Can a course on conservatism shake up the liberal status quo on campus?

Tufts University professor Eitan Hersh presents his unique class on American conservatism and its impact on campus free speech and open dialogue. He discusses the challenges and opportunities of teaching conservative thought in a predominantly liberal academic environment.

Eitan Hersh is a professor of political science. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2011 and was a faculty member at Yale University from 2011-2017.

In March, professor Hersh’s course on conservatism was profiled in Boston Magazine under the headline, “A Conservative Thought Experiment on a Liberal College Campus.”

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

02:02 Prof. Hersh’s personal political beliefs

03:47 Political diversity among faculty and students

05:14 Hersh’s journey to academia

06:07 What does a conservatism course look like?

09:30 His colleagues’ response to the course

10:29 The challenges of discussing controversial topics

13:28 FIRE’s data on difficult campus topics

17:50 How have campus dynamics changed

19:42 Institutional neutrality

39:14 What are faculty concerned about?

42:18 What is Hersh expecting as students return to campus?

46:41 Outro

Transcript is HERE.

How has 19th-century English philosopher John Stuart Mill influenced America’s conception of free speech and the First Amendment?

In their new book, “The Supreme Court and the Philosopher: How John Stuart Mill Shaped U.S. Free Speech Protections,” co-authors Eric Kasper and Troy Kozma look at how the Supreme Court has increasingly aligned its interpretation of free expression with Mill’s philosophy, as articulated in “On Liberty.”

Eric Kasper is professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he serves as the director of the Menard Center for Constitutional Studies.

Troy Kozma is a professor of philosophy and the academic chair at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire - Barron County.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

02:26 Book’s origin

06:51 Who is John Stuart Mill?

10:09 What is the “harm principle”?

16:30 Early Supreme Court interpretation of the First Amendment

26:25 What was Justice Holmes’ dissent in Abrams v. U.S.?

30:28 Why did Justice Brandeis join Holmes’ dissents?

36:10 What are loyalty oaths?

40:36 Justice Black’s nuanced view of the First Amendment

43:33 What were Mill’s views on race and education?

50:42 Private beliefs vs. public service?

52:40 Commercial speech

55:51 Where do we stand today?

1:03:32 Outro

Transcript is HERE

Some argue that Section 230 allows the internet to flourish. Others argue it allows harmful content to flourish.

Christopher Cox knows something about Section 230: He co-wrote it.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is an American law passed in 1996 that shields websites from liability for content posted on their sites by users.

What does Rep. Cox make of the law today?

Rep. Cox was a 17-year member of the House of Representatives and is a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:43 Did Section 230 create the modern internet?

7:48 America’s technological advancement

11:33 Section 230’s support for good faith content moderation

18:00 User privacy and age verification?

25:37 Rep. Cox’s early experiences with the internet

30:24 Did we need Section 230 in the first place?

37:51 Are there any changes Rep. Cox would make to Section 230 now?

42:40 How does AI impact content creation and moderation?

47:23 The future of Section 230

54:31 Closing thoughts

57:30 Outro

Show notes:

• Transcript
• Section 230 text
• “The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet” by Jeff Kosseff
• Cubby, Inc. v. CompuServe Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 1991)
• Stratton Oakmont, Inc. v. Prodigy Services Co. (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1995)
• “Section 230: A Retrospective” by Chris Cox
• Section 230: Legislative History (Electronic Frontier Foundation)