64.012 - Hateful Speech and Free Speech on K–12 and College Campuses: Principles, Dilemmas, and Experiences From the Field

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

On campuses across the country and across our communities, hate-filled speech has been on the rise as students react to divisive language in national rhetoric and policy. A recent national study from UCLA found that in K-12 settings across the U.S., “teachers are seeing increased incivility, intolerance and polarization in classrooms,” “heightened polarization on campus,” and “an increase in students making derogatory remarks about other groups during class discussions.” Notably, “91.6 percent of teachers surveyed agreed that ‘National, state, and local leaders should encourage and model civil exchange and greater understanding across lines of difference.’” Simultaneously, faculty employed on college and university campuses are being critiqued, silenced, and even sanctioned for their own efforts to speak freely about inequality, racism and injustice – even as we seek to handle a spike in hateful speech by students and by visiting speakers to our own campuses. What principles might professionals in our field use as rudders, as we both stand up against hate on campus and stand up for free speech on campus?

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chair

• Mica Pollock, University of California - San Diego

Participants

• Rochelle Gutierrez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Maureen Costello, Southern Poverty Law Center

• Marc Lamont Hill, Temple University

• Elizabeth Birr Moje, University of Michigan