Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, will review some pertinent and controversial issues when she discusses free speech and its role on college campuses as part of a faculty lecture series on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Fred Meyer Lounge in Riley Hall at Linfield.   

 The issue of free speech is a hot-button issue on college and university campuses. While free speech rights are protected by the First Amendment and the right to freely debate is the foundation of a liberal education, recently there has been much controversy, and even violence, on college campuses around questions of who is allowed to speak and who is not. This lecture will explore both sides of this controversy by probing into the complex relationship between free speech, power, civility and tone-policing, and also arguing that certain kinds of free speech harm the public good, dignity and well-being of citizens on college campuses.    

Dutt-Ballerstadt, author of “The Postcolonial Citizen: The Intellectual Migrant,” holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Catherine and a master’s and Ph.D. from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  

 The lecture is free and open to the public. The Linfield faculty lecture series offers one presentation each month. For more information, call 503-883-2409.