Difficult Dialogue: The First Amendment

Difficult Dialogue: The First Amendment

Difficult Dialogues logo-round

A conversation on threats to and protections of First Amendment freedoms.

About the Event

Event Overview

  • Part of the CHA’s Difficult Dialogue series
  • Monday, January 20, 11:00am - 1:00pm

📍 CBIS Room, Norlin Library
🍽️ Lunch provided
🤝 Co-sponsored by the Keller Center
🎟️ Free and open to the public
📝 Registration coming soon

 

Event Description

It has been a year since the second Trump administration took office, and during this time we have seen increasing challenges to rights and protections that many in the United States have long taken for granted—particularly those guaranteed by the First Amendment.

This collaborative event, co-sponsored by the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) and the Keller Center, brings together faculty experts from journalism, political science, and law to examine contemporary threats to freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Panelists will share their scholarly perspectives on these developments, discuss why these freedoms matter in the current political climate, and offer insight into how individuals and institutions can work to strengthen and defend First Amendment protections.

As part of the Difficult Dialogue series, this event emphasizes thoughtful engagement, audience participation, and respectful discussion of complex and urgent issues shaping public life today.

Panelists

Mike McDevitt
Professor of Journalism, CU Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/cmdi/people/journalism/michael-mcdevitt

Michaele Ferguson
Professor of Political Science, CU Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/polisci/people/faculty/michaele-ferguson

Helen Norton
University Distinguished Professor of Law, CU Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/law/about/contact-us/directories/resident-faculty-directory/helen-norton

Moderator

Maggie McNulty
PhD Student, Department of History, CU Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/history/maggie-mcnulty

Discussion Topics & Guiding Questions

This panel will explore questions such as:

  • Why is the First Amendment especially important in the current political moment?
  • What threats to First Amendment freedoms are most concerning today?
  • How vulnerable are First Amendment protections in the United States?
  • What roles can individuals, universities, and public institutions play in defending these rights?