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Auditorium 101

Keith Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics and incoming David Boies, Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Jonathan Rauch, author and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Who controls what is taught in American universities — professors or politicians? The answer is far from clear but suddenly urgent. Unprecedented efforts are now underway to restrict what ideas can be promoted and discussed in university classrooms. Why do universities live or die by free speech? The answer to this question can help guide students, faculty, administrators and alumni when faced with unpopular, hateful or dangerous speech. Co-sponsored with the student group the Princeton Open Campus Coalition, Princetonians for Free Speech brings to Reunions 2024 Keith E. Whittington, a leading constitutional scholar and author of Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech, in discussion with Jonathan Rauch, prize-winning author, most recently of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth. They will discuss the most pressing free speech and academic freedom issues facing private and public universities today, with a focus on Whittington’s path-breaking new book, You Can’t Teach That! The Battle Over University Classrooms.

Sponsored by Princetonians for Free Speech and the Open Campus Coalition