Free Speech and Democracy

Catalog description

The tension between free expression and social control has shadowed the Great American Conversation since the birth of this country. The constitutional ideal that our government "shall make no law" abridging free speech has given way, in fact, to laws that limit discussion, ostensibly for the public good. Likewise, new media technologies, while advancing our ability to access and exchange ideas and information, raise serious questions as to the boundaries of speech that is seen to challenge current political and social mores. This course, then, addresses the delicate balance between free speech and democracy, guided by seminal readings from Milton, Locke, and Hobbes as well as modern free speech rights' scholars Geoffrey Stone and Lawrence Tribe. We will also be revisiting Orwell's 1984 while also examining important Supreme Court decisions that have critically shaped First Amendment rights in regard to hate speech, pornography, corporate control of mass media, the student press and the rights of journalists. With this foundation, we ask: Are there any forms of free speech that should be restricted? If so, which? And, who should decide?