Inquisitive is a new quarterly magazine published by Heterodox Academy and, as we prepare for our fourth issue, we invite you to pitch us a contribution, particularly if you are a graduate student or faculty member in a college or university. HxA members are especially encouraged to join us in this endeavor.

For inquisitive, we take a “small plate” intellectual approach to topics that implicate the principles HxA advocates for in higher education: open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. In addition to regular features (described below), each issue includes 4-7 articles tied to a single theme—although not necessarily tied to each other.

The theme for our fourth issue is “Class.” That’s in part because the publication of this volume in September 2025 will coincide with the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.

We seek pitches for articles and essays in the range of 350-2,000 words (not counting references). We’re interested in the whole range of potential topics on the theme of “class” in higher education as it relates to open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. Examples include:

• caste systems in (and/or surrounding) academia

• categorizations and their discontents

• norms of “classiness” in higher education

• displays of class

• stories of “best in class”

• specific pedagogical issues/experiences/ideas

• DEI with regard to socioeconomic class of faculty and/or students

• classification systems in higher research and education, including journal rankings, tiers of universities/colleges, etc.

Don’t feel limited by these examples. We value creativity, unexpected ideas, and smart cross-talk that supersedes boundaries.

In your pitch for a theme-related contribution, be prepared to tell us:

• the topic you intend to explore (be very specific) and how it relates to the theme

• how your chosen topic implicates open inquiry, academic freedom, viewpoint diversity, and/or constructive disagreement in higher education, if it isn’t already obvious

• your thesis (argument), if your contribution will have one

• the approach you’ll take (data-science driven, historical, journalistic, autobiographical, employing legal analysis, etc.)

• how many words you expect your contribution would be (excluding references)

• If others have written on this topic, how your take is unique

Pitches that do not address these factors will not be considered.

Please note that inquisitive also seeks pitches for our regular features. Pitches for regular features need not be tied to an issue’s theme. Our regular features include:

• field guides to academic disciplines

• a books column

• “Back in the Day,” in which episodes in the history of open inquiry in higher education are recounted

• “The Heterodox Life,” featuring first-person essays by academics (or former academics) centering on unique personal experiences that bring to life the importance of HxA’s mission

Want to pitch a theme-related contribution or an idea for one of our regular features or have questions? Write to our managing editor Alice Dreger at editor@heterodoxacademy.org.

The submission deadline for pitches for issue #4 is April 7, 2025. Decisions will be made by April 15 with full submissions due by June 16 and publication in early September 2025.