frequently heightened for those with intersectional identities. Now more than ever, such demonstrations of courage occur in a crucible of contested ideas of academic freedom, extensive professional and public scrutiny, verbal assaults, and even threats of physical violence. When navigating the tumult of public discourse, female academics frequently face uncertainty regarding the most suitable response: should it be bold opposition, quiet resistance, or perhaps a nuanced middle ground? Each of these choices demands courage. Courage has many meanings. What unites many of these definitions is the need to step outside of one's comfort zone and face challenges, uncertainties, or fears forthrightly. What is often not discussed is the fact that displays of courage often normalize, operationalize, or even valorize specific forms of harm remediation, all while minimizing vulnerability. This panel invites participants to contemplate the deployment of courage in various facets of their lives as law teachers, scholars and/or leaders and to reflect on how, and/or whether, courage has a place as a value in our professional lives.
The Section held a virtual business meeting prior to the Annual Meeting.