Advanced Topics in Freedom of Expression Seminar

3 units

Enrollment limit: 16. Drop deadline: 5:00pm the day after the first class meeting. This seminar builds upon themes and delves more deeply into particular topics discussed in the course Speech, Press, and the Constitution. The seminar will consider particularly challenging problems related to the First Amendment's protections for free expression. The precise topics are yet to be determined. Past topics have included the First Amendment jurisprudence of the Roberts Court; the relationship between free expression and social power dynamics; and the central importance in First Amendment law of speech about political matters. Students' grades will depend primarily on a research paper of at least 25 pages. In the paper, the student will develop, articulate, and defend a thesis related to the course material. Students will complete an outline and a first draft prior to turning in their final papers. The instructor will meet with each student individually in the course of the semester to discuss progress on the paper. Students' presentations on their research will occupy the final third of the semester. 3 units.