Jonathan Zimmerman: Free Speech, Censorship and Civility on Campus

Impolitic Politics: Free Speech, Censorship, and Civility on Campus in the Age of Trump

From immigration restriction and gun control to the Mueller investigation and the Kavanaugh hearing, our era has witnessed possibly unprecedented levels of political polarization and recrimination. On our airwaves and the Internet, especially, Americans shout past each other in a 24/7 deluge of snark and invective. That creates new challenges for our universities, which are supposed to expand our knowledge of the world and also teach the skills and virtues of democratic citizenship: reason, tolerance, and informed participation. However, Professor Zimmerman argues, many of our campuses have not stepped up to this task. Instead, they have echoed or even exacerbated the polarized tenor of our moment. This talk will critique the spirit of contemporary campus politics and also provide suggestions for improving it.

Jonathan Zimmerman

Jonathan Zimmerman is Professor of History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A former Peace Corps volunteer and high school social studies teacher, he is the author of Campus Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2016) and six other books. He is also a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, and other popular periodicals. Before coming to Penn in 2016, Professor Zimmerman taught at New York University for 20 years. In 2008, he received NYU's Distinguished Teaching Award—its highest recognition for teaching.

Lecture:

3:00-4:30 p.m.

Multipurpose Room

Student Community Center

Reception:

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Multipurpose Room

Student Community Center

This event is free and open to the public.

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Sponsors Include: the Office of the Provost, the Community and Regional Development Program, and the Center for Regional Change.

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The UC Davis Forums on the Public University and the Social Good

The UC Davis Forums distinguished lecture series (formerly The Provost's Forums) is designed to promote informed and thoughtful dialogue among members of the campus community and the public about the serious challenges facing the public university, ways of responding to those challenges, and how the public university is evolving. With an ultimate goal of helping to produce a public university that will best serve society and individuals, this series poses the following question: What should and can the public university be in the 21st century?

For more information on the UC Davis Forums, please visit our website.