Freedom of speech has long been an ideal in the United States and on college campuses. Recently, though, schools have begun to question whether some forms of expression should be restricted or censured in ways that help to protect student safety and well-being. How have views about freedom of speech changed over time? Are there appropriate limits to free speech in a diverse community, or have campuses moved too far in curtailing free speech?
Jonathan Zimmerman is Professor of the History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A former high school social studies teacher, Dr. Zimmerman holds a Ph.D. in history from the Johns Hopkins University. His scholarship has focused on the ways that different people have imagined and debated education across time and space. His most recent work examines campus politics in the United States. Zimmerman’s academic work has appeared in the Journal of American History, the Teachers College Record, and History of Education Quarterly. He is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, and other popular newspapers and magazines.
Please join us Thursday, Oct. 26th at 7 p.m. in the Forum in the Elaine Langone Center.