Communication Law and Free Speech

From pornography to political speech, from the lewd to the libelous, and everywhere in between, the law is forever drawing lines that divide protected speech (what you can say in America) from unprotected speech (what you cannot say in America). This is an interdisciplinary course that draws on philosophical, legal, and rhetorical theories of communication to help explain how those lines are drawn. Readings include famous court cases involving freedom of speech, as well as political and philosophical writings on all sides of the free speech debate. This course may be used as an elective in the Philosophy major and Tier III minor. This course is cross-listed as COM 3045. Students will receive credit for either PHI 3045 or COM 3045. These courses may not substitute for each other in the F-replacement policy.