Introduction
Due to our "hurrication" this week, we were unable to meet in class. Because of this, we were left on our own to read articles on this weeks topic and create our blogpost solely on our reflections of said articles. This weeks topic was In-Class Discussions and Speech on Campus and Beyond.
In-Class Discussions
For me, this topic is most relevant to FYE. Our FYE course is set up in order to have in-depth and personal class discussions. Almost everyone has experienced terrible class discussions that consist of mindless inputs from everyone solely on their own opinions. According to I Take Your Point, an chapter from the book I Say, I Say, a class discussion must consist of people not only sharing their own ideas and opinions, but also thoroughly listening and responding to others ideas as well. Many people go into large discussions thinking only about their ideas and not how that affects others or contributes to the conversation. To have a successful class discussion, all participants must strategically plan out their responses to others while keeping other opinions and the topic in mind. An example from the article is to connect what you want to say with something that has already been said in the discussion. One way you could do that is by addressing what someone had said and then adding why you disagree/agree with that statement at the end, for example "The sky is extremely blue, however I believe it has a purple hue near the horiszon".
The next article on this topic that really stood out to me was what exactly is microaggression? The article describes microaggression as a snide, subtle comment directed toward someone in the group that may be discriminatory. An example of microaggresion would be "you're very pretty for an asian". It can be presented as a compliment even when it is meant to be insulting or harmful. Being asian, I fully believe microaggression is real because I face it almost everyday. In order to have an affective and welcoming class discussion it is important to avoid microaggression as a whole.
Speech On Campus and Beyond
Set out in the Constitution are a few of our freedoms given to us by the government. The first Amendment to the constitution lays out our Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Speech allows American citizens to speak their mind without any consequences from the government. This is a very important right, but it also has its limits. Although there are many great things that come with this right being implemented, there are also some downfalls. One of those downfalls, in my opinion is "hate speech". Hate speech can be very important, but without some sort of monitoring or consequences, it can lead to very hostile and sometimes dangerous situations. I agree with the Erwin Chemerinsky, the author of Hate Speech is Protected Free Speech, Even on College Campuses, in that campuses shouldn't be allowed to ban "hate speech'. However, I believe there is a time, a place, and a specific way to go about expressing your beliefs and if it becomes a serious, harmful problem, the campus should intervene.
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