Speech and Expression
As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Georgetown is committed to upholding an environment for free and open inquiry. Every member of our community has the opportunity to promote ideas to contribute to a greater discourse, and at Georgetown, we encourage Hoyas to participate in the exchange of all ideas.
Speech and Expression Resources
At Georgetown, members of our community should always feel that they can speak, write, listen, learn and debate ideas that can challenge the mind and spur stimulating conversations. Georgetown offers a multitude of resources to educate and inform our community on how the university navigates speech and expression issues.
Quick Links
Free Speech Project
An independent, nonpartisan and student-staffed initiative, the Free Speech Project assesses the state of free speech in the U.S. Through events, learning modules and a tool that tracks free speech controversies around the country, the Free Speech Project seeks to educate citizens rooted in the belief that meaningful education and civic engagement around the First Amendment are vital for democracy.
GU Politics
At GU Politics, students are exposed to ideas from across the political spectrum, whether through events with high-level speakers from across the aisle or working alongside fellows from diverse political backgrounds.
A Testimonial
“More than anything, my first year at McCourt has taught me the value of engaging with diverse perspectives. Moving forward means moving together, even when it seems impossible. That’s why I wanted to go to the RNC with GU Politics.”
Georgetown Dialogues Initiative
One of the goals of a Georgetown education is to be active participants in an intellectual community capable of engaging with challenging ideas. Through the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative (GDI), students can enroll in courses co-taught by faculty of opposing viewpoints to better understand what it takes to listen and engage in difficult dialogues.
Productive Tensions
The Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) equips students and faculty to seek common understanding. Explore the resources CNDLS offers to the Georgetown community to engage in productive conversations with each other.
CNDLS Resources
Engaging New Ideas
The McCourt School of Public Policy welcomed nearly 100 state legislators from both sides of the aisle to network, bridge the partisan divide and develop policy solutions.
Georgetown hosted a dialogue between an Israeli mother and a Palestinian brother who lost family members in the long-standing conflict and are working to foster peace and reconciliation.