**This class will be taught on Zoom**
The First Amendment, and particularly free speech rights, is considered a foundational protection for our constitutional democracy. This course will explore the 20th century origins and development of the right to freely express political viewpoints, the unique speech guarantees afforded to the press, the tension between reputational rights and free speech, the expansion of speech rights in the later 20th century, and the challenges presented by hate speech. The course will finish by examining whether free speech rights can withstand 21st century technological and autocratic pressures.
Week by Week Outline
Week 1: What’s the Supreme Court got to do with it?
Week 2: “Falsely shouting fire in a theatre”: The formative years of the right to free speech
Week 3: Symbolic Speech: Expanding free speech beyond words
Week 4: Fighting Words and Hate Speech: Where can we draw the line?
Week 5: The Press Fights Back: Government and individual attempts to restrict free speech
Week 6: The Future of Free Speech: Can the right to free speech survive Big Tech and Trump?
