COM 557 Legal Dimensions of Communication
Fall 2003
M 6:00-8:45
Neff 141

Course Description
Cr. 3. P: 352. Analysis of contemporary issues in communication law. Research into selected problems concerning the law and its impact on both face-to-face and mass communication.

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Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able:

1. To define copyright and intellectual property;
2. To articulate the philosophical and pragmatic bases for copyright;
3. To identify the unique problems that arise from digitalization of intellectual property; and
4. To propose solutions for copyright in a digital age
.

Texts

• Siva Vaidhyanathan. Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How It Threatens Creativity
  Vaidhyanathan Website
• James Boyle. Shamans, Software, and Spleens: Law and the Construction of the Information Society
• Adam Thierer and Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. (Editors).
Copy Fights: The Future of Intellectual Property in the Information Age
• Readings linked to Course Schedule Page (Adobe Acrobat Reader may be necessary)

• Students may also refer to glossaries of terms used in this course:

  • Telecommunications Terms: Technology and Industry
  • Media Communication Terms: Aesthetics and Criticism
  
  
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  Assignments
  All assignment must be completed in order to achieve a passing grade in this course.

  1. Research Project
     The student will write an essay that describes a range of approaches to a particular digital copyright issue. A minimum of ten recent scholarly peer-reviewed or law review articles are required.
  2. Graduate Student Presentations
     Graduate students will organize and lead class discussion segment on a subject to be arranged.
  3. Final Examination Assignment
     
  4. Student Group Presentation
     Each group will offer a proposal for a revised Digital Copyright Statute. Each group will represent a specific constituency from the following list:
     • Creators
     • Craft Unions
     • Multinational Producers
     • Internet Service Providers
     • Software Developers
     • Independent Producers

Grading
Course assignments and examinations will be weighted as follows:

Assignment	Graduate Points	Undergraduate Points
Research Project	400 points	350 points
Graduate Student Presentations	150 points	Not applicable
Student Team Presentations	200 points	350 points
Final Examination	250 points	300 points
Total	1000 points	1000 points

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The final grade will be based on the following scale:

Points	Grade
1000-890 points	A
889-790 points	B
789-700 points	C
699-600 points	D
599 points-below	F

Course Policies
1. You are expected to attend class.
2. All assignments must be turned in. Failure to turn in an assigment will result in a grade of F for the course.
3. No late assignments will be accepted. Due dates are stated in the syllabus.
4. No handwritten assignments will be accepted.

Campus Services

1. If you have or aquire a disability and would like to find out what special services may be available to you, contact Services for Students with Disabilities in WU 118 & 218 (481-6657, voice/TTY).
   
2. The IPFW Writing Center:

   I encourage you to visit the IPFW Writing Center, Kettler G19, where writing consultants can help you understand assignments; brainstorm, develop and logically organize your ideas; learn strategies for wqrirting clearly; avoid plagiarism; and improve your documentation, editing, and proofreading skills. Bring your writing assignment for any class, questions, ideas, and a draft (if you have one). The service is free. Walk-ins arre welcome, but to ensure help when you need it, sign up for appointments on the board outside KT G19 or call 481-5740. Writing improvement happens over time, so visit regularly. Every writer needs a reader. Online at http://www.ipfw.edu/engl/wchome.htm.

URL:http://users.ipfw.edu/tankel/syllabi/Fall2002/com557f03.htm
Revised: 19 August 2003