Department of English

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states, in part, that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” The prominence of this phrase in this founding document suggests fundamental connections between democracy and free expression. But what are those connections? What do they mean? Why do they matter? This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the background, context, interpretations, and implications of the right and practice of free speech in the United States, and we will emphasize the role that the First Amendment plays in establishing and securing democratic practice.

We live in a historical moment when understanding the history and practice of the freedom of speech seems particularly urgent. This course will help students learn to navigate these unsettled and unsettling times by offering critical vocabulary, case study touchstones, and historical context. Our goal, in other words, is to become more critically, historically, and ethically informed about “free speech” and its public and political consequences, with an eye toward helping us all become more engaged and effective democratic citizens.

The backbone of the course will consist of the study of a series of landmark Supreme Court cases, focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries. As we examine these cases, we will attend to the written opinions of the justices not as neutral expressions of legal theory, but as rhetorical documents addressed to citizens in a democratic culture.

These legal case studies will be complemented with examples of US citizens who have endeavored to effect change through the exercise of their freedom of speech, particularly with regard to effecting changes that would expand democratic inclusivity and cooperation. Our objective will be to observe some of the rhetorical tactics used by individuals and groups, in key examples of public address, to define and reshape the practice of free speech.

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