Academic freedom as an ethical imperative: pedagogies for teaching across difference in social work education

Social work education requires more than technical competence. It demands ethical judgment, critical reasoning, and the capacity to engage constructively with contested social issues. This article argues that academic freedom is not an abstract principle but an ethical and pedagogical imperative for social work education as a regulated, practice-based profession. In the context of neoliberal governance, accreditation pressures, and ideological polarization, academic freedom enables social work educators to design learning environments where diverse intellectual traditions including critical, decolonial, Indigenous, liberal, conservative, and faith-based perspectives can be used rigorously and ethically for preparing socially responsive practitioners. Drawing on social work pedagogy literature, this article moves beyond theory to outline teaching strategies and assessment tools that enable educators to teach contested content ethically without coercion or self-censorship while meeting accreditation and accountability requirements. By offering a practice-oriented model for teaching across difference, this article demonstrates how academic freedom strengthens professional identity formation, critical thinking, and ethical competence in social work education.