Question

Why might a professor asking a student for a date be considered harassment? a. The professor is older and more educated than the student. b. The professor's power over the student through grading limits the student's ability to accept or refuse freely. c. The student can spread false rumors about the professor and ruin his or her reputation among colleagues. d. The student can gain power over other students because of his/her special relationship with the professor.

Answer 1

Answer:

The answer is B. The professor's power over the student through grading limits the student's ability to accept or refuse freely.

Explanation:

Although at a first glance of the situation we might think that it is not harrasment because the student has the liberty to accept or refuse, we must look more closely at the situation. Harrasment involves a power relationship, in which the offender stands in a position of power over the victim, in this case, there is a power relationship, one is a professor and the other is a student. The professor has the ability to affect the academic performance of the student and the knowledge of that will affect the student's decision to accept or refuse; therefore, the student can't choose freely.