“We’re actually a department that has developed a number of online and blended courses,” she said. “We are prepared to use all kinds of tools to engage our students, but we want to engage our students.”

In a letter responding to the concerns, Sandel acknowledged issues inherent in online courses replacing traditional classroom courses, but wrote that his goal was “simply to make an educational resource freely available.”

“The worry that the widespread use of online courses will damage departments in public universities facing budgetary pressures is a legitimate concern that deserves serious debate,” he wrote. “The last thing I want is for my online lectures to be used to undermine faculty colleagues at other institutions.”

Jeff Neal, a spokesperson for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, defended edX in a statement approved by FAS Dean Michael D. Smith.

“While Harvard students are fortunate to be able to attend Professor Sandel’s courses on campus, we expect that learners beyond our campus will continue to benefit from the ability to view them online, whether individually or as part of coursework at another educational institution,” he wrote.

But SJSU philosophy professors remain steadfast.

“I could retire tomorrow. I don’t need this job, but our students need us,” Manning said.

—Staff writer Amna H. Hashmi can be reached at amnahashmi@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @amna_hashmi.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: May 3, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith authored a statement defending edX, due to erroneous information provided by Harvard spokesperson Jeff Neal. In fact, while Smith approved the statement, Neal authored it.