Location

One other point worth considering is whether the trend, whereby teachers reveal their own beliefs (social, political, religious, etc) and in doing so provide students with their 'location', suggests the same should be true for students. If teachers have a responsibility to situate themselves culturally, and assuming higher education is an exchange of sorts, do students have a responsibility to 'locate' themselves in the same way?

Is an academic paper a good opportunity for them to do so?

Still working on that reading list.