What is the speech at issue in the film?

March 7, 2022
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  • Book needed to be referenced: Freedom of Speech in the United States, 8th Edition, by Tedford and Herbeck
  • Movie Selection: Whichever one you have access to.

Com Studies 152 Freedom of Speech

Film Paper: This assignment is worth fifteen percent (15%) of the course grade. The film review paper will test your critical eye and your ability to apply the course material in a paper format. It is possible that you will need to do some independent research and/or read ahead in your coursework in order to adequately complete this assignment.

Assignment: Please view and analyze one of the following films:1

Inherit the Wind (1960) directed by Stanley Kramer
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) directed by Milos Forman
Dirty Pictures (2000) directed by Frank Pierson
Shut Up & Sing (2006) directed by Barbara Kopple & Cecilia Peck
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013) directed by Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin The Post (2017) directed by Stephen Spielberg

Your analysis should address the following points, among whichever other additional points you think are important to an analysis of the free speech issues dramatized in the film:

  1. What is the speech at issue in the film?
  2. What arguments support the protection of the speech? What arguments support the suppression or punishment of the speech? With which arguments do you agree? Why?
  3. How would the speech at issue in the film have been interpreted during one of the following time periods: the colonial era, World War II, or the 1960s? (Your choice.)
  4. How would you rate the dramatization of the speech issues in the film? How would you have directed the film differently?

Due Date: The papers are due to Canvas by the date indicated in Canvas. Per the terms of the syllabus, late papers are generally NOT accepted.

Note that you are welcome to come discuss your paper with me during office hours or ask me to review a draft of your paper with you (or a partial draft of your paper with you) during office hours; I will not be reading drafts outside of office hours.

1 I have also placed a copy of each film listed here on reserve at the CSUS Library Media Center and am working with the Library to get those uploaded to Canvas. You may, of course, find the films available via rental or streaming options, too.

Grading: The score for your film paper will be based upon a number of factors, including your ability to address the points numerated above as well as your ability to do so in a thorough, coherent, well-written, properly formatted way.

It is expected that this paper be at least 4 to 6 double-spaced pages in length and contain minimal spelling or grammatical errors. Your paper will be evaluated on its clarity of focus, organization and sentence structure, adequacy of idea development, and pertinence of the response to the specific assignment.

I reserve the right to stop reading any paper that contains more than three spelling or grammatical errors. If a paper falls into this category, I will assign a grade based upon the portion of the paper read.

The following rubric will be used in assigning your score out of 15 possible points:

SCORE CHARACTERISTICS
14-15 Thoroughly well-written and well-formatted paper. Addresses the four points of analysis with clear understanding and a solid academic style. Paper may contain no more than three spelling or grammatical errors.
12-13 Well-written paper. Adequately addresses the four points of analysis. Style may be less academic and more casual. Paper may contain a handful of spelling or grammatical errors, but no more than five such errors.
11 Paper is not written in an academic style or may contain some unclear and/or awkward writing or more than five spelling or grammatical errors. Nevertheless, the four points of analysis are adequately addressed.
10 and below Paper is not well written, fails to address all four points of analysis, and/or contains significant spelling or grammatical errors.

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