Free Speech Law: Where We've Been, Where We're Going

Dates: September 14 - October 5, 2021
Meets: Tues. from 10:00 AM to 12 Noon
 Location: Online
Cost:  $50.00

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Date Day Time
09/14/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N
09/21/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N
09/28/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N
10/05/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2021 - 2022 OLLI at MSU Membership or 2021 - 2022 OLLI at MSU Membership

Every U.S. citizen knows that the First Amendment protects free speech, but what does that actually mean? Susan Dana, an attorney and recently retired MSU instructor, will survey the Supreme Court's landmark free speech cases, exploring the Court's reasoning and applying its decisions to current free speech issues. Topics include subversive speech, offensive speech, hate speech, freedom of the press, defamation, campaign finance and free speech on the internet.

Apply for a needs-based scholarship to take this offering.

Fee:  $50.00

Online

This is a real-time (live) online class that meets at the specified day(s)/time(s) listed.

We will send you a reminder email with login instructions one business day before the program start date. If there are additional sessions, we will send reminders the morning of those sessions.

Susan Dana

Susan Dana retired several years ago from MSU's Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, where she served in numerous roles over her 25-year career, including associate professor, associate dean and interim dean. She taught various law-related courses at MSU, including an Honors College seminar on the First Amendment and free speech and currently writes a blog on constitutional law issues. Before her MSU career, she was an associate at the Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering law firm in Washington, DC, and a visiting professor at the University of Montana School of Law. She has taught several courses for OLLI and serves on the OLLI Advisory Council. She holds a B.A. in Classics from Brown University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Date Day Time Location
09/14/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N Online
09/21/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N Online
09/28/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N Online
10/05/2021Tuesday10 AM to 12 N Online

By the end of the course, participants should have a sense of the history of free speech law in the U.S. and an appreciation for the challenges free speech issues present.

  • Understand the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in making First Amendment law
  • Explain key First Amendment free speech legal principles and theories
  • Apply First Amendment jurisprudence to current free speech issues
  • Articulate and defend your own approach to free speech