Week 7 - Tian Lan

Tian Lan

Section A01

Week 7

In the article “Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism”, the author talks about the Freedom of Speech Movement taken place at UC Berkeley in 1964, the students come together to protest the university for prohibiting students’ political advocacy. This movement end with a victory that the school could not restrict the freedom of speech and political advocacy by the student. This victory has greatly inspired the students across the nation to adapt similar tactics to bring their voice for anti-war movement on campus. In addition, it has defended the basic human rights of students. From this article, I have learned that we should not fear the authority and should come together and fight against them for our basic human rights. Students are the most important groups in a University because it is a place that helps us to grow and become the future leader of the world. As a college student, our responsibilities are not limited to perform well academically. On the other hand, we have the responsibilities to advocate the most fundamental ethics in the society, such as eliminating discrimination based on races, gender equality, and so on. We should hold the compassions for the misfortune group in the society and also fight against any unethical laws and regulations passed by the government officials. Freedom of speech is the basic human right, and it gives everyone an opportunity to express their ideas and contribute their effort to make this world better place for the future generation.[1]

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Question:

What would have happened if the FSM failed at UC Berkeley in 1964? Would student still have freedom of speech at the University ?

References

1.     Cohen, R. (n.d.). Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism [PDF]. Organization of American.

2.     Rosenfeld, S. (2002, June 9). Trouble on campus. Retrieved November 5, 2017, from http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Trouble-on-campus-3311798.php