Free speech and academic freedom have been subject to controversy in the US and Germany in recent years. In this interdisciplinary course, we examine the normative underpinnings of free speech and the different forms that the legal operationalization of free speech has taken in the United States and Europe. We also inquire how free speech relates to academic freedom and how both, in turn, relate to democracy. Finally, in the US, freedom of assembly appears to be a relatively neglected basic communicative right; is the right more protected in Germany? Which arguments do European courts make for the importance of freedom of assembly?

Equal parts art, programming, and statistical reasoning, data visualization is critical for anyone who seeks to analyze data. Data analysis skills have become essential for those pursuing careers in policy evaluation, business consulting, and research in fields like public health, social science, or education. This course introduces students to the powerful R programming language and the basics of creating data-analysis graphics in R.