Week 7: Kelin Tham-Graul A03

Kelin Tham-Graul

ASA 2 A03

Week 7

In “Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the way for campus activism,” Robby Cohen explores important historical background surrounding student activism and free speech. This reading expanded upon many aforementioned themes including corporatization, militarism, and imperialism in the university, connecting these issues with campus activism. Mario Savio’s ideas about how the university is like a “machine designed to mass-produce conformists” (Cohen, 1985, p. 17) were especially relevant to the history explored in “The Untold History of Modern U.S. Education: The Founding Fathers,” once again demonstrating how the entire education system discourages dissent. I found it interesting to hear Mario Savio’s viewpoint: “you've got to make [the machine] stop” (Cohen, 1985, p. 17). Ultimately, I agree that activism should not be restricted by the university and that students should be able to protest freely. Although “There were many among them, and among us, who finally came to believe that the repression of the fifties was truly at an end” (Cohen, 1985, p. 18), student activists continue to face similar problems, and this historical movement remains relevant today. Within our own school, the UC Davis pepper spray incident brings to light the fact that student activists are still not truly free to protest as they want. With this in mind, Savio’s belief that “there is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can’t take part; you can’t even tacitly take part” (Cohen, 1985, p. 17) resonated with me because I have often thought about the question of how to approach issues with the university. By receiving our education here and tacitly taking part, are we contributing to the university’s corruption? What can we do about this—should we continue to receive our education at the university for the sake of practicality, or should we refuse to remain part of the system?

Question: Can student activism successfully address issues that we have previously discussed such as corporatization, militarism, and imperialism in the university? How should student activists approach these problems?

References:

Cohen, R. (1985). Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism. OAH Magazine of History. Retrieved November 05, 2017.

Gordonskene. (2013, December 02). Trouble At The Knowledge Factory – Berkeley Free Speech Movement –... Retrieved November 05, 2017, from http://pastdaily.com/2013/12/02/trouble-knowledge-factory-berkeley-free-speech-movement-december-2-1964/