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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Free Speech and Civil Discourse

Free Speech and Civil Discourse

The Freedom to Speak, the Duty to Listen, the Goal of Community

For the 2017-18 academic year, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is focusing on the theme of freedom of speech and civil discourse. We are exploring the theme through public events, the work of a team of undergraduate fellows, and the provision of educational materials about key, contested ethical issues related to the theme. 

The Ethics Center is collaborating on this project with our colleagues at Santa Clara University and in the surrounding South Bay community. Generally speaking, the Fall Quarter focuses on freedom of speech, the Winter Quarter on civil discourse, and the Spring Quarter on examples of leaders who have shown how to navigate difficult conversations to build communities. The initiative considers the themes of freedom of speech and civil discourse in light of the different ethical and legal questions arising in the political, university, and corporate contexts.

Timely Topics

The following content is sourced from Google News.

    Navigate here to Read the Blog The Power of Our VoicesHackworth Fellows Sarah Tarter, Maria Lutgarda Glorioso, Anand Purohit, and Taylor Berry
    Navigate here to Read the Blog The Power of Our Voices
    The Power of Our Voices

    Welcome to the blog "The Power of Our Voices: The Courage to Speak & the Humility to Listen"! The blog focuses on the theme of free speech and civil discourse on the campus at Santa Clara University and in the broader world. Join the conversation with blog writers Taylor Berry, Anand Purohit, Sarah Tarter, and Maria Lutgarda Glorioso -- all SCU seniors and all Hackworth Fellows at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.


    Navigate here to Read the Blog The Power of Our VoicesRead the Blog
    Navigate here to Read More Educational Resources on Free Speech and Civil DiscoursePeople gather in protest
    Navigate here to Read More Educational Resources on Free Speech and Civil Discourse
    Educational Resources on Free Speech and Civil Discourse

    As part of the Project on Freedom of Speech and Civil Discourse, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is committed to making educational materials on this theme more readily accessible to a broad readership. Please look here for the deeper looks into the complexities of this theme and for brief and accessible explanations of some of the key concepts in play. During the Fall Quarter, we'll especially be posting information related to freedom of speech. During the Winter Quarter, we'll be posting materials related to civil discourse. And during the Spring Quarter, we'll be posting materials about outstanding individuals or compelling visions of how to create communities out of broken speech. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)


    Navigate here to Read More Educational Resources on Free Speech and Civil DiscourseRead More