
Contact: Rachel Egli
Director of Events
and Continuing Legal Education
Office: (405) 325-2011
r.egli@ou.edu
NORMAN — The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced a $50,000 investment to fund a University of Oklahoma College of Law project led by Evelyn Mary Aswad, OU law professor and Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law. The grant supports comparative research between the First Amendment and international human rights law’s protections for speech online.
“I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to pursue research into these two bodies of law and how their similarities and differences may have implications for online content moderation,” Aswad said.
Aswad’s comparative research is one of 20 projects that received $1.7 million today from the Knight Foundation, all of which will focus on research to inform the public conversation on current issues in technology policy, including free expression online and the scale and power of digital platforms. The awards mark the culmination of the Knight Foundation’s $50 million commitment to catalyze new research to inform how technology is transforming democracy.
A focus of Aswad’s scholarship has been on social media platforms and the future of speech online. Her course on International Business and Human Rights includes an examination of corporate responsibility and online platforms. Her Human Rights Practicum course provides students with experiential learning based on comparative approaches to freedom of expression.
As the director of OU Law’s Center for International Business and Human Rights, Aswad has also brought many guest speakers from industry, civil society and government to speak to students about technology, human rights and democracy.
More News & Media

News
OU College of Law Secures Highest Historical School Ranking in U.S. News and World Report
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma College of Law has secured its highest spot ever in the U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools ranking for 2023-2024, coming in at No. 51...

News
OU College of Law Professor Emeritus Receives 2022 OBA Earl Sneed Award
NORMAN, OKLA. – OU College of Law Professor Emeritus Robert Spector was recently named the recipient of the 2022 Oklahoma Bar Association Earl Sneed Award during the OBA Annual Conference...
News
Kevin Hayes to Receive OU Law's Prestigious Eugene Kuntz Award
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma College of Law will honor Tulsa attorney Kevin Hayes with the Eugene Kuntz Award on Nov. 10 at the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Reception in the Oklahoma City...