Freedom of Expression: Study Questions

Freedom of Expression

Suggested Study Questions and Activities

Notes for Teachers

The following are suggested questions and activities that can be given to your students after they read the materials of each section. The questions are meant to be asked as a review exercise, but also as critical thinking exercises. The activities, which may require additional research, can be presented as classroom exercises or as individual assignments for essays or class presentations (see also Resources for suggested research materials). Some activities call for students to have debates that would engage the entire class, but all of the questions and activities can be used in this way. These are only suggested questions and activities. Teachers should rewrite or develop their own as they feel necessary.

Essential Principles and History

Study Questions

Question

What two contending forces arose around the idea of oral and written speech? Why?

Question

In the 16th and 17th centuries, which scientists discovering the principles of the heliocentric universe (planetary motion around the sun) were banned and repressed by the Vatican? Why were their books banned? What effect did this have? What lessons about free expression did John Milton learn from these examples?

Question

How did John Milton’s arguments in Areapogitica affect the debate around freedom of expression? Were his arguments accepted when he wrote the essay? In what governing documents were his principles adopted? Why is the essay still viewed as a touchstone in establishing principles of free expression?

Question

What doctrine did Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes put forward to govern the limits on free speech? Why had Oliver Wendell Holmes changed his mind on his own “clear and present danger” doctrine to write “The Great Dissent,” which argued in favor of greater freedom of expression?

Question

What Supreme Court cases adopted Holmes’ later advice on distinguishing words from actions? What other principles were adopted to protect speech? What impact did these decisions have on free speech?

Question

What principle did totalitarian regimes practice regarding free speech? Why did such regimes use the strategy of “the Big Lie”? How did writers and activists try to break free of totalitarian control? What was the result?

Question

What universal principle was adopted in 1948 by the United Nations? What is the similarity with the First Amendment of the US Constitution? How has it been used to protect free speech?

Question

Free speech advocates argue against most restrictions on free expression. Are they right that any restrictions lead to more restrictions? What examples can you think of from history or current times?

Question

What restrictions have different democracies imposed on free speech? Have they achieved their intent to prevent the rise of political extremism? Why did the United States not adopt such restrictions? Has freer speech achieved more or less political extremism?

Question

What are new issues that have arisen in the modern media landscape? How have politicized media and new authoritarian methods for controlling free expression affected current debates on freedom of expression?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Have students review the AFT’s “Toolkit on Mis- and Dis-information” (see Resources). Discuss in class what defines mis- and dis-information? How should one confront mis- and dis-information? How can it be spotted? How can students learn to interpret information in the news when there is such mis- and dis-information? What threats do mis- and disinformation pose to freedom of expression?

Activity

In dictatorships, what methods have been used by dissidents to express free thought or non-conformity? For background, assign students to find examples of such cases in History and assigning links in Resources to Vaclav Havel’s “Power of the Powerless,” Liu Xiaobo’s Charter 08 petition or Liu Binyan’s review of Wei Jingsheng’s memoirs.

Activity

Assign “The Meddler’s Itch” by Ronald Koven (see Resources). Review his arguments for adopting the principle that democratic governments should adopt the least restrictions possible on media. What arguments are there to counter his viewpoint? Ask students to debate the points in the essay in class and have them present examples for or against the different viewpoints.

Activity

After reviewing History in this section, assign “When Galileo Stood Trial for Defending Science” by Mario Livio and/or “John Milton’s “Areopagitica” and the Modern First Amendment” by Vincent Blasi (see Articles in Resources). Assign an essay or have students explore in class discussion about what the harms in suppressing speech (using historical and current events). Discuss the principled and pragmatic arguments Milton makes for the benefits of free speech, How are these arguments reflected in modern debate about free speech and the First Amendment?

Activity

Assign students the majority decision in Brandenberg v. Ohio (see link in Resources.) Assign an essay or organize a class discussion or debate on whether the Supreme Court decided properly. Should even the most hateful speech be protected from government sanction? Or are restrictions on hate speech adopted in European countries like France, Germany and Netherlands more appropriate for balancing free speech and harmful speech?

Activity

Assign articles by and relating to Salman Rushdie as well as the BBC video (see Resources). Discuss the threats to free speech relating to the fatwah against Rushdie. What has happened since the fatwah to challenge free speech (reference especially “The Cartoon Wars” in History). What has been Rushdie’s response? Have students discuss the courage needed to defend free speech.

Activity

Assign “The Chicago Principles” of the University of Chicago, The New York Times editorial on free speech and the article by Thomas Zimmer (see Resources). Have students debate/discuss whether there is a crisis of free speech in universities (and academic institutions generally). Why does the editorial state there is a crisis? Why does Zimmer argue that “the crisis of free speech” is overstated? What principles do the Chicago Principles propose for addressing free speech on campus?

Activity

There is recent controversy over the limits of speech on public and private universities, as well as over the regulation of speech on social media. Assign one or both articles by David Cole and the article by David French in The New York Times linked in Resources. Have class discussion or assign an essay on David Cole’s and David French’s views on free speech and the ways in which it might be restricted. Pose the questions: Do you agree with David Cole’s views on whether government should regulate social media? David French’s on restrictions at the university? (Alternately, assign the article in The New York Times Magazine "The Battle Over Free Speech on Campus Will Outlive the Encampments" by Emilie Bazelon and Charles Homan, which reviews the arguments over free speech in the context of student demonstrations over the Israel-Gaza War for similar discussion.)

Activity

Assign The New York Times Opinion article by Jon Grinspin on the “The 19th Century Club You Never Heard of That Changed the World.” Have class discussion or assign an essay on how speech about abolishing slavery was repressed by public mobs and the means used to counter it. Ask the Question: What means are justified to protect public speech? When would a similar movement be needed?

The Netherlands

Study Questions

Question

What were the original principles of media freedom in the Netherlands? How did it reflect the different communities in the Netherlands at the time?

Question

Why do Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders classify the Netherlands as one of the freest countries in terms of freedom of expression (or free media)? What are the bases for this judgement?

Question

How have violence, recent acts of terrorism, and extremism affected politics and free expression in the Netherlands?

Question

What are the effects of hate speech laws?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Assign students The New York Times article “He Made a Magazine While Hiding from the Nazis” in Resources. Discuss in class what led Curt Bloch to put out a magazine that challenged Nazi law even though it could be read by very few people? What does it say about the importance of freedom of expression? Would students do the same?

Activity

Have students put themselves in the role of an editor in the Netherlands after the Muhammad cartoon controversy in neighboring Denmark (see “Cartoon Wars” in History). Organize a class discussion around the topic: Would you publish the cartoons in solidarity with the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten? Why or why not? What if you personally found them offensive? Would you publish them even if you knew they would offend some readers? Set up a classroom debate and have different students take turns as an editor and defending the decision for or against publication. For the discussion, students should read the Economist’s editorial and special report around the cartoon controversy and Ronald Koven’s “The Meddler’s Itch” (see Resources). One may use the activity to have students explore a similar or hypothetical situation in the United States.

Uganda

Study Questions

Question

Was there freedom of expression in Uganda under British colonial rule?

Question

What freedom of expression existed after Ugandan independence?

Question

Why did Yoweri Museveni initially allow freedom of expression? Why has he tried to curtail it during his long rule as president?

Question

What role have free media played recently in Ugandan politics? How effective has it been in providing a balance to the authoritarian power of Uganda's long-time leader, Yoweri Museveni? What has President Museveni done to curtail free speech?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Assign students to review Daily Monitor’s web site for its articles on current events in Uganda. Discuss how Daily Monitor covers events and issues. How effective is it in covering government malfeasance? Political opposition? Review the actions taken against media by the Museveni government. Discuss the risks editors and journalists face and what role free media can play in countering authoritarian rule.

Activity

Have students view “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” and also research New York Times articles on the Uganda 2021 election. Assign a paper or have class discussion on Bobi Wine’s career as a singer and politician. What part of Ugandan society does he represent? How effective has he been attempting to represent the Ugandan people? Could the current president (Yoweri Museveni) win actual free and fair elections? If so, why does his government make free and fair conditions impossible?

China

Study Questions

Question

Is there a relationship between imperial China and communist China? What are the similarities? What are the dissimilarities?

Question

What factors contributed to the collapse of China’s first republic? How did the Communist Party of China win control of the mainland 30 years later?

Question

How have authorities in China suppressed freedom of expression at different points in its history?

Question

How did communist China seek to use media and propaganda to strengthen communist rule? When were there greater degrees of freedom of expression? How long did these periods last?

Question

What was the Fifth Modernization advocated by Wei Jingsheng during the Democracy Wall movement? What does the Fifth Modernization refer to?

Question

How does China’s government successfully suppress freedom of expression?

Question

How did Hong Kong residents try to protect their freedoms since the 1997 handover of the British colony to the People’s Republic of China? What freedoms existed in Hong Kong that did not exist in the PRC? How has the government of the PRC repressed freedoms in Hong Kong more recently?

Activities and Study Topics

Activity

Using links in Resources, research and organize a class discussion around the demonstrations that took place in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and other Chinese cities in 1989. Assign an essay or have class discussion: What prompted the demonstrations? How were they similar to Eastern European democracy movements? How effectively did the Chinese authorities suppress the Tiananmen Square democracy movement?

Activity

Using the Economist and New York Times links in the Resources section, organize class discussion around recent government actions to restrict freedom of the press in the mainland and on Hong Kong. Discuss what practices of the Chinese government uses to restrict freedom of expression. How do these practices compare to “free” countries in Freedom House’s Freedom in the World and Freedom of the Press surveys?

Activity

Many people believed that the internet would be a liberating force in the realm of freedom of expression. Read “Busting China’s Bloggers” in The New York Times Opinion section. Is the author optimistic or pessimistic about the impact of the internet in China? Examine Freedom House’s recent country reports on China? How has the author’s assessment of the internet’s possibilities panned out? How have bloggers been repressed and how have Chinese authorities gained greater control of the internet? Is there now any possibility for free expression?

The content on this page was last updated on August 20, 2024.