The Boa Constrictor of Censorship

Instructor:  Rachel Edelson, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine

Description: This seminar examines numerous ways in which the process of censorship strangles our thinking, asking two central questions: 1) Why do we want to censor ourselves? and 2) Why do we want to censor others? Readings include psychoanalytic views on repression as it arises within the self and the family; Orwell's "Newspeak" from 1984; the Khomeini fatwa against Salman Rushdie; Rauch’s views on “liberal science,” Lakoff's model of strict versus nurturant parenting that underpins conservative versus liberal values; which in turn promote differing premises for censorship; political correctness as it affects free speech, hate speech and the academic canon. The final two weeks of class will be a viewing and the discussion of David Mamet’s provocative film on sexual harassment, “Oleanna.”

Required Text:  Jonathan Rauch, “The Kindly Inquisitors.” The instructor will provide numerous handouts as well.

Format: Students will write a 500 word personal response (not a free write, not a summary, not an essay) to each homework assignment. THESE RESPONSES ARE UNGRADED; they give students a chance to think through the material, and provide the basis for class discussions. The final paper, due after the course, is also a personal response to what a student sees as the most important ideas of the course: 2-4 pages. Grading: Grading criteria are based on the quality and quantity of the written work (70%); the final paper (major ideas gained from the course) (10%); and course attendance and participation (20%).

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.