The speech communication department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, provides a rigorous and legally oriented course in freedom of speech. The objectives of the course are to help students gain insight into the historical and philosophical foundations of the First Amendment, the legal/judicial processes concerning the First Amendment, and the extra-legal forces and contemporary problems that restrict free speech, as well as the communicative process. The course requires a variety of readings, including Z. Chafee's "Free Speech in the United States," F. Haiman's "Speech and Law in a Free Society" and "Freedom of Speech," various Supreme Court decisions, and selections from the "Free Speech Yearbook," communication journals, and law reviews. Guest lecturers, such as attorneys, former graduate students, and First Amendment authorities are frequently invited to speak to the classes. For the two in-class and final exams, students write on two or three topics from a choice of five or six. For the take-home exam, students pretend they are Supreme Court Justices and write an opinion regarding a conviction for expression. Following an introductory unit, the course is divided into units on political heresy and national security; provocation to anger and disturbing the peace; obscenity, pornography, and the law; and current controversies, such as gag rules and closed courtrooms, and school censorship. (HTH)