A Dialogic Approach to Combating Hate Speech on College Campuses
Katherine L. Hatfield, Kellie Schafer, Kristopher A. Stroup · Atlantic Journal of Communication · 2005
The protection of speech under the First Amendment offers little support to those individuals who feel as though they are victims of hateful speech. Given that little can be done legally, exploring other possible responses to hate speech becomes even more pertinent. University and college campuses foster and encourage learning and growth of the individual. Campuses are precisely the places that should provide forums for discussion and deliberative dialogic communication. The goal of this article is to discuss the nature of hate speech, the issue of tolerance for it, and suggestions for how colleges and universities in the United States can begin to create change through dialogue on their own campuses. We offer an empirical examination of the effects of engaging students in dialogue about hate speech.