S. Universities and the First Amendment
Course Information
- Course Number
- L9287
- Curriculum Level
- Upperclass
- Areas of Study
- Administrative Law and Public Policy, Constitutional Law, Gender and Sexuality Law, Racial, Economic, and Social Justice
- Type
- Seminar
- Additional Attributes
- New Course
Section 002 Information
Section Description
This seminar will explore legal conflicts over the meaning and scope of freedom of speech in the context of universities. Topics will include the nature and limits of academic freedom; the application of free speech doctrine and principles to expression by faculty, students, and outside speakers; the interplay between freedom of speech and federal antidiscrimination statutes and regulations; university governance and federal threats to academic institutions; and contemporary controversies at Columbia and other universities.
Enrollment in this seminar is by permission of the instructors. Interested students should submit a short statement of no more than one paragraph indicating why they wish to enroll in the course and, if applicable, whether they have particular background experiences or interests of relevance to the themes of the course. The statement should be submitted to Khamla Pradaxay at [email protected] by November 8, 2025.
- School Year & Semester
- Spring 2026
- Points
- 2
- Method of Evaluation
- Paper
- J.D Writing Credit?
- Minor (automatic)
- Major (only upon consultation)
- LLM Writing Project
- Automatic
Learning Outcomes
- Primary
-
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in a specific body of law, including major policy concerns
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in doctrinal analysis, including close reading of cases and precedents, and application to facts
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in statutory and regulatory analysis, including close reading of statutes and regulations, and application to facts
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired understanding of and/or facility in jurisprudential considerations in legal analysis
Course Limitations
- Instructor Pre-requisites
- None
- Instructor Co-Requisites
- None
- Requires Permission
- Yes
- Recommended Courses
- None
- Other Limitations
- Closed to 1Ls, to non-law students, and to students who have already taken or are currently taking S. Free Expression and Civil Rights on Campus.
Other Sections of S. Universities and the First Amendment
School Year & Semester
Spring 2026
Instructors
Points
2