Traditionally, the university or college is thought to be the ultimate location for the discovery and sharing of knowledge. After all, on these campuses are some of the great minds across all fields, as well as students who are not only eager to learn, but who often contribute to our shared wisdom. For those ideals to be achieved, however, ideas require access to some kind of virtual marketplace from which people can sample and consider them, discuss and debate them. Restricting the expression of those ideas for whatever reason is the enemy of not only this process, but also of knowledge discovery. Speech freedom on our college and university campuses, like everywhere else, is fragile. There are those who wish to suppress it, more often than not when the words express ideas, opinions, and even facts that conflict with their beliefs. Why does an effort so completely at odds with the foundational values of this country happen? This topic explored in Speech Freedom on Campus: Past, Present and Future is multi-layered, and its analysis is best accomplished through multiple perspectives. Joseph Russomanno's edited collection does precisely that, utilizing 10 different scholars to examine various aspects and issues related to speech freedom on campus.
Joseph Russomanno is professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Foreword Erwin Chemerinsky Introduction Joseph Russomanno Chapter 1: Free Speech on Campus: A Challenge of Our Times Geoffrey R. Stone Chapter 2: The Holmesian Experiment and the Democratization of Truth in the Academy Ronald K.L. Collins Chapter 3: Teaching and Preaching Free Speech Rodney A. Smolla Chapter 4: Conservatism and Free Speech in Higher Education Joe Dryden Chapter 5: Doing the Work: Defending Campus Speech Rights in the Culture War Will Creeley Chapter 6: A Confluence on Campus Joseph Russomanno Chapter 7: Beyond Free Speech Rhetoric: Framing Campus Free Speech Conflicts Christina E. Wells Chapter 8: The Awful Ruling of Garcetti v. Ceballos and Its Application at the University Level David L. Hudson, Jr. Chapter 9: Free Speech Values in the Classroom Erica Goldberg Chapter 10: Managing the Peculiar Marketplace in the Face of Extremism Brett G. Johnson and Jeremiah P. Fuzy Bibliography
Few topics are as fraught with controversy as that relating to free speech on campus. Who students may see and hear on campus, and what they may themselves say there in exchanges with others, directly impacts their education. It not only affects what they learn but who they become. "Speech Freedom on Campus" addresses those issues with verve and wisdom. It is easy to read even as it addresses a topic well worthy of the serious analysis that a book written by such an extraordinary selection of distinguished and knowledgeable experts offers.--Floyd Abrams, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP Free speech on campus has stirred no shortage of debate, and this essential anthology demonstrates why. Tackling a range of topics from classrooms to the quad, essays in this anthology provide keen insights into the tensions surrounding invited speakers, campus protests, and academic freedom, all while providing necessary background for novices and experts alike. These issues have gained a lion's share of attention in the media, yet are often grossly politicized, simplified, and misunderstood. This timely and necessary collection offers refreshing context and analysis, reminding us why free speech is so central to the university and democracy alike.--Jonathan Friedman, Program Director of Campus Free Speech, PEN America Why is freedom of speech so controversial in U.S. colleges and universities--now more than ever? Is it definable or defined as a matter of constitutional law? If so, how and for whom? What is its theoretical and conceptual framework? What is its real-life impact on students, faculty, and administrators? "Speech Freedom on Campus" re-examines these and related issues critically through a remarkable group of academic and non-academic experts, some of whom are among the Who's Who in First Amendment law. Media law scholar Joseph Russomanno's edited volume is a valuable contribution to our ongoing debate on speech rights in academe within a polarized American society.--Kyu Ho Youm, Professor and Jonathan Marshall First Amendment Chair, University of Oregon
