S. War & Speech

This class is about how the real and perceived exigencies of war have shaped First Amendment doctrine and the exercise of freedoms protected by the First Amendment, including the freedoms of conscience, speech, association, and the press. We read history, theory, and law, and engage with topics including the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the 1917 Espionage Act, the House Un-American Activities Committee, the Kent State Massacre, the Pentagon Papers, and the War on Terror. We consider contemporary controversies about war and speech throughout the semester, but particularly in the second half.