Jonathan Zimmerman Books

Discover the powerful history of free speech in America through Jonathan Zimmerman and Signe Wilkinson's eye-opening book. Despite our nation's commitment to liberty, censorship has been rampant throughout our history. Zimmerman and Wilkinson delve into the who's who of free speech, those who have supported it and those who have not. This brief, yet compelling work is a timely reminder of the importance of free speech in our democracy. If we allow censorship to silence anyone, we become just as oppressed.

The Amateur Hour by Jonathan Zimmerman is the eye-opening first book-length history of American college teaching. While acknowledging the perennial complaints of poor quality undergraduate instruction, Zimmerman contradicts them with new evidence. He explores how institutional efforts to improve teaching and offer a 'personal' experience for students have hampered professionalization and the development of shared standards. This book illuminates American college teaching, and makes a compelling case for restoring intimate learning communities, especially for America's least privileged students. Anyone who wants to change college teaching will have to start here.

Campus Politics delves into the recent surge of protesting and calls for restrictions on campus free speech by the political Left. Author Jonathan Zimmerman explores the dominance of psychology and trauma language in campus politics, leading to self-censorship and invective exchanges. Zimmerman breaks down the driving forces behind this dissonance and analyzes the political beliefs of US professors and students. He also discusses debates over curriculum, affirmative action, academic freedom and censorship, and tactics for balancing social justice with free speech.