Lesson 2 Overview

 

Introduction

Welcome to Lesson 2 of COMM 403. In this lesson, we will begin to build the foundation of your knowledge of First Amendment law. We will look at how courts decide cases that raise First Amendment challenges. We also will examine the constitutional doctrines and tests that courts apply in handling these challenges. We will look at some current cases that address a particular subset of the population: students in high school and college. Those cases also provide us with an illustration of how constitutional tests and doctrines apply in practice.

And speaking of cases, in this lesson (and subsequent lessons) you will be able to access synopses of critical freedom-of-expression cases to get a sense of how courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, apply the tests or doctrines to resolve disputes. When you see a reference to a case in this lesson, you can read the case abstract at that point to get a fuller understanding of the legal issues in play.

Objectives

Here are the objectives for this lesson:

• Apply constitutional tests and doctrines to First Amendment challenges.
• Understand how concepts such as public forum enhance free speech.
• Recognize how First Amendment protections apply (or are limited) in educational settings.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, please complete the readings and activities listed in the Lesson 2 Course Schedule.

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