The High Price of Free Speech

Students who previously taken POLI1270 "The Cost of Free Speech" should not take this course. This course is a non-subfield elective course for Political Science majors only.This course is class-restricted to juniors and seniors only. Graduate students are welcomed. "The High Price of Free Speech" will focus on the challenge of preserving the liberal ideal of free speech in a world where democratic governments seem paralyzed by political and cultural polarization; powerful tech companies have become reluctant censors; authoritarian regimes deploy artificial intelligence and "the internet of things" for surveillance, censorship, and propaganda; and many failing democracies and would-be authoritarian regimes seem poised to do the same. The goal is to help you situate the classic debate over free speech in both the broader historical context and the contemporary landscape.