A topic that has been in the forefront of the news will be the subject of a panel discussion at Quinebaug Valley Community College on Wednesday, September 13.
As the United States experiences increasingly charged political discourse, moral questions concerning the limits, if any, of the nation’s sacrosanct freedom of speech frequently become the focus of intense debate. What should and should not be protected speech? Is incivility ever justified in the face of “hate speech”? What is “hate speech”? Who decides?
“Free Speech, Hate Speech, and (In)civility in 2017” is the first event of the academic year sponsored by the college’s Cultural Programing Committee and On Cue Speakers Series. It focuses on the 2017-18 learning theme “Civility and Freedom in a Connected World.
Featured panelists include Bryan Stascavage, a Wesleyan University student; Bishop John L. Selders Jr., Amistad United Church of Christ pastor; Linus Owens, associate professor of sociology at Middlebury College; and Melvin Medina, advocacy and outreach director at ACLU-CT. The panelists will explore competing ideas regarding these issues and engage audience questions.
The event, free and open to the public, starts at 2 p.m. in the Robert Miller Auditorium on the Danielson campus. For more information please contact Professor of English Jon Andersen at 860-932-4054 or Reference and Instruction Librarian M’Lyn Hines at 860-932-4056.
Released August 30, 2017