LSHV-444 Scorpions in the Constitutional Bottle: Uncivil Speech, Civil Society

LSHV-444 Scorpions in the Constitutional Bottle: Uncivil Speech, Civil Society

Quirk, Rory

What is permissible under the constitutional protection of free speech? In pushing the free speech envelope, how far is too far? This course explores the constitutional tensions between the First Amendment guarantee of free speech and the goal articulated by the Framers in the Preamble of The Constitution of establishing a society that would “insure domestic Tranquility and promote the general Welfare.” What happens when these goals collide? When is speech so uncivil that domestic tranquility takes precedence? What is lost and what is gained as a society in resolving these tensions? Examples of contemporary issues to be considered are: the zealous legislator who wants to ban advertisements of the lawful “sins” (tobacco, gambling, alcohol, guns); anti-abortion demonstrators offering unsolicited eleventh-hour counsel and handing out literature at abortion clinics; and the magazine that publishes a how-to primer for aspiring hit men.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Liberal Studies students only

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2006-2007

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