Michel DeGraff, a tenured M.I.T. linguistics professor and vocal pro-Palestinian activist, proposed a course titled "Language and Linguistics for Decolonization and Liberation and for Peace and Community Building — From the River to the Sea in Palestine and Israel to the Mountaintops of Haiti and Beyond" following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. An M.I.T. panel rejected the course over concerns about his expertise. Dr. DeGraff protested the decision, accusing the university of "new McCarthyism" and violating his academic freedom. He filed a federal lawsuit and made internal communications public.
M.I.T. denied his claims in legal filings and declined further comment. Critics include a Jewish former student who sued him for harassment and a U.S. House committee that accused him of perpetuating antisemitic conspiracy theories. Colleagues describe the ongoing dispute as exhausting, with personal relationships strained.
Despite the controversy, Dr. DeGraff remains employed due to tenure protections. He was removed from the linguistics section and given the title "faculty at large," which he uses satirically. For the third consecutive fall semester, he is being paid without teaching. His case reflects broader national tensions over campus speech, with similar disputes emerging at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas, and San Jose State University.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing