Freedom - Is it really attainable
Here we are. The end of another century is upon us. It is a time of reflection for most. A time to review our achievements and create new goals to attain. We can individualize these ideas and expand them out to incorporate our society as a whole. If we look at them both we will find a correlation between them. Our country has grown and multiplied in every sense. We have taken the original constitution our forefathers wrote and expanded on it to fit society's ever changing technology and economy. Freedom of speech has acquired new bounds to include the Internet. This freedom which all Americans take for granted is challenged and scrutinized often. Public works, ideas and the ability to share them with society are constantly threatened. Is the idea of something being 'public' (in any sense) protected under the freedom of speech umbrella? And what do these depictions contribute to cultural literacy of our society? To illustrate all sides, we will look at the notion of tenure in academia and a controversial art exhibit. The Brooklyn Museum of Art (BMA) has been serving society various works since 1823. In addition, it is worth mentioning the American Association of Museums accredit
Now let us take a look at the similar opposing views of the BMA art exhibit and academia's tenure practices. Again, both topics have the thread of the word protection running through their veins. In some sense both are sitting on the First Amendment. The museum is a public institution receiving millions of public funding dollars annually. In receiving these monies they are upheld to have a large variety of works of art for public viewing. This idea of public also provides the museum protection in the sense they can show whatever they deem valuable to today's society. The 'Sensation' exhibit exploded into the forefront of the media. The escalation of the political and cultural conflict over the art exhibit, the Brooklyn Museum of Art filed a lawsuit in Federal court. The suit accused NYC Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of violating the First Amendment by threatening to withdraw city funds from the museum because he finds some of the artworks offensive and insulting to religion. Before looking into the various viewpoints let's look at another issue. The idea of tenure at our countries learning institutions. In 1940 the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure was established. The 1940 Statement not only recognized the need for tenure, it secured it as a buttress for freedom to dissent from authority, even to criticize one's employer. To obtain tenure a professor must exhibit good teaching skills, publish at least three articles or books in their field. This is to be done all in a period of six or so years. After that time period, their University may offer him tenure. Employed with tenure permits a teacher a protected public arena in which to share and express controversial and unique ideas, without the fear of losing one's job. Tenure also grants health insurance and other benefits. Professors strive to attain tenure to safeguard all aspects of their professional independence. Recently, however, a massive assault on tenure has been mounted. The opposing view of the academic left is based on the individual's right to choose. For both the BMA show and the issue of academic tenure the left feel freedom of expression is the issue. Keep in mind with the issue of tenure, it is only attained after professors complete a long probationary period. Advocates for tenure emphasize the contributions of
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1579
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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