The Importance of Academic Freedom What is academic freedom? Some might say, but really without even knowing it everyone with a social media profile if proof that academic freedom is alive and well. Academic freedom gives everyone the right to express their views in speech, writing, and through communication without fear of prosecution, unless the rights of others are violated. There are many elements of academic freedom such as; principles of academic freedom, electronic communication and academic freedom, the opposing side reasons for not wanting academic freedom. In order to understand academic freedom one must understand the principles. Since the beginning of time people have wanted to question certain things that they did not agree with but couldn’t because the fear of punishment. Key principles of academic freedom are nature and purpose which is academic freedom with respect the rights of students and teachers which creates an educational context that promotes learning, development, and original research. Freedom of belief is that everyone has a right to believe whatever they believe in and to maintain or change their beliefs as they feel necessary. Schools may grade you on your knowledge of their beliefs but they cannot decrease your grade on your disagreement with their beliefs. Schools should encourage everyone to pursue their own interests and ideas. Inquiry should not be censored by restricting access to controversial topics. Everyone has a right to express their views privately and publicly without fear of punishment. Parents have a right to discuss their views with their own children and to communicate with the school if they do not agree with what the school is teaching. Academic freedom and freedom of speech are ... ... middle of paper ... ...ays be someone with a political agenda trying to stop people from saying something they don’t want to hear or let anyone else hear. In conclusion academic freedom is very important and like freedom of speech and freedom of press it is our right to be able to say, write, or research whatever we as students have an interest in. Electronic communication is not going to go away it’s just going to become more and more popular because of social media. There are people of all ages on social media from old to really young. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you cannot have an opinion. As long as you word your objection correctly and in a educational way they cannot reprimand you for it. Political agendas should be kept out of the class room. If someone says that you have to think this way tell them that they are wrong and that you have the right to think however you want.
Although it is true that it is illegal to prohibit negative comments to be said, this issue is not just about being lawfully correct, but instead exceeds to the point where it is your reputation and trust that could be at stake. It would similarly apply to a student if he or she is posting negative comments about the school. In the future, if a potential employer conducts a background check and views the comments posted on a social media, the individual may not be chosen over another individual seeking the same job. If limits were to be placed on freedom of speech regarding social media, then it could potentially help students in the future by helping them think twice about who sees their comments and if it is the right idea or expression to be shared
On the other hand, students have the right to speak out for what they believe in without having any interference; they have the right to voice their opinion. This protection is all due to the first amendment protection. The first amendment protects the students and also the teachers’ freedom of speech, that includes during and out of school. With the protection of the first amendment no person is able to violate your right to freedom of speech. Any pers...
Wheeler, David R. "Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 07 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the topic of freedom of speech and free speech zones on college campuses. This paper will answer the questions: Why have so many Universities who protect academic freedom, retreat into fear of freedom? Are school officials afraid of debate and disagreement? Are they trying to keep people (outside the zone) from hearing words that may offend someone? These questions will be answered through analyses of previous court cases, journal articles and news articles.
Silverglate, H. A., French, D., Lukianoff, G., & Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, (. (FIRE). (2012). FIRE's Guide to Free Speech on Campus. Second Edition. FIRE's Guides to Student Rights on Campus. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
Staver, Mathew D. "Allowing Religious Expression in School Protects Students' Rights." Students' Rights. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "New Federal Guidelines a Real Blessing for Public Schools." Liberator Mar. 2003: 1-4. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
College campuses have always been the sites where students can express their opinions without fear. There have been many debates about the merits of allowing free speech on campus. Some students and faculties support allowing free speech on campus, while others believe that colleges should restrict free speech to make the college’s environment safer for every student. Free speeches are endangered on college campuses because of trigger warning, increasing policing of free speech, and the hypersensitivity of college students.
A position generally held by the courts is that it is the goal of the public school is to educate students and that a student’s personal rights to free speech or free press may interfere with that goal. Court cases over several decades over freedom of speech rights for students have set legal precedents and are being used to argue for and against student’s rights and and student rights violations (Constituial Topic:Student Rights.
Moreover, a society is not portrayed as a fair society unless ideas and opinions are flourished individually and equally through the society. According to the 1st Amendment of the United States, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” which means that “prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,” is unfair to us and violates the freedom of “the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Source F). If students don’t have the right to be free and explore through different types of books then that is dehumanization against our society. According to student surveys, a substantial amount of teens were gathered to read books that were considerably banned in school and this was their response after the survey; “I really liked how it was written. Also I really liked...
"Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus” by Derek Bok, published in Boston Globe in 1991, is an essay about what we should do when we are faced with expressions that are offensive to some people. The author discusses that although the First Amendment may protect our speech, but that does not mean it protects our speech if we use it immorally and inappropriately. The author claims that when people do things such as hanging the Confederate flag, “they would upset many fellow students and ignore the decent regard for the feelings of others” (70). The author discusses how this issue has approached Supreme Court and how the Supreme Court backs up the First Amendment and if it offends any groups, it does not affect the fact that everyone has his or her own freedom of speech. The author discusses how censorship may not be the way to go, because it might bring unwanted attention that would only make more devastating situations. The author believes the best solutions to these kind of situations would be to
Plato, Thoreau, and Sartre suggested that human life should be free. They had different points of view about freedom, but combining Plato's freedom in mind, Thoreau's freedom in nature, and Sartre's freedom in subjectivity of individual gives people the clear and perfect image of freedom. Understanding freedom is the first step to find freedom in the real life. So in relevant, college students have freedom to think critically. Students' freedom is able to study whatever they want, and find out their own roads to the bright future. However, how to use correctly freedom is the hard question to students in this real life.
Free speech on college campuses has been a heavily debated topic in academia and in recent years it has made a comeback. There are many perspectives to the restriction and allowance of free speech. From the past court cases the rulings decided student’s speech can be punished if it disrupts school, is indecent, and if it is associated with the school. (Ross 176). However, this was in the case of high school students and during that time the court had ruled that there is a difference between a high school environment and a university environment. “In 1981, the Court declined to protect university students from religious messages because university students are young adults who are ‘less impressionable than younger students’” (Ross 176). Not
On a research paper, how much information can you “borrow” with or without citing the original author? How do you cite the resources you “borrowed” or quoted from the original author? Will anyone know if you submit a friend’s research paper? No one can see you taking an online test from your living room – should that change how you take a test?
Academic integrity has been a major concern among many colleges and universities across the world. Many people may ask the question: what is academic integrity? University of Missouri’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (n.d.) states, “Academic integrity is the core set of values and principles that underwrites the very mission of the University itself; integrity, honesty, hard work, and the determination to translate personal and professional principles into behavior.” Some also may view academic integrity as the act of sustaining honest and rightful behavior in an academic setting that avoids, prevent and provide disciplinary actions for those who commits academic dishonesty, plagiarism and cheating of any kind. Majority of college and universities in all disciplines has academic ethics and honesty policies for all students regardless of their academic statues as undergraduate or graduate students. For example, Webster University’s Statement of Ethics (n.d.) for both graduate and undergraduate programs says, “Those who elect to partici...
...ion requires students to have the ability to use their right of free speech in order for their period of study to be useful. Allowing a student to share who they are and become accepting who they are gives them the ability to absorb all that they possibly can from their experience with college. When a school allows a student to share their mind then they are given the chance to learn from others opinions and develop their mind. If a school allows all students to share their ideas without limit then they can all build upon each others’ ideas and create more successful plans or solutions. One of the most important things for a student to have when they go to an institute of higher education is the right to freedom of speech. All students need the right to speak their mind and keep their privacy on their own terms if they are to receive an education that is of use.