¶ … Right to Freedom of Expression Within the Walls of Educational Institutions
Educational institutions, especially those that specialize on higher education, are considered bastions of excellence where academic freedom and intellectual development are highly valued. In line with these objectives, educational institutions also aim to provide students not only with academic excellence and freedom, but healthy, yet, competitive social interaction among other students. The pursuit for academic excellence, academic freedom, and a socially healthy and competitive environment are indeed ideals that any student would want to have. However, today's social landscape has characteristically changed the composition of these academic institutions. American educational institutions have become a venue for a culturally diverse population, where people of different race, nationalities, religious and political affiliations, and socio-economic classes are put together to achieve these academic ideals. Over the years, one common problem about the cultural diverseness of these institutions have abound: the conflict between implementing freedom of speech (a form of academic freedom) and protecting these culturally diverse (i.e., non-Americans) from hateful and offensive speech (and even actions). As much as academic institutions support and encourage freedom of speech within the campus, it is always important to remember that utilizing these 'freedoms' -- that is, the freedom of expression -- must be exercised with regard to ethical considerations. These ethical considerations include freedom of expression of an individual or group without causing any harm to another individual or group. "Hate speech" can be tolerated, as long as no subsequent action has been committed by an individual or a group to another party. Thus, free speech is allowed as long as there are no occurrences of any subsequent (violent) actions. However, one guiding principle for students to follow is the fact that the freedom to express must always come with it morals and ethics, where an individual can express himself at the right context and time, and whether this expression of opinion, belief, or feeling is ethically right.
Which is the better course of action, Lawrence might ask himself. Should we censor the Westboro Baptist Church and forbid them their right to free speech, or should we allow them to express their wacky, and perhaps injurious views, and fight back with words of compassion, caring, and support. Just because we would like to make a knee-jerk, reactionary law and censor them does not make it the right
Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes The article entitled "On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes" discussed the importance and utilization of the society and people's freedom of speech in educational institutions. The article provides a thorough analysis of how the imposition of speech codes on campuses and other educational institutions can be detrimental to the implementation and proliferation of the very symbol and important element of democracy,
Intellectual Freedom in Libraries In today's academic world intellectual freedom is a very important issue. In this paper various factors which are affecting intellectual freedom have been discussed along with efforts that need to be made in order to make the access of information possible for all. The issues being faced mainly by the librarians regarding the protection of confidential information of the library users have also been discussed in this
Hate Speech on Campus Colleges and universities have always portrayed themselves as the bastions of free speech and expression. However, in the growing diversity of college communities, more universities struggle to maintain the balance between protecting free speech and providing a welcoming learning environment for all its constituents. As a result, many campuses have initiated speech codes, intended to protect people and groups from hate speech, which is often accompanied by violence.
Guns on Campus SHOULD STUDENTS BE ABLE TO CARRY GUNS ON CAMPUS? Of all the places in the world, one would think that the collage is the safest place for a student to be and sometimes it is not. In this paper it will be discussed whether students should be allowed to carry concealed weapons to college. The advantages of allowing students to carry a concealed weapon will be discussed and why
gay couple walks hand-in-hand across campus. A man driving by in a car sees them and shouts, "Fags!" A black student is working late at a local coffee shop. A professor from one of her classes comes in and tries to order a meal. She explains that the coffee shop is closing. He insists, becomes more and more upset until he calls her a "*****" and a "nigger" and
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