This course will explore the uneasy and complex relationship between the guaranteed imperatives of free expression in the First Amendment, the need to protect the "public interest," and maintain law and order. The history of the First Amendment has demonstrated how complex the issue was, and continues to be, in our society. The Supreme Court of the United States and its ancillary organizations have frequently considered resolving this issue. Each decision has tilted the balance from protecting the right of expression to preserving law and order. Some courts have decided using the most exact and cautious of measures, while others have commanded the broadest and most sweeping of reforms. However, the contentious question about the right to expression and the need to maintain order has never been, nor shall it ever be, fully settled. The reason is because expression continues to change over time thereby raising new questions for current law about what should be protected. Of all the issues where the debate over regulating and censoring expression is in the world of art. In fact, one can argue that what artists produce has profoundly shaped the direction of the First Amendment, and the future of expression in our society. This course is designed to build and expand upon critical concepts, theories, and foundations learned in students? core courses on topics such as power, agency, resistance, and representation. Specifically, this course will strengthen students' ability to deconstruct the language of law, to understand basic and advanced tenets of the First Amendment, and to broadly analyze the historical and political relationship of law and culture. Readings for the course will generally consist of court cases focusing on those involving artists and their works, as well as readings in sociology of law, legal studies, and political science.

Visit Workday to view this information.