UCLA prof bans in-class recordings to protect free speech
Professor Susanne Lohmann said that the decision was a necessary one in order to protect students from the fear of being attacked for expressing controversial viewpoints.
'Speech can be hurtful or hateful, whether in intention or in effect: either way, if it occurs in the context of a class-related activity it is protected speech,' a course syllabus states.
Susanne Lohmann, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently announced that she would fail students in certain classes of hers who recorded lectures or class discussions.
Lohmann said that the decision was a necessary one in order to protect students from the fear of being attacked for expressing controversial viewpoints during in-class debates.
In a sample course syllabus that Lohmann provided to Campus Reform, she explained that her policy aimed to protect free speech by empowering students to meaningfully engage with controversial political issues.
“As citizens of the university, you enjoy academic freedom, which is a special case of [free speech]. You have the right to express yourself freely in the context of a class-related activity,” the syllabus reads. “With rights come obligations. You are obligated to respect your classmates’ speech rights, and they are obligated to respect yours. Speech can be hurtful or hateful, whether in intention or in effect: either way, if it occurs in the context of a class-related activity it is protected speech.”
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Lohmann said that UCLA’s Center for Accessible Education (CAE) “pretty much went ballistic” when she initially decided to disallow audio recordings.
However, after further debate with CAE and university administrators, Lohmann’s syllabus now informs students that CAE “has determined that audio recording is unreasonable and inappropriate for the course” and notes that “CAE students are asked to work with their disability specialist to determine notetaking supports that do not involve audio recording.”
In particular, Lohmann suggests that those in need of accommodation work with a peer note taker, a fellow student who takes notes on behalf of other students.
Lohmann’s syllabus further encourages her students to attack the premises of beliefs they disagree with rather than personally attacking the students who express them.
“Be civil. If another student says something stupid or wicked, in actuality or in your imagination, don’t say: ‘you are stupid’ or ‘you are wicked.’ Instead say ‘your argument is wrong for reasons ABC’ or ‘your argument is immoral for reasons XYZ.’ Condemn the argument, and not the person who advanced the argument, and offer reasons for your condemnation.”
Campus Reform has contacted UCLA for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.