Class Information
Fall 2026
7397 WRS Free Speech and the University - TEN CATE- 26450
Professor(s):
Irene Ten Cate (VISITING)
Credits: 3
Course Areas: Constitutional Law
Law And Society/ Interdisciplinary
Time: 2:30p-4:00p MW Location: 200
Course Outline: This course examines the boundaries of speech in universities through the lens of some of the most compelling defenses and criticisms of free speech and academic freedom. The course exposes students to the complex legal, social, and philosophical interests that are implicated in questions regarding the value and limits of free speech in universities. Students also develop their research, writing, and analytical skills by researching and writing a substantial paper. Lastly, students are expected to conduct themselves as members of a scholarly community, culminating in paper presentations and discussions.
Course Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Notes: (Face-to-Face) The UH registration system instruction mode for this course is listed in parenthesis. For this instruction mode, instructors and students are expected to normally be physically present in the classroom. If the course has a final examination, it will be in a classroom requiring your physical presence. Other assessment, such as a mid term exam, may also be in a classroom. Whether this instructor will offer “remote presence” (starting a zoom meeting from the podium computer to enable student remote access on an occasional basis) for part or all of the semester is not known, but students should not rely on an expectation that remote presence will be available.
Quota=12
Prerequisites:
First Day Assignments:
Final Exam Schedule:
This course will have:
Exam:
Paper:
Satisfies Senior Upper Level Writing Requirement: Yes
Experiential Course Type: No
Bar Course: No
DistanceEd ABA: No
Pass-Fail Student Election: Unavailable (Instructor Preference)
Course Materials
No book required for this course
I recommend the following books as optional resources (the references are to the most recent editions, but earlier ones are fine):
• Jessica Lynn Wherry & Kristen E. Murray, SCHOLARLY WRITING: IDEAS, EXAMPLES, AND EXECUTION (3d ed. 2019)
• Eugene Volokh, ACADEMIC LEGAL WRITING: LAW REVIEW ARTICLES, STUDENT NOTES, SEMINAR PAPERS, AND GETTING ON LAW REVIEW (5th ed. 2016)
