16.2.6. ACADEMIC FREEDOM POLICY
16.2.6. ACADEMIC FREEDOM POLICY
Adopted policy: 2021
Last reviewed: 2025
- Purpose
This policy establishes TSUOS’s commitment to ensuring that all academic staff—senior and junior—have freedom to choose research areas, teach and speak publicly on their research, and engage in critical inquiry without undue restriction. It supports an environment of open scholarship, teaching excellence, and intellectual integrity, in line with national policy on academic and institutional autonomy (e.g., PQ‑60 and PQ‑61 of 24 December 2021).
- Scope
This policy covers:
- Senior academic staff (professors, associate professors)
- Junior academic staff (lecturers, assistant lecturers)
- Teaching activities (courses, seminars, public lectures) for both senior and junior academics
- Research activities (individual-led projects, team‑led research) for both senior and junior academics
- Definitions
- Academic freedom (research): The right for academics to choose, carry out, disseminate, and publish research without undue internal or external interference.
- Academic freedom (teaching): The right for academics to determine teaching content, methods, and public discourse on their field of expertise.
- Senior academic: A professor or associate professor with a permanent or tenure‑equivalent position.
- Junior academic: A lecturer, assistant lecturer, or early‑career researcher with a non‑senior academic appointment.
At Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, several Dissertation Councils operate under the authorization of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan, granting the university the right to confer academic degrees (PhD and DSc).
- Dissertation Council No. 03/30.12.2019.Fil/Tar.21.01
This council was established with the right to conduct dissertation defenses in three specialties within the field of philology:
- 10.00.05 – Languages and Literature of Asian and African Peoples;
- 10.00.06 – Comparative Literary Studies, Comparative Linguistics, and Translation Studies;
- 10.00.10 – Textual Studies and Literary Source Studies.
Since its establishment in December 2019, nearly 200 dissertations (PhD and DSc) have been successfully defended within this council.
- Dissertation Council No. 03/29.12.2022.Ss/Tar.21.02
This council conducts dissertation defenses in the field of political sciences in the following specialties:
- 23.00.02 – Political Institutions, Processes, and Technologies;
- 23.00.04 – International Relations, Global and Regional Development Issues.
Additionally, the council has been granted permission to establish a one-time special dissertation committee in the specialty:
- 13.00.02 – Theory and Methodology of Education and Upbringing (Political Sciences).
- Dissertation Council No. DSc.03/31.01.2024.Т21.03
This council operates in the field of history and includes the following specialties:
- 07.00.03 – World History;
- 07.00.05 – History of International Relations and Foreign Policy;
- 07.00.08 – Historiography, Source Studies, and Methods of Historical Research.
It has also been authorized to form a one-time special dissertation committee in the specialty:
- 13.00.02 – Theory and Methodology of Education and Upbringing (History).
All Dissertation Councils at TSUOS are publicly open, meaning that any interested individual—including researchers, students, or members of the public—may attend dissertation defense sessions. The university thus ensures academic transparency and encourages public participation in scientific and educational discourse.
List of Documents to Be Submitted to the Dissertation Council.
Here is the link for Doctoral (PhD and DSc) and Master’s Dissertation Topics Formed in Accordance with New Trends and Requirements in the Development of World Science within the Expanded Research Areas and Oriental Studies Fields of TSUOS Departments:
- Policy Statements
4.1 Research Freedom
- Senior academics at TSUOS are free to choose research topics, design methodologies, publish results and speak publicly on their findings.
- Junior academics are likewise supported in selecting research areas, participating in collaborative and independent research, and disseminating outcomes through teaching, conferences and publications.
- TSUOS will not restrict research topics on arbitrary grounds, and will ensure institutional structures support research freedom, in accordance with national autonomy frameworks such as PQ‑60.
4.2 Teaching Freedom
- Senior academics are free to determine teaching approaches, select relevant content, and engage students in open discourse, within institutional standards.
- Junior academics are provided the same rights, along with mentorship and opportunities to develop teaching innovation, public engagement, and course development.
- The university supports both senior and junior academics in organising public lectures, seminars and outreach activities in line with their disciplinary expertise.
4.3 Institutional Support & Autonomy
- TSUOS affirms its commitment to academic and organisational autonomy as spelt out in PQ‑60, ensuring that curricula, qualifications, teaching languages and fields are determined by the institution.
- The university shall provide resources, infrastructure, and administrative frameworks that uphold academic freedom for staff at all levels.
4.4 Public Engagement & Expression
- Academics have the right to engage publicly in teaching and research dissemination, including participation in conferences, publication of findings, public lectures and community engagement, provided these activities uphold the academic standards and integrity of TSUOS.
- The university encourages both senior and junior staff to contribute to public discourse, policy dialogue and knowledge‑exchange activities in their fields of expertise.
- Responsibilities
- Rector & University Leadership: endorse and ensure the implementation of this policy, protect academic freedom, allocate resources.
- Faculty Deans & Heads of Departments: ensure that senior and junior academics have opportunities and support to exercise teaching and research freedom; remove undue impediments.
- Academic Staff (senior and junior): make use of their freedom responsibly, adhere to institutional and national regulations, interact openly and ethically.
- Quality Assurance / Academic Affairs Office: monitor implementation, collect feedback from staff, ensure policy coherence with national legislation (PQ‑60/PQ‑61) and international standards.
- Procedures & Safeguards
- Periodic audit of academic programmes, research portfolios and public dissemination activities to ensure freedom is upheld.
- Mechanism for academics to raise concerns if they believe their academic freedom is being impeded.
- Institutional review of any proposed restriction on research or teaching freedom—such review must be transparent, reasoned, and aligned with policy.
- PQ‑60 “On additional measures to ensure academic and organisational‑administrative independence of state higher education institutions”.
- PQ‑61 “On measures to give financial independence to state higher education institutions”.
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