John Semonche, Professor
Department of History, UNC-Chapel Hill
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m.
Carroll Hall room 340

John Semonche is a professor in the Department of History at UNC-Chapel Hill. He received an A.B., magna cum laude, from Brown University, and master's and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University. He also earned an LL.B., with distinction, from Duke University.

After a short stint at the University of Connecticut, Semonche has been teaching at UNC-CH in the history department since the early 60s, and from 1967 to 1978 he taught half-time in the School of Law. He specializes in American legal and constitutional history with a special research focus on the United States Supreme Court.� His publications in this area include his new book, Censoring Sex: A Historical Journey Through American Media, Keeping the Faith: A Cultural History of the U.S. Supreme Court, Charting the Future: The Supreme Court Responds to a Changing Society, 1890-1920, and Religion & Constitutional Government in the United States: A Historical Overview with Sources. In addition, Semonche has been a pioneer in harnessing computer technology to the task of teaching; he has constructed three computer simulations and has embedded multimedia in his lecture outlines.

Title: Researching Censorship: Censoring Sex: A Historical Journey Through American Media as a Model

Abstract: In this talk, Dr. Semonche� will weigh the pros and cons of viewing his recent book as a model for research in the area of censorship. A brief synopsis of the book’s contents follows:

In Censoring Sex: A Historical Journey Through American Media, Semonche surveys censorship for reasons of sex primarily from the nineteenth century up to the present. He covers the various forms of American media—-books and periodicals, pictorial art, motion pictures, music and dance, and radio, television, and the Internet. The tale is varied and interesting, replete with a stock of colorful characters such as Anthony Comstock, Mae West, Theordore Dreiser, Marcel Duchamp, Opie and Anthony, Judy Blume, Jerry Falwell, Alfred Kinsey, Hugh Hefner, and the Guerilla Girls. Covering the history of censorship of sexual ideas and images is one way of telling the tale of modern America.

For each mode of media, Semonche explains via abundant examples how and why censorship took place in America. He also traces the story of how the cultural territory contested by those advocating and opposing censorship has diminished over the course of the last two centuries. Yet, he argues, that the censorship of sexual materials that continues in the United States poses a challenge to the free speech that is part of the foundation upon which the nation is built. Indeed, in an era in which sexual images are pervasive and the need for reliable information about sex and sexuality is growing, Semonche questions the remaining rationales for censorship and the justification for placing obscenity outside the protection of the U. S. Constitution.

More information on the spring colloquium series may be found at:

http://www.unc.edu/~congli/colloquium_spring2008.html

The colloquium URL can also be accessed by clicking on the "Mary Junck Colloquium Series" link from the school's homepage at: http://www.jomc.unc.edu/