Thursday, February 15, 2018

Issues Regarding College Students and First Amendment

Survey results released by John Villasenor and the Brookings Institution found that many college students don't understand the First Amendment, and that a significant minority of students said it would be acceptable for a student group to use violence to prevent a controversial speaker from speaking. These results established the fact that freedom of expression is deeply imperiled among U.S. college campuses. Given this information, Villasenor asserts that although middle and high school students do not need to be experts on constitutional law, teachers can do a better job of giving them a fuller explanation of the scope of the First Amendment, and the fact that it protects the expression of offensive views. 

Villasenor, J. (2017). Views among college students regarding the First Amendment: Results from a new survey. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2017/09/18/views-among-college-students-regarding-the-first-amendment-results-from-a-new-survey/

No comments: