Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus
Summary
The article circulates around the event that occurred at Harvard University. Two students of the university hung Confederate flags in public view. The article describes the tremendous effect that event had on the university as a whole. A great majority of the article includes a discussion by former Harvard President Derek Bok. Bok discusses the argument on whether students truly have free of speech at Harvard.
Thesis
Derek Bok states that the status of “freedom of speech” is complex as a whole, and has no real stability in present day.
Support
The author Derek Bok discusses the “freedom of speech” that is being argued on the campus of Harvard University. One of the arguments made by Box is the amount of “freedom” that students at the university have. The two students that hung the Confederate flags in their dorms, received an ill response. People were appalled at what the students did. From this event came the argument on how much “freedom” of speech the students actually had. The majority of the university was conflicted with the event; this brought a massive argument to the community. The university challenged the amount of “freedom” given to the students. Both faculty and students debated on whether something offensive to most would be deemed prohibited on campus. Bok argues that while students do have the “freedom of speech” , certain things are off putting and should not be presented.
Warrants
The author expects the audience to have an understanding of what “freedom of speech” is to the general public and to them specifically. The audience needs to have a relation to the topic in order to fully understand what the author is arguing. In order for the readers to agree with the argument being made by the author, they need to have an open mind to what “freedom of speech” really is. If readers believe that “freedom of speech” is completely open to everything, whether it’s offensive or not, they will have issues agreeing with the author. By having an open mind, and agreeing with the limit of what “freedom” people have, readers are able to understand where the author is coming from.
Conclusion
The article shows great strength in that; the author is knowledgeable about the subject at hand. Bok is able to fully discuss the event with his personal attachment to it. The familiarity he has with the university by being the president allows him to make a good statement in the argument. There are no weaknesses in the article, the author describes both sides of the issue, which include having unlimited “freedom of speech” and having limited “freedom of speech”. Overall the author is able to fully discuss his argument.
Summary
The article circulates around the event that occurred at Harvard University. Two students of the university hung Confederate flags in public view. The article describes the tremendous effect that event had on the university as a whole. A great majority of the article includes a discussion by former Harvard President Derek Bok. Bok discusses the argument on whether students truly have free of speech at Harvard.
Thesis
Derek Bok states that the status of “freedom of speech” is complex as a whole, and has no real stability in present day.
Support
The author Derek Bok discusses the “freedom of speech” that is being argued on the campus of Harvard University. One of the arguments made by Box is the amount of “freedom” that students at the university have. The two students that hung the Confederate flags in their dorms, received an ill response. People were appalled at what the students did. From this event came the argument on how much “freedom” of speech the students actually had. The majority of the university was conflicted with the event; this brought a massive argument to the community. The university challenged the amount of “freedom” given to the students. Both faculty and students debated on whether something offensive to most would be deemed prohibited on campus. Bok argues that while students do have the “freedom of speech” , certain things are off putting and should not be presented.
Warrants
The author expects the audience to have an understanding of what “freedom of speech” is to the general public and to them specifically. The audience needs to have a relation to the topic in order to fully understand what the author is arguing. In order for the readers to agree with the argument being made by the author, they need to have an open mind to what “freedom of speech” really is. If readers believe that “freedom of speech” is completely open to everything, whether it’s offensive or not, they will have issues agreeing with the author. By having an open mind, and agreeing with the limit of what “freedom” people have, readers are able to understand where the author is coming from.
Conclusion
The article shows great strength in that; the author is knowledgeable about the subject at hand. Bok is able to fully discuss the event with his personal attachment to it. The familiarity he has with the university by being the president allows him to make a good statement in the argument. There are no weaknesses in the article, the author describes both sides of the issue, which include having unlimited “freedom of speech” and having limited “freedom of speech”. Overall the author is able to fully discuss his argument.