AcDv B61 Introduction to banned and Challenged Books Bakersfield College Jessica Wojtysiak AcDv B61 Introduction to banned and Challenged Books

2015 Student Survey on Free Speech In 2015, The William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale commissioned a survey about attitudes towards free speech on campus. Over 800 students attending colleges from around the country responded. Let’s see how your views match with theirs. (Source: Notable & Quotable: Unfree Speech on Campus, The Wall Street Journal)

Question 1 Should schools regulate the speech of faculty and students? By a margin of 51 percent to 36 percent, students favor their school having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty. 

Question 2 Should faculty be required to use “trigger warnings” to warn students of potentially discomforting subject matter? Sixty-three percent favor requiring professors to employ “trigger warnings” to alert students to material that might be discomfiting. 

Does any part of the U.S. Constitution deal with Free Speech? Question 3 Does any part of the U.S. Constitution deal with Free Speech? If so, what part is it? One-third of the students polled could not identify the First Amendment as the part of the Constitution that dealt with free speech.

The First Amendment Amendment I “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (From Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute)

Does the First Amendment apply to hate speech? Question 4 Does the First Amendment apply to hate speech? Thirty-five percent said that the First Amendment does not protect “hate speech.” 

First Amendment Exceptions Fighting words: “face-to-face personal insults addressed to a specific person, of the sort that are likely to start an immediate fight” (Chaplinsky V New Hampshire, 1942) True threats of crime Libel Hostile environment harassment law

The Nazis in Skokie National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie (1977) Frank Collin, the Illinois Nazis and the ACLU First Amendment: Swastikas OK

No Exception for Hate Speech Hate speech not defined by U.S. law Hate speech does not qualify as fighting words Supreme Court, R.A.V. V. City of St. Paul, 1992

Banned Books and Free Speech Challenge: An attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. Ban: The removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view. They restrict access and therefore involve the freedom of speech.

Your Book Options The Catcher in the Rye To Kill a Mockingbird I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings The Bluest Eye Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian

Banned Book Gallery Walk Visit Each Book Station (3 minutes) Take Notes Rate your interest for each book You may use your phone to look up book info I’ll call time to switch stations

The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger 1951 Ranked #2 on Radcliffe’s List of Best Novels of the 20th Century

To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 1960 Ranked #4 on Radcliffe’s List of Best Novels of the 20th Century Ranked #5 on Reader’s Poll, Modern Library Association

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 1969 First Autobiography NY Times Book Review: “The wisdom, rue and humor of her storytelling are borne on a lilting rhythm completely her own.”

The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison 1970 (her last novel) Cornell Grad (MFA, 1950) Pulitzer Prize Winner (1988) Nobel Prize in Literature (1993) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone J.K. Rowling 1997(UK); 1998 (US) First in a series of 7 novels The author’s debut novel Commercial Success, Mixed Critical Reviews

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky (author and director) 1999 Mixed Critical Response Strong cult following supported the film

Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie 2007 Won 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature “Best book of 2007” – School Library Journal

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling 6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou 10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky 15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison 19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger 21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Missing: Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian From Ala.org

2014: Most Challenged Books 1) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie 4) The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison 8) The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (appeared 6 times) As ranked by the American Library Association (ALA)