Freedom of Speech: Understanding the First Amendment CD Set

Freedom of Speech:
Understanding the First Amendment

• Belmont University College of Law

 Free speech lies at the heart of what it means to be an American. It was something the Founding Fathers recognized early on—in the first 45 words of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment grants us freedom of religion and the press, as well as the rights to petition and peaceful assembly. But perhaps no doctrine is as important to liberty as the freedom of speech. Broadly seen as an essential tool for discourse and progress, the freedom of speech has also at times been viewed as a haven for hateful sentiments. So what is protected speech? What are its limits? In this 12-lecture audio course, First Amendment expert Professor David L. Hudson, Jr., leads you on a gripping tour of free speech law in the United States. Holding it up as a blueprint for personal liberty, you will examine the history of the First Amendment as well as the terminology and theories that undergird it. Freedom of speech encompasses all manner of expressive conduct, including symbolic speech. Through a close reading of the Free Speech Clause and a recap of the Founding Fathers’ historical moment, you’ll see why it was and continues to be a cornerstone of American identity. In five short hours, this course gives you the opportunity to comprehend the historical, legal, and philosophical basis for one of your most vital rights and the debates around it.
Topics

• First Amendment Overview
• First Amendment Tools and Terminology
• Living by Symbols: Symbolic Speech and Expressive Conduct
• Incitement, Fighting Words, and True Threats
• Obscenity
• Commercial Speech
• Defamation
• Privacy and IIED
• Public School Students (K–12)
• Public Employees
• Two Dangerous Doctrines
• College and University Campuses