As part of the 30th anniversary of the May 4, 1970 tragedy at Kent State University in which four students were killed and nine students were wounded, Kent State will be hosting a national scholarly symposium on "The Boundaries of Freedom of Expression and Order in a Democratic Society" on May 1-2, 2000.

The symposium will examine the current status of freedom of expression in American society by asking what are the limits of freedom of expression and are these the proper limits. Topics might include hate speech, political protest, libel, obscenity, the Internet, etc. Proposals based upon various approaches to freedom of expression such as a feminist perspective, a post-modern approach, a neo-Marxist orientation, etc. are also welcome. We are especially interested in a paper analyzing the conflict between freedom and order at Kent State on May 4, 1970.

The symposium will begin on Monday evening, May 1, with an opening keynote address by Kathleen Sullivan, Dean of Stanford Law School. Panels will be held Tuesday, May 2 in both the morning and afternoon. The noon luncheon speaker on May 2 is Anthony Lewis of the New York Times. The symposium will conclude on Tuesday afternoon with a closing keynote address by Cass Sunstein of the University of Chicago.

We are currently seeking one-page proposals from scholars who are interested in participating in the symposium. Scholars who have their proposals accepted will receive a $2000 honorarium, and the papers will be included in a book which will result from the symposium.

Persons interested in participating in the symposium should send a one-page proposal and a curriculum vitae to Professor Thomas R. Hensley, Department of Political Science, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242 by December 1, l999, or by e-mail (thensley@kent.edu) or by fax (330-672-3362).