Cmty Dev & Apld Econ: Communication Law

Legal issues in mass media, including: freedom of speech, libel, invasion of privacy, obscenity and indecency, copyright and trademark. Prerequisite: CDAE 1240.

Prereqs enforced by the system: CDAE 1240; COM Majors w/Junior Standing OR Instructor permission Open to degree and PACE students

This course involves the study of United States law as it applies to journalists and other purveyors of mass communication. Topics include First Amendment rights as they apply to free speech and the press, defamation, privacy, fair comment and criticism, privilege, property rights, copyright, Freedom of Information Act, Section 230, and the laws that impact social media influencers. Emphasis is on existing state and federal regulations and caselaw precedents.

Attendance and class participation is will be worth 15% of your grade.

There will be two midterms, each worth 30% of your final grade. Midterm 1, will cover the class to date and Midterm 2 will cover materials addressed after Midterm 1. Both midterms will cover cases that we have reviewed in class. There will be a review session prior to each exam. Exams will be open notes. For a final project, each student will prepare and present a case study covering one of the topics covered in the class. This will require selecting and analyzing a case that we have not covered in class. A successful presentation will clearly and completely communication the facts, legal decision and significance of the presented case in no more than 10 minutes. Case presentations will be graded on their (1) statement of background and facts; (2) explanation of the decision and (3) description of the reasoning that the court used to arrive at the decision; (4) analysis of the effects of the case; and (5) overall presentation in a clear, coherent manner, including adeptly responding to any questions from the instructor and classmates about the case.