Writing as an Act of Conversing: Discussing Free Speech

Abstract

This assignment sequence includes three essays, various preparation assignments, and in-class activities. Crafted for the development of critical thinking skills, it takes students through a brief history of the philosophical conversation regarding bad speech and the principle of free speech. It begins with writing aimed at understanding the conversation already taking place and the questions at its center. It closes with writing aimed at developing a strong justification for their own contribution to this conversation.