FRS 002— Sec. 028— (2 units) — CRN 74428— T 12:10-2:00pm — 5 Wellman
The Octopus of Censorship

Instructor: Rachel Edelson, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine

Description: The purpose of this course is an exploration of the ways that censorship strangles our thinking. This topic involves two essential questions: 1) Why do we censor ourselves? and 2) Why do we censor others? To untangle the tentacles of censorship requires critical thinking and readings based on opposing views. Readings in this course include Orwells' "Newspeak" from 1984; Lippmann's "The Indispensable Opposition"; the Khomeini fatwa against Salman Rushdie; Lakoff's model of strict versus nurturant parenting that determines conservative versus liberal attitudes; the debate over Standard Written (white) English, the Patriot Act, pornography, political correctness as it affects free speech, hate speech and changes in the academic canon; censorship from the Left as well as from the Right, and censorship imposed within the self and within the family.

Required Text: Paul Berman, editor - "Debating P. C. - the Controversy over Political Correctness on College Campuses, " Dell, 1992. The instructor will provide numerous handouts as well.

Format: This course will be letter graded. Students are assigned written homework responses to the readings each week (ungraded), plus a minimum 1500 word essay at the end of the quarter. Grading: Grading criteria are based on spoken and written participation. A "C" in the course requires at least 80% homework and attendance, and at least a "C" on the final essay.

About the Instructor: Rachel Edelson is a Clinical Faculty Member of the Department of Psychiatry. Her graduate degrees are in Education and English. She also teaches College Composition and Advanced Critical Thinking at Sacramento City College.