Communications 317: Media Law
Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2009
www.sci.edu/faculty/ellertsen/comm317syllabus.html
"Where do you think these rights came from? The stork didn't bring them! The judges did. -- Justice Potter Stewart, U.S. Supreme Court.
"So as grave and learned men may doubt, without any imputation to them; for the most learned doubteth most, and the more ignorant for the most part are the more bold and peremptory." Section 338a. -- Sir Edward Coke, Institutes of the Lawes of England (1628) Sect. 338a.
Communications 317 meets from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Place to be announced. Instructor is Pete Ellertsen, 211 Beata Hall (old Ursuline convent), telephone 525-1420x519, email: pellertsen@sci.edu. Office hours TBA. Home: 545 Feldkamp, Springfield, IL 62704. tel. 793-2587.
I. Course Description.
Course Title: Mass Media Law and Ethics Course Number: COMM 317 Credits: 3.00.
Description: Examines the many legal and ethical issues related to the mass media. Fall.
Prerequisites RHET 102 or HNRS 191.
II. Textbooks. You have two: (1) Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins, "Media Ethics: Issues and Cases"; and (2) "The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual." Also required are the readings on the World Wide Web linked below in the Tentative Calendar and on my blog for communications students called The Mackerel Wrapper. Supplies. You will be required to maintain your own blog, so you will need computer access. It is available at the Benedictine/Springfield Resource Center.
III. Mission statement of Benedictine University. Benedictine University at Lisle dedicates itself to the education for the undergraduate and graduated students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage - the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world Community.
IV. Goals, objectives and outcomes.
A. Goals
Students will gain an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of journalists under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Students will gain an exposure to legal traditions of reasoning and adjudication that affect them as journalists, as practitioners of the communication arts and as citizens.
Students will understand their obligations as mass media professionals under personal injury and intellectual property law.
B. Student Learning Objectives. Upon completion of the course, students will be able
explain how statute law and court decisions affect their lives as journalists, communications professionals and citizens; understand the principles of professional journalistic ethics and apply them to hypothetical situations that confront professionals in journalism, public relations and advertising; reflect on the ethical demands placed on professional writers by such issues as invasion of privacy, and apply the principles of libel and intellectual property law in the AP stylebook to their own writing as student journalists
V. Teaching Methods. Peer work, small group and whole classroom discussion (including participation in discussion on the Message Board linked to my faculty webpage), pre-writing, drafting and editing exercises, including the preparation of case briefs on assigned reading; conferencing; and intervention in student writing processes.
VI. Course Requirements.
A. Attendance Policy. Attendance is mandatory. To avoid class disruption, students in COM 317 must be on time. If a student misses class, is the student's responsibility to get class notes, assignments, etc., from classmates. Missed in-class work, by its very nature, cannot be made up. Absences will hurt your grade.
B. Reading Assignments. Please see the Tentative Calendar below.
C. Written Assignments.
You will do frequent in-class writing exercises. I will assign exercises without notice.
You will be required to write a documented paper on a topic I will select for you and to follow my instructions for arguing and documenting the paper.
You are required to post to a Web log (blog) of your own creation and to the class message board, both in and out of class. I will post assignments to the board and/or The Mackerel Wrapper.
Both the midterm and final exam will be essay questions.
VII. Means of Evaluation. Your final grade will be based on assignments weighted as follows: (A) class participation and in-class journals, worth 50 percent of the total grade; (B) a 10- to 12-page documented research paper on a specific topic assigned and approved by the instructor, worth 25 percent of the total; and (C) quizzes and tests including the midterm and the final exam, worth 25 percent.
Academic Integrity Statement
Academic and professional environments require honesty and integrity, and these qualities are expected of every student at Springfield College-Benedictine University. In accordance with such expectations, academic integrity requires that you credit others for their ideas. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is a grievous offense. Any time you use words or ideas that are not your own, you must give credit to the author, whether or not you are quoting directly from that author. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.
Any incident of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty may result in serious consequences. Penalties for academic dishonesty vary depending on the severity or extent of the problem but are always serious.
The following are consequences you may face for academic dishonesty:
· a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
· dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
· dismissal from the Institution.
Please refer to the Springfield College Benedictine University Catalog or the Student Handbook for a complete discussion of the Academic Integrity policy.
Grade Appeal Process
According to the Springfield College Catalog, grade appeals must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The process for appealing a grade is outlined below.
First, contact the Instructor.
1. A student must appeal to his/her instructor in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be
changed.
2. The instructor must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide a copy to the division chair.
Second, contact the Division Chair.
3. If the student wishes, he/she may then appeal to the division chair in
writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her
grade should be changed without the instructor’s permission. The student
should understand that overwhelming evidence must be presented to the
division chair to prove that the current grade is incorrect.
4. The division chair must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide a copy to the academic dean.
Lastly, contact the Academic Dean.
5. If the student wishes, he/she may appeal to the academic dean in writing
(e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade
should be changed without the instructor’s or the division chair’s
permission. The student should understand that overwhelming evidence
must be presented to the academic dean to prove the grade is incorrect.
6. The academic dean must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable). The academic dean’s decision is final.
Add/Drop Dates
Aug. 28 - Last day to add courses
Aug. 28 - Last day to drop a course without a W (4:00 p.m.)
Oct. 24 - Last day to drop courses
Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.
Student Withdrawal Procedure
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.
The instructor's grading scale is as follows: A = 100-90. B = 89-80. C = 79-70. D = 69-60. E = 59-0.
VIII. Course Outline and Calendar. Please see Tentative Calendar below. The schedule of assignments is tentative, and departures from it will be announced at the class meeting prior to the change -- or via the Message Board. Students who miss class are responsible for keeping up with rescheduled assignments.
IX. Americans with Disabilities Act. Springfield College in Illinois/Benedictine University provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible. If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling 217-525-1420, ext. 306.
X. Assessment. Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus. Instructor will use pre-tests and post-tests, background knowledge probes, directed paraphrasing, reflective essays or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction. Students are required to take part in all assessment measures.
Tentative Calendar
Week 1
The basics. Read Jane Kirtley, Legal Foundations of Press Freedom in the United States"; and the John Jay School of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York's guide to writing case briefs. Lewis covered the Civil Rights movement and the U.S. Supreme Court for The New York Times. Kirtly is media ethics and law professor at the University of Minnesota. In order to meet your obligations under the law as a media professional, you should learn to think like a lawyer; knowing how to write briefs will help you accomplish this. And it will teach you more about logic than all the liberal arts courses in the world.
Week 2
Read the introduction to the First Amendment by Doug Linder, professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. Be ready to answer the questions at the bottom of the webpage. Here's another one to chew on: Would voters OK the First Amendment today?
Week 3
Review the "Briefing on Media Law" in the AP stylebook. In my edition (2002) it's on pages 339-75; in more recent editions, page numbers will vary. Reading will be supplemented by the instructor.
Week 4
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 1 "an Introduction to Ethical Decision Making" and 2 "Information Ethics." We will choose case studies to go over in class.
Week 5
We will continue our discussion of Chapters 1 and 2 in P&W. I WILL ASSIGN THE MIDTERM [AN OPEN-BOOK TAKE-HOME ESSAY ON LAW, ETHICS AND HOW THE TWO ARE RELATED.
Week 6
Read P&W, Chapter 3, "Advertising Ethics." We will discuss selected cases in class. MIDTERM EXAM IS DUE. I WILL ASSIGN TERM PROJECT TOPIC.
Week 7
Read P&W, Chapter 4 on "Loyalty: Choosing Between Competing Allegiances."
Week 8
Read P&W, Chapter 5, "Public Relations: Standards of Advocacy."
Week 9
Read P&W, Chapter 6 on "Privacy ... in the Global Village"
Week 10
Read P&W, Chapter 8 "Media Economics"
Week 11
Read P&W, Chapter 9 "Mass Media in a Democratic Society."
Week 12
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 10 "New Media." In addition, download and read University of Tennessee law prof Glenn Reynolds' paper on libel in the blogosphere. Reynolds writes the widely read "Instapundit" blog, so he's given serious thought to the issue. RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DUE.
Week 13
Read P&W, Chapter 11, "Ethical Dimensions of Art and Entertainment."
Week 14
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 12 "Becoming a Moral Adult." Relax! You won't be preached at. The chapter is about how we develop our personal and professional ethical standards.
Final exam schedule TBA.
Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2009
www.sci.edu/faculty/ellertsen/comm317syllabus.html
"Where do you think these rights came from? The stork didn't bring them! The judges did. -- Justice Potter Stewart, U.S. Supreme Court.
"So as grave and learned men may doubt, without any imputation to them; for the most learned doubteth most, and the more ignorant for the most part are the more bold and peremptory." Section 338a. -- Sir Edward Coke, Institutes of the Lawes of England (1628) Sect. 338a.
Communications 317 meets from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Place to be announced. Instructor is Pete Ellertsen, 211 Beata Hall (old Ursuline convent), telephone 525-1420x519, email: pellertsen@sci.edu. Office hours TBA. Home: 545 Feldkamp, Springfield, IL 62704. tel. 793-2587.
I. Course Description.
Course Title: Mass Media Law and Ethics Course Number: COMM 317 Credits: 3.00.
Description: Examines the many legal and ethical issues related to the mass media. Fall.
Prerequisites RHET 102 or HNRS 191.
II. Textbooks. You have two: (1) Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins, "Media Ethics: Issues and Cases"; and (2) "The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual." Also required are the readings on the World Wide Web linked below in the Tentative Calendar and on my blog for communications students called The Mackerel Wrapper. Supplies. You will be required to maintain your own blog, so you will need computer access. It is available at the Benedictine/Springfield Resource Center.
III. Mission statement of Benedictine University. Benedictine University at Lisle dedicates itself to the education for the undergraduate and graduated students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage - the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world Community.
IV. Goals, objectives and outcomes.
A. Goals
Students will gain an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of journalists under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Students will gain an exposure to legal traditions of reasoning and adjudication that affect them as journalists, as practitioners of the communication arts and as citizens.
Students will understand their obligations as mass media professionals under personal injury and intellectual property law.
B. Student Learning Objectives. Upon completion of the course, students will be able
explain how statute law and court decisions affect their lives as journalists, communications professionals and citizens; understand the principles of professional journalistic ethics and apply them to hypothetical situations that confront professionals in journalism, public relations and advertising; reflect on the ethical demands placed on professional writers by such issues as invasion of privacy, and apply the principles of libel and intellectual property law in the AP stylebook to their own writing as student journalists
V. Teaching Methods. Peer work, small group and whole classroom discussion (including participation in discussion on the Message Board linked to my faculty webpage), pre-writing, drafting and editing exercises, including the preparation of case briefs on assigned reading; conferencing; and intervention in student writing processes.
VI. Course Requirements.
A. Attendance Policy. Attendance is mandatory. To avoid class disruption, students in COM 317 must be on time. If a student misses class, is the student's responsibility to get class notes, assignments, etc., from classmates. Missed in-class work, by its very nature, cannot be made up. Absences will hurt your grade.
B. Reading Assignments. Please see the Tentative Calendar below.
C. Written Assignments.
You will do frequent in-class writing exercises. I will assign exercises without notice.
You will be required to write a documented paper on a topic I will select for you and to follow my instructions for arguing and documenting the paper.
You are required to post to a Web log (blog) of your own creation and to the class message board, both in and out of class. I will post assignments to the board and/or The Mackerel Wrapper.
Both the midterm and final exam will be essay questions.
VII. Means of Evaluation. Your final grade will be based on assignments weighted as follows: (A) class participation and in-class journals, worth 50 percent of the total grade; (B) a 10- to 12-page documented research paper on a specific topic assigned and approved by the instructor, worth 25 percent of the total; and (C) quizzes and tests including the midterm and the final exam, worth 25 percent.
Academic Integrity Statement
Academic and professional environments require honesty and integrity, and these qualities are expected of every student at Springfield College-Benedictine University. In accordance with such expectations, academic integrity requires that you credit others for their ideas. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is a grievous offense. Any time you use words or ideas that are not your own, you must give credit to the author, whether or not you are quoting directly from that author. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.
Any incident of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty may result in serious consequences. Penalties for academic dishonesty vary depending on the severity or extent of the problem but are always serious.
The following are consequences you may face for academic dishonesty:
· a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
· dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
· dismissal from the Institution.
Please refer to the Springfield College Benedictine University Catalog or the Student Handbook for a complete discussion of the Academic Integrity policy.
Grade Appeal Process
According to the Springfield College Catalog, grade appeals must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The process for appealing a grade is outlined below.
First, contact the Instructor.
1. A student must appeal to his/her instructor in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be
changed.
2. The instructor must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide a copy to the division chair.
Second, contact the Division Chair.
3. If the student wishes, he/she may then appeal to the division chair in
writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her
grade should be changed without the instructor’s permission. The student
should understand that overwhelming evidence must be presented to the
division chair to prove that the current grade is incorrect.
4. The division chair must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) and provide a copy to the academic dean.
Lastly, contact the Academic Dean.
5. If the student wishes, he/she may appeal to the academic dean in writing
(e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade
should be changed without the instructor’s or the division chair’s
permission. The student should understand that overwhelming evidence
must be presented to the academic dean to prove the grade is incorrect.
6. The academic dean must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is
acceptable). The academic dean’s decision is final.
Add/Drop Dates
Aug. 28 - Last day to add courses
Aug. 28 - Last day to drop a course without a W (4:00 p.m.)
Oct. 24 - Last day to drop courses
Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.
Student Withdrawal Procedure
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.
The instructor's grading scale is as follows: A = 100-90. B = 89-80. C = 79-70. D = 69-60. E = 59-0.
VIII. Course Outline and Calendar. Please see Tentative Calendar below. The schedule of assignments is tentative, and departures from it will be announced at the class meeting prior to the change -- or via the Message Board. Students who miss class are responsible for keeping up with rescheduled assignments.
IX. Americans with Disabilities Act. Springfield College in Illinois/Benedictine University provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible. If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling 217-525-1420, ext. 306.
X. Assessment. Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus. Instructor will use pre-tests and post-tests, background knowledge probes, directed paraphrasing, reflective essays or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction. Students are required to take part in all assessment measures.
Tentative Calendar
Week 1
The basics. Read Jane Kirtley, Legal Foundations of Press Freedom in the United States"; and the John Jay School of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York's guide to writing case briefs. Lewis covered the Civil Rights movement and the U.S. Supreme Court for The New York Times. Kirtly is media ethics and law professor at the University of Minnesota. In order to meet your obligations under the law as a media professional, you should learn to think like a lawyer; knowing how to write briefs will help you accomplish this. And it will teach you more about logic than all the liberal arts courses in the world.
Week 2
Read the introduction to the First Amendment by Doug Linder, professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School. Be ready to answer the questions at the bottom of the webpage. Here's another one to chew on: Would voters OK the First Amendment today?
Week 3
Review the "Briefing on Media Law" in the AP stylebook. In my edition (2002) it's on pages 339-75; in more recent editions, page numbers will vary. Reading will be supplemented by the instructor.
Week 4
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 1 "an Introduction to Ethical Decision Making" and 2 "Information Ethics." We will choose case studies to go over in class.
Week 5
We will continue our discussion of Chapters 1 and 2 in P&W. I WILL ASSIGN THE MIDTERM [AN OPEN-BOOK TAKE-HOME ESSAY ON LAW, ETHICS AND HOW THE TWO ARE RELATED.
Week 6
Read P&W, Chapter 3, "Advertising Ethics." We will discuss selected cases in class. MIDTERM EXAM IS DUE. I WILL ASSIGN TERM PROJECT TOPIC.
Week 7
Read P&W, Chapter 4 on "Loyalty: Choosing Between Competing Allegiances."
Week 8
Read P&W, Chapter 5, "Public Relations: Standards of Advocacy."
Week 9
Read P&W, Chapter 6 on "Privacy ... in the Global Village"
Week 10
Read P&W, Chapter 8 "Media Economics"
Week 11
Read P&W, Chapter 9 "Mass Media in a Democratic Society."
Week 12
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 10 "New Media." In addition, download and read University of Tennessee law prof Glenn Reynolds' paper on libel in the blogosphere. Reynolds writes the widely read "Instapundit" blog, so he's given serious thought to the issue. RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DUE.
Week 13
Read P&W, Chapter 11, "Ethical Dimensions of Art and Entertainment."
Week 14
Read and be ready to discuss Patterson and Wilkins, Chapter 12 "Becoming a Moral Adult." Relax! You won't be preached at. The chapter is about how we develop our personal and professional ethical standards.
Final exam schedule TBA.
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