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Freedom of Speech on Campus PDF

177 Pages·2018·1.802 MB·English
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F CC Ou reedom oF r Nr e Tn Rt O S c V peech on ampuS E R S I E S The Current Controversies series examines today’s most F r important social and political issues. Each volume e e d presents a diverse selection of primary sources o m representing all sides of the debate in question. o F S “These are excellent resources for research or debate p e that will rouse students interested in contemporary e c h and controversial topics.”—Booklist o n c a m p u S Freedom of Speech on Campus Other Books in the Current Controversies Series Are There Two Americas? The Confederate Flag Deporting Immigrants The Energy Industry Enhanced Interrogation and Torture Executive Orders Microaggressions, Safe Spaces, and Trigger Warnings Police Training and Excessive Force Political Extremism in the United States States’ Rights and the Role of the Federal Government Universal Health Care Freedom of Speech on Campus Eamon Doyle, Book Editor Published in 2019 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC 353 3rd Avenue, Suite 255, New York, NY 10010 Copyright © 2019 by Greenhaven Publishing, LLC First Edition All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer. Articles in Greenhaven Publishing anthologies are often edited for length to meet page requirements. In addition, original titles of these works are changed to clearly present the main thesis and to explicitly indicate the author’s opinion. Every effort is made to ensure that Greenhaven Publishing accurately reflects the original intent of the authors. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of the copyrighted material. Cover image: Mario Tama/Getty Images Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Doyle, Eamon, editor. Title: Freedom of speech on campus / Eamon Doyle, Editor. Description: New York : Greenhaven Publishing, 2018. | Series: Current controversies | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Grades 9–12. Identifiers: LCCN 2018001056| ISBN 9781534503076 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534503083 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Freedom of speech—United States—Juvenile literature. | College students—Legal status, laws, etc.—United States—Juvenile literature. | College students—Civil rights—United States—Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC KF4772 .F7435 2018 | DDC 323.44/30973—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018001056 Manufactured in the United States of America Website: http://greenhavenpublishing.com Contents Foreword 11 Introduction 14 Chapter 1: Are University Campuses Biased Against Conservative Viewpoints? The University Campus Has Been an Emblem of the 19 Liberal-Conservative Divide Since the Student Protests of the 1960s Colin Barker Since the Vietnam War and the student protests of the 1960s, the university campus has functioned as an emblem of the liberal- conservative and rural-urban divisions in American culture. Yes: University Campuses Threaten Free Speech Through Bias Against Conservative Viewpoints There Is an Increasingly Pronounced Pattern of Hostility 26 Toward Free Speech on American College Campuses Nat Hentoff Recent examples of free speech–related conflicts illustrate an increasingly pronounced pattern of active hostility toward free speech on college campuses. Intellectual Arguments That Question the Viability 29 and Value of Free Speech Do Not Hold Up Daniel Jacobson Intellectual arguments that question the viability and value of free speech do not hold up and represent a threat to the classical liberal values that have shaped modern democracy. Liberal Academics Create an Environment Hostile to 38 Conservative Viewpoints Nancy Thorner and Bonnie O’Neil Only a small percentage of academics identify as conservative, and professors encourage students to adopt their own liberal perspective on important issues. This has created an environment on campus that is hostile to conservative viewpoints and, by extension, to free speech rights in general. Current Attitudes About Free Speech on Campus 46 Conflict with the First Amendment Constitutional Protections Candice Lanier Examples like Florida Atlantic University’s “Free Speech and Campus Civility” policy illustrate how current attitudes about free speech on campus conflict with the constitutional protections offered by the First Amendment. No: Conservative Anxieties About Liberal-Dominated Campuses Are Overblown The Conservative Prescription for Action Against 50 “Liberal” Universities Is Destructive and Unnecessarily Political Nicole Hemmer Resentful, antagonistic attitudes toward college campus culture have long played a role in modern conservatism. There may be some merit to conservatives’ concerns, but their prescription for action is destructive and unnecessarily political. Conservatives Who Dislike Campus Culture Should 59 Respond with Rational Arguments Rather than Provocations Spencer Grady-Pawl Conservatives who dislike campus culture should focus more on standing up for free speech with reasonable, rational arguments rather than demonizing and provoking liberals. Chapter 2: Should First Amendment Protections Extend to All Speech? The First Amendment’s Protections and Limitations 63 Lumen Learning Free speech absolutists contend that First Amendment protections should be construed as broadly as possible and should extend to all speech, no matter how offensive or odious. Some critics question the wisdom of free speech absolutism when it comes to hate speech, emphasizing its impact on marginalized groups. They argue that communities like college campuses should have the right to suppress speech that is deemed offensive to the cultural identity of its members as a means of protecting them from the impact of prejudice. Yes: Free Speech Rights Must Be Absolute Free Speech Rights Are Critical from a Legal and Civil 69 Liberties Perspective Anthony D. Romero Free speech rights are so critical from a legal and civil liberties perspective that organizations like the ACLU, which publicly and unequivocally rejects racist and white supremacist ideology, have rightly defended the free speech rights of Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. Limitations on Free Speech in Academia Are 73 Potentially Destructive Robert Jensen The life of Scott Nearing, an early twentieth-century American teacher and writer, exemplifies the potential destructiveness of limits on free speech in an academic setting. No: Some Types of Speech Need to Be Restricted Some Hateful and Subversive Speech Threatens 80 Civil Society Traci Yoder Part of maintaining a civil, well-ordered culture involves enforcing certain norms of behavior and conversation. Some types of hateful or subversive speech represent a threat to our civil order and should be suppressed. Hate Speech Is Symptomatic of Toxic Underlying 83 Social Dynamics That Can Lead to Violence Elizabeth Dovell Hate speech is often symptomatic of toxic underlying social dynamics (such as racism, homophobia, and bigotry) that, left unaddressed, can lead to violence or even genocide. Chapter 3: Does Some Hate Speech Qualify as a Type of Violence? Arguments For and Against the Criminalization of 87 Hate Speech Joyce Arthur and Peter Tatchell Liberal critical theorists have advocated for a more diffuse conception of cultural oppression, introducing concepts like microaggressions. Students at a number of institutions have demanded various new protections, including “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings.” In response, free speech absolutists have decried political correctness run amok, portraying college campuses as a liberal assault on free speech. Yes: The Trauma That Hostile Words Inflict on Marginalized Groups Can Qualify as Violence The Distinction Between Physical and Emotional 93 Harm Is Arbitrary and Unhelpful Aaron Moritz There is no significant difference between types of harm, and attempting to find them ignores the issue at hand. Hate speech is a type of violence and we should be able to regulate it the same way that we regulate other violent crimes. Free Speech Restrictions Reflect a Stronger 103 Understanding of Free Speech’s Historical Dangers Barrett Holmes Pitner The United States can learn something from countries like Canada and Germany, whose free speech restrictions reflect a stronger understanding of the historical dangers of certain types of free speech. No: The Distinction Between Speech and Physical Violence Supports Free Expression No Matter How Unwelcome, Sexually Explicit Speech 107 Is Not Sexual Assault Nadine Strossen and Tom Patterson The tendency for universities to treat all types of sexually themed expression, including speech that is not targeted at a particular individual, as sexual harassment threatens important academic discourse and distracts from the pressing issues of sexual assault and violence. Teaching students how to distinguish between offensive speech and actual violence and how to engage in discourses that may contain offensive viewpoints is essential to the future protection of free speech. Words Are Not Equal to Violence 117 Josh Craddock Intellectual challenges to the distinction between speech and violence, currently prevalent among academics who subscribe to Judith Butler, involve a radical and unmerited expansion of the respective definitions of “stress,” “power,” and “violence.” Chapter 4: Should Speech on Campus Be Regulated More Than Other Public Speech? The Conflict Between Free Speech Absolutists and 122 Skeptics Has Reached Its Peak Mary Ellen Flannery The conflict between free speech absolutists and skeptics has reached a fever pitch and, given the complexity and sensitivity of the issues involved, it may be necessary to create some type of national task force to examine issues of free speech, discrimination, and harassment on campus. Yes: Restrictions on Offensive Speech May Help Universities Create a Positive Atmosphere of Free Inquiry Universities Should Be Able to Enforce Speech Norms 126 to Maintain the Stability of Their Community Scott Bomboy Universities should be able to enforce certain speech norms to maintain the stability of their community, which is composed of individuals from all types of cultural and economic backgrounds. Certain Restrictions on Speech Can Support Feelings 129 of Safety and Acceptance for Marginalized Groups PEN America The US Department of Education’s current policies on harassment and offensive speech exemplify how certain restrictions on speech can support minority groups and other vulnerable persons’ feelings of safety and acceptance within a community.

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.