Student review [#102068] for BA in Journalism and Media Studies: Journalism
at Anglo-American University - AAU

I greatly enjoyed my time at AAU and remain very grateful for the experience. One area where I believe the university could improve, however, is in the structure and substance of first-semester orientation.

Many students who choose to study at AAU arrive in Prague without having previously encountered a wide diversity of political, cultural, or philosophical perspectives. While exposure to those differences is one of the greatest benefits of studying abroad, AAU can at times unintentionally foster a somewhat socially and intellectually homogeneous environment. Because of this, I believe the university should place greater emphasis on cultivating a campus culture that encourages open dialogue across differences.

A number of universities in the United States have adopted institutional statements or orientation programs centered on free inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and civil discourse. Examples include the “Chicago Principles” first articulated by University of Chicago, which affirm the university’s commitment to free expression and the open exchange of ideas, as well as orientation initiatives at schools such as Purdue University and Arizona State University that emphasize respectful disagreement and intellectual pluralism as central to academic life.

AAU could benefit from implementing something similar: perhaps a dialogue-across-differences workshop during orientation, alongside a university values statement that students sign acknowledging their responsibility to engage respectfully with disagreement and to recognize that the pursuit of truth requires intellectual plurality and viewpoint diversity.

I also believe there should be clear policies and procedures in place for situations where students or organizations undermine these principles through harassment, exclusion, or attempts to silence differing viewpoints. Likewise, all recognized campus groups should affirm the same institutional commitment to open inquiry and respectful engagement as part of their recognition process.