FYW-1261 Free Speech in Democracy Inc.

The seminar looks at speech economies from multiple perspectives. If attention is scarce thanks to digital media saturation, what happens to thought in a “marketplace of ideas?” And when money gets involved, is free speech “sold out?” Using court decisions, political cartoons, advocacy pieces, and communication theory, we not only evaluate the “state of speech” in democracy today, but also examine the craft of writing as working in a constrained economy. 4 credits.