In this DeCal, we will explore the rich history of discourse, activism, and political movements at UC Berkeley, all of which are particularly relevant to campus today. This includes dissecting the Free Speech Movement, understanding the 2022 UC-UAW Strike, discussions on the role of the ASUC, and more.

This course is facilitated by The Berkeley Forum, a non-partisan, student-run organization at the University of California, Berkeley. Established in 2012, the Forum hosts debates, panels, and talks by leading experts from a wide variety of fields. Past speakers have included: author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), basketball player Jaylen Brown, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, and many more.

“The mission of the Berkeley Forum is to provide the Berkeley community a non-partisan, accessible forum for the presentation and debate of a wide range of ideas; to reaffirm the value of a liberal arts education; to recognize free speech as a means for amplifying voices from historically marginalized communities; and to regularly organize, promote, and broadcast debates, panels, and talks by distinguished persons, and any such events, activities, or conversations as shall engage and challenge the faculties of the mind.”

This class is an effort to reaffirm this mission by offering members of the student community the opportunity to discuss and further engage with topics presented in our events while exploring the history of free speech at the UC Berkeley Campus. While we do our best to incorporate this into our events with our Q&A periods, we feel that a discussion-based section would better accomplish this.

Students will be selected for our class based on how effectively the course can contribute to your academic development and future career growth through a quick and easy google form application process. Please apply through the Google Form to be considered.