2301+Fall+Week+Twelve

Week Twelve Readings, Notes, and Assignment**
 * GOVT 2301


 * Freedom of Speech**

Readings: - First Amendment Center: [|Speech]. - Wikipedia: [|Freedom of Speech in the United States]. - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: [|Freedom of Speech]. - The First Amendment Center: [|Abrams v. U.S]. - Supreme Court Decision: [|Abrams v. U.S].

This is possibly the most fundamental of the political rights established in the First Amendment. All other rights, it could be argued, build off it.

Above I have linked you to the First Amendment Center, which provides overviews of the various components of the First Amendment and the controversies associated with them. The Wikipedia site provides some good historical context, as does the Stanford site.

Internet Students: I want you to write one 250 words on the following: Go to the First Amendment site, read Smolla's overview of the freedom of speech and any of the topics listed on the right hand side. Discuss the tension that exists when an individual wishes to express an opinion that the majority of society may wish to censor. How are these disputes reconciled?

Lecture students, be prepared for a multiple choice test on the following terms:


 * [|freedom of speech.]
 * [|freedom of thought.]
 * freedom of conscience.
 * [|censorship.]
 * [|seditious libel].
 * [|Alien and Sedition Acts.]
 * political speech.
 * [|strict scrutiny.]
 * [|rational basis test.]
 * [|commercial speech.]
 * [|obscenity.]
 * [|Miller Test.]
 * public order.
 * [|falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater.]
 * incitement.
 * [|clear and present danger.]
 * [|imminent lawless action.]
 * [|fighting words.]
 * [|hate speech.]
 * [|prior restraint.]
 * [|defamation.]
 * libel.
 * slander.
 * [|flag desecration.]
 * [|campaign finance.]
 * [|fleeting expetives.]