David French & Free Speech

College of Leadership & Public Service's newest professor, David French, taught a special topics course, "Foundations of Free Speech" this term. 

The argument of what people can and can't say has been going on for centuries and no one can quite agree on what we should be allowed to say and what shouldn't. The United States Constitution provides its citizens with certain God-given rights such as the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, and the freedom of religion. Professor David French, a Lipscomb alum and New York Times columnist teaches free speech class where he gives real-world examples of people who have had their freedom of speech questioned. One of these examples includes what kinds of social media rights cheerleaders have when “in loco parentis” is involved. 

The students in Mr. French’s class were all engaged and excited to learn about the many curveballs, twists, and turns that would arise from the cases discussed. Everyone continued to ask questions and present hypotheticals, and Mr. French would give compelling responses every time. If anyone at Lipscomb is interested in the freedom of speech and the blessing that it provides American citizens, I highly recommend signing up for Mr. French’s class for Fall 2024.