POLI1270 · Political Science
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
This course is a non-subfield elective course for Political Science majors only. This course is class-restricted to juniors and seniors only. Graduate students are welcomed."The Cost of Freedom" will focus on the challenge of preserving the liberal ideal of free speech in a world where democratic governments seem paralyzed by political and cultural polarization; powerful tech companies have become reluctant censors; authoritarian regimes deploy artificial intelligence and "the internet of things" for surveillance, censorship, and propaganda; and many failing democracies and would-be authoritarian regimes seem poised to do the same. The goal is to help you situate the classic debate over free speech in both the broader historical context and the contemporary landscape.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.2 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.1 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.2 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.4 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~4
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Fall 2024
1 sectionSpring 2023
1 sectionFall 2021
1 section