The Northern Plains Ethics Institute at NDSU is set to host a presentation by author and educator Joanna Williams, who is the education editor of spiked, an online magazine. She is scheduled to discuss “Feminism and Free Speech on Campus: Can We Have Both?” on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 3:30 p.m. in the Harry D. McGovern Alumni Center Atrium, 1241 N. University Drive. The talk is open to the public.

According to Williams, feminism and free speech increasingly appear to be in conflict. Tensions have come to forefront in campus protests against invited speakers, demands for warnings in classes that cover topics such as rape or sexual assault and speech codes that demand the rejection of sexist language and “mis-gendering” through the use of non-preferred pronouns. In her talk, Williams will explore the history and development of both feminism and free speech on campus. She argues that freedoms do not need to be curtailed in order to defend women’s rights.

Williams’ latest book, “Women Versus Feminism” will be published in October. Her previous books include “Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity” and “Consuming Higher Education: Why Learning Can’t be Bought.”

Williams has taught for more than 20 years, and most recently was director of the University of Kent’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education. She writes regularly for The Spectator and has written for numerous other publications, ranging from The Times Higher Education to the Erotic Review.

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