Content concerns: posting potentially offensive content

I was energized last night after attending some student presentations in a seminar class. (There is probably no better haven for those who love to learn and share knowledge than an institution of higher learning!) The topics covered were about religion and popular culture--and the students did a fantastic job. We were able to arrange for audio, video and photography of the class and plan to make this information (in some format) available on the Web.

So, here I sit with really interesting and thoughtful "intellectual property"--both the professor's in her idea for the seminar and how she covered the material, and the students in their own ideas for how to present their topics which include PowerPoint presentations and videos. Can't wait to get this information out on the Web! But wait, there are some aspects of these presentations that may make viewers/listeners cringe. (How exactly does one talk about religion and South Park without being repulsed by not only the extreme representation (or misrepresentation) of religious material, but also by the embarrassing fact that despite the offensive content, we laugh.

Although the content of the presentations is related to a learning experience in a course approved by the University, does that protect us from the possibility that someone may stumble on the material and find it offensive? Will a general outcry occur if a viewer sees the comparisons between Oprah and Jesus and is offended. Should the content of our Web site be restricted by the potential reactions of sensitive viewers/listeners or are we free to present information without fear of repercussions.

Second thought, there's no way to protect the information. Not that anyone actually cheats, but couldn't a less-than-honest student use the information on the Web to copy the ideas or even the actual presentations? Does it matter? Am I the first person to think of this...doubtful since I'm no genius.

The Web is a hazy, nebulous world that's hard to negotiate. I need to check for guidelines and to see how or if other universities deal with these issues.