COR 439 FACES OF CHANGE: IMPROBABLE CHAMPIONS OF FREE SPEECH
What do an American Nazi, a pornographer and a homophobic Baptist minister have in common? A racist, anti-Semitic publisher? A flag-burning anarchist? A Communist Labor Party organizer? They are among society's misfits and hated targets of both the right and left. They are champions of the First Amendment. Disdained heroes. Yet heroes, nonetheless. Their stories demonstrate the extreme challenge of living in and maintaining a democratic society. And their stories demonstrate that it is not the quiet, not the meek, not the submissive who protect the unprecedented freedoms we enjoy in this Democratic experiment we call America. Through print, video, and audio this course examines the activism of individuals the likes of Larry Flynt, Fred Phelps, and Frank Colin who have stepped forward to challenge society's norms and carve pathways to new freedoms. This course is writing intensive. Open to students in the third or fourth year of study.