Speech Codes on Campus Per. 1 10/1-Per. 8 10/2

Over the last few days, we've explored issues of hate speech on college campuses.  Now that you have a general understanding of the laws, it's important to see how those might be applied in settings that you may experience as you head into your college years.  To do so, please follow the instructions belos.

1. Go to the FIRE website and read their mission statement and what they are about. 
2. Look at the "What are Speech Codes?" article so that you understand how FIRE is defining them.
3. Go to "Using FIRE's Spotlight" in order to understand how to use their database.
4. Go to the database and select a college or university that you have an interest in.
5. On your blog, write a post that responds to the following:
• Describe your chosen university's speech codes (or lack of them).  How do your university’s policies or restrictions on free speech impact you as a prospective student? Does it influence or change the way you view the school? Do you believe that your university’s speech codes are legal or do they infringe on your rights to free speech?  Make connections to the description of the law that you read for class today.
6. Next, watch this story about an incident at Penn State University.
   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/50100377#50100377
7. Then read these stories that provide context for the images that are posted here.
8. Then read these stories about controversy surrounding a "Tacos and Tequila" party at the University of Illinois.
• Now, in a continuation of your post that you began above, consider how the university you explored in #5 above might have reacted to these parties on their campuses?  Work to apply their speech codes to these incidents.  Would you agree or disagree with their reaction? 
9. Next, write a concluding thought.   Do you agree with FIRE's definitions of what constitutes a speech code? Are the “restrictions” and codes they point out necessarily harmful or do they protect students? If you went to a university with a speech code how would you feel; safe or restricted? 
10. Spend any remaining time looking at other class members' blogs.  Try to comment on at least two.

9/30 Today in Class

Per. 1- Finished Hate Speech Seminar-if you were absent, make sure to get notes from someone in class.  The homework for tonight is to read THIS ARTICLE.

Today in class

I assigned the unit ending paper which is posted in the Student Rights tab above.  We then watched a portion of a law school seminar about hate speech on college campuses.  You will need to get notes from someone in class if you missed the start.

Student Speech Updates

8th period-Today we finished the chart about online speech cases in class. We'll be working on the following in class on Friday.
1st period, we did the following activity today in class (Jack B and Dani will be partners and comment on each other's posts).

Today in class we are going to continue to explore and discuss the current state of the law as it applies to student speech both inside at outside of school.  Thus you have a few tasks to complete today.

First, choose three of the following stories to read (you should read one from each group)
Group (A)

• Student claims she was disciplined for facebook post...
• How far may schools go in restricting student speech in the interest of school safety?
• Supreme Court declines to hear student internet speech cases

Group (B)

• Court upholds expulsion for off-campus threat of school violence
• Cyber-bullying: Disruptive conduct or free speech?
• NY top court says cyberbulling law violates free speech

Group (C)

• Censorship of "boobies" bracelets continues
• When Students protest abortion can schools draw the line?
• High School basketball player sues after getting cut from the team

Next, write a blog post that does the following for each article:Titles it Student Speech Updates; Defines the issue raised in the story;  Identifies the key facts; Lists the potential legal questions that exist;  Suggests your opinion about the issues raised in the story;  Asks an open-ended question about the article and the issues it raises.

When each member of your group is finished write a comment to their posts that responds to the questions they raise.

This activity does NOT count as your blog post for this week.
If you are looking for something to write about for your weekly post-check out  this article:
Denver Area Students Walkout in Protest.

Speech in Schools contd.

Today we discussed the Morse v. Frederick opinion and then began to look at cases about online speech involving high school students.  You can find these cases at the back of your Tinker Packet.
Please fill out this chart as you read through these cases.

Outside Reading

Today in class we received the outside reading assignment.  It is posted in the Course Info tab above.  Please make sure that you identify your book and fill out the google form by next Wednesday, 9/24.

9/12 and 9/15-Today in Class

Finished 7 Days in September.

9/11-Class today and this week's blog post

In class today we took a bit of a detour from our discussions about free speech in school and began the film 7 Days in September in order to commemorate and consider the anniversary of the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.  For your blog post for this week, please consider the following:

1. Any thoughts, reflections, commentary on 9/11 and the film we watched in class.
2. Watch President Obama's speech from last night regarding military engagement with ISIS.   
3. Consider that the United States has been a nation at war for most of your lives.  What does this mean?  How has it impacted your lives or your vision of what America is?  What issues are raised as a result?  What do you think of the plans that President Obama outlined in his speech? Do you support them or not?  Why not?

9/9-What we did in class

Discussed Free Speech in Schools via a "card" discussion.
Assigned Tinker v. Des Moines packet:

• Annotate Background Summary and answer questions 1,2,4
• Classifying Arguments
• Annotate Excerpts from the majority and answer questions 1,2,3
• Annotate Excerpts from the dissent and answer questions 1,2

9/8-What we did in class today

We discussed the Texas v. Johnson decision that you prepared for homework.
We did a response in our notebooks to the following questions (these will serve as basis of discussion tomorrow):
1) Describe a time in school when you exercised your freedom of speech.
2) Describe a time in school where your freedom of speech was restricted (either if you wanted to say something and you couldn't or when you received consequences for speaking-don't worry, this part will be anonymous).
3) What changes would you make to your right to speak in school?  Are there any changes that you would make to school rules in regard to speech?

9/5 What we did in class

Per. 8-Explored the issue of flag-burning.  Read the Texas v. Johnson case that is linked in the Unit One Tab above.  Read and annotated the majority and dissenting opinions according to the questions to consider that follow.

9/4-What we did in class today

Per. 1: Explored the issue of flag burning.  Read the Supreme Court Opinion Texas v. Johnson which is linked in the Student Rights tab above.

Per. 8: Continued to explore the principles of the First Amendment and the corresponding Case Studies. The handouts are linked in the Student Rights tab above.