Parrhesia offers a range of courses focusing on free expression and constructive civil discourse. You can search for Parrhesia classes when registering—choose "Parrhesia" as the department OR look for "PARR" classes in AIS.
We encourage you to consider our current and upcoming courses, as well as also explore our past offerings. Get in touch with us if you have questions or would like to discuss any ideas in connection with the Parrhesia curriculum.
Public understanding of science and deliberative civic engagement with science are critical for democratic governance. Yet, in the U.S. (and around the world), we are seeing high levels of distrust in institutions of science and political polarization around science-informed issues such as climate change, vaccinations, nuclear waste disposal and biology of sex and gender, to name just a few.
Through our readings, we will examine different perspectives on the relationship between scientific expertise, public understanding of science and civic life. Our guiding questions will focus on how inclusive and adaptive science communication can transform disagreement and misunderstanding into public dialogue focused on problem solving. Working in teams, you will convene and facilitate a community-based discussion on a controversial science-informed issue. You will create a variety of written, oral and digital communications for this deliberative engagement process
Instructor: Ekaterina Lukianova
Quarter: Spring 2025
The recent removal of Confederate statues in the US and ISIL’s destruction of ancient sites in Iraq and Syria, while motivated by different aims, find a common solution in dealing with images deemed inappropriate. Context is crucial to understanding what is at stake in these different iconoclastic acts: What is being destroyed? Who is destroying it and why? Although the term “iconoclasm” initially was used to describe the violent clashes between rival Christian ideologies over the status of images in a religious context in the 8th century, scholars now use it more capaciously and it refers to any movement dedicated to the destruction of images, be it in ancient Mesopotamia, Reformist Europe, or Talibanist Afghanistan. While the term offers syntactical clarity, it simultaneously obscures the various processes that go into practicing iconoclasm; for example, what motivated Byzantine destruction of icons is distinct from why European colonizers destroyed Native American heritage. This seminar proposes a broad and historically contingent study of iconoclasm. By looking at a range of examples from different periods and geographical contexts, we will examine the ways in which images have been perceived as threats, aberrations, seductions, or inconveniences best removed. We will also explore the various ways in which removed images continue to resonate with new meanings. The seminar spends a week defining the key terms before delving into particular case studies of iconoclasm
Instructor: Mohit Manohar
Quarter: Spring 2025
Information dissemination and online discourse on the Internet are subject to the algorithms and filters that operate on Internet infrastructure, from network firewalls to search engines. This course will explore the technologies that are used to control access to online speech and information, and cutting-edge technologies that can empower citizens in the face of these information controls. Students will learn about and experiment with technologies to control online discourse, ranging from firewalls that perform network traffic filtering to algorithms for content personalization and content moderation. We will also explore underlying technical trends, such as the increasing consolidation of Internet infrastructure and protocols, and the implications of consolidation for control over online discourse. Each course meeting will include a technical overview, reading discussion, and a hands-on laboratory activity.
Instructor: Nicholas Feamster
Quarter: Spring 2025
Public intellectuals, journalists and citizens at large are having heated debates on whether to use and how to use such words and phrases as “privilege,” “woke” or “illegal immigration.” Partisan opinion leaders develop strategies of linking key terms, such as “critical race theory” or “global warming,” to negative narratives in order to thwart constructive public dialogue on substantive issues. You may be wary of using words that would get you in trouble in the classroom, in a professional interview or in a public-facing presentation. How do you make intelligent vocabulary choices in a polarized political environment? How do you negotiate disagreement over terms? How do you manage adverse emotional reactions precipitated by a trigger word?
In order to deal with these questions, you will learn how human language is used to model and differentiate human needs. You will study how different social groups use words differently and how words accumulate multiple meanings. We will draw on concepts from biological anthropology, rhetorical psychology, sociolinguistics, lexical semantics and discourse analysis. You will acquire the skill of parsing out the multiple meanings of contested words and identifying their distinct contexts through work with language corpora and internet search engines. You will also speak and write about language-related controversies in order to steer discussion of controversial topics towards civil discourse.
Instructor: Ekaterina Lukianova
Quarter: Winter 2025
Free expression and inquiry are essential to the pursuit of knowledge and a liberal education. These principles are also crucial for democracy. However, the application of these principles often leaves students, faculty and administrators feeling unprotected and subject to harm. This course will focus on the civic and academic purposes of free expression, and on the role of moderators in cultivating constructive dialogue. We will engage with the following questions:
What does a private university have in common with a public forum?
Do we need more or less free speech on campus?
Even when we disagree about this question, what kinds of speech do we need to uphold?
How do you stay true to yourself and respectful of others when talking about matters that cut close to the bone?
Readings will include influential philosophical texts (Milton, Mill, MacKinnon, Strossen, Coates), research articles, analysis of legal cases, declarations, polemical texts, as well as mass media coverage of recent events and proposed legislation. You will work in teams to research controversies concerning free expression at universities and write a case study, reflecting on your identity and values that would bear on your perspective in the case. You will also test avenues for free and constructive discussion of controversial issues through convening and facilitating discussions face-to-face and online.
Instructor: Ekaterina Lukianova
Quarter: Winter 2025
Information dissemination and online discourse on the Internet are subject to the algorithms and filters that operate on Internet infrastructure, from network firewalls to search engines. This course will explore the technologies that are used to control access to online speech and information, and cutting-edge technologies that can empower citizens in the face of these information controls. Students will learn about and experiment with technologies to control online discourse, ranging from firewalls that perform network traffic filtering to algorithms for content personalization and content moderation. We will also explore underlying technical trends, such as the increasing consolidation of Internet infrastructure and protocols, and the implications of consolidation for control over online discourse. Each course meeting will include a technical overview, reading discussion, and a hands-on laboratory activity.
Instructor: Nicholas Feamster
Quarter: Winter 2025