COMMUNICATIONS 403

LAW OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Section 003 Spring 2001

TuTh, 9:45--11:00 p.m. Keller 115

 

Schedule/Calendar

 
 
Instructor: Justin Brown
Office: 302 James Bldg. (above the Collegian & WKPS offices)
Office hours: Tues 3:00-5:00 and by appointment.
Phone (O): 865-2178
Phone (H): 237-3501
E-mail: justinb@psu.edu
 
Course website: http://www.courses.psu.edu/comm/comm403_jsb15
Course listserv: send postings to l-comm403-3@lists.psu.edu
 
 
 
Course Objectives:
As future journalists and communication professionals, it is essential to develop an appreciation of how laws may influence and shape media and society. Someday you may find yourself attending a trial, reporting on legal aspects, or confronting an ethical issue involving the intersection of law and communications. The course is primarily designed to provide an introduction to communication law, with particular emphasis on how that body of law applies to "the press."
 
After completing this course, you should understand the protections and limitations of the First Amendment and other laws that apply specifically to journalists and communication professionals. In short, this class attempts to provide you with the necessary tools to stay out of trouble and not run afoul of laws and unduly trample the rights of others, while at the same time giving you protections to exercise your own journalistic freedoms and responsibilities to complete the necessary questioning, information gathering and reporting of the news.

This course will enhance your skills as a journalist and citizen by enlightening your comprehension of the interplay between free expression, the judicial process and mass communications. You also will gain insight on how culture plays a significant role in shaping the perceptions and applicability of law, as well as the daily practices of media professionals. A range of topics will be discussed, including:

 

While this course will touch on other topics such as regulation of advertising, electronic media and the Internet, interested students are encouraged to take COMM 417 (Advertising Regulation and Ethics), COMM 483 (Telecommunications Regulation) and COMM 497 (Internet Law). In addition, because law often involves principled decision-making, you will find COMM 409 (News Media Ethics) complementary to this course.
 
 
Format:
A variety of teaching styles and methods will be used. While there will at times be a reliance upon lectures and readings, we will make every effort to be as interactive as possible. Part of this interaction will be encouraged through mutual discussion, and your response to hypotheticals and exercises. Because this is a course related to the freedom of expression, I encourage you to voice your opinions and concerns. In addition, the Internet (e.g. class Listserv and websites) will be used to enhance communication and supplement your understanding of the material.
 
 
Required Text & Readings:

Mass Media Law (2000 Edition) by Don R. Pember. The study guide is optional.

While a substantial amount of material will come from the text, you will also be expected to review cases and other materials throughout the course of the term, a majority of which will be available from the Internet through links made available on the calendar-portion of the course website. Reading the assigned material before class is extremely important for comprehension and contribution to discussion.

Supplemental Materials:
I strongly encourage you to read a major newspaper (e.g. New York Times) every day. The communications field changes rapidly and reading a daily paper is the only way to keep up. During the weekdays, the newspaper readership program at Penn State offers free subscriptions for students at designated campus pick-up locations.

You may resort to a number of different websites as additional study aids and resources. It is highly recommended that you refer to the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) First Amendment handbook while learning about the legal aspects of different topics within this course (e.g. libel, privacy, etc.). The site Free Expression & the Internet contains a First Amendment tutorial and listing of different free speech guides and collections, as well as pointers to civil liberties organizations and legal resources. Legal Resources on the World Wide Web is a supplement to the Pember text and contains many helpful links on topical areas involving communications law. McGraw-Hill has also made practice quizzes available for each chapter of our text, Mass Media Law.

To keep up with the evolving world of communication law and policy, you may also wish to periodically review and or subscribe to Communications-Related Headlines, a news-clipping service provided by the Benton Foundation. You may learn more about this free service at: http://www.benton.org/News/ .

 
Attendance & Participation:
Countless studies have shown that students who show up learn more, perform better, and get a better grade than those who don't attend class on a regular basis. This course works best when lively discussion of ideas, laws and situations are discussed in class. We will be exploring very complex law and issues together as a community. Your input and active participation are required to ensure the success of the course and to help yourself and others learn more effectively.
 
While roll will not be taken every day, regular attendance is necessary to succeed in the course. The participation grade will be reflective of your effort to partake actively in discussion and activities during class.
 
 
Grading:

 

 

Exams
A majority of your class grade is based upon exams. Exams will be curved if needed to reflect their difficulty. There will be a total of three exams, including a final. The first and second exams will be worth 25% each, while the final exam, will account for 30% of your overall grade. The exams will contain a variety of questions to measure your understanding of key legal concepts, including multiple choice, hypotheticals, essays and short-answers. Material will be based from class discussion and readings from the text, handouts and other on-line materials.
 
Absolutely NO make-up exams will be given without prior approval AND documentation of a medical excuse or other personal emergency. Make-up exams must be taken within 72 hours.
 
The final exam is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 2, 6:50-8:40 p.m This will not become official until March 12. All students must take the final exam at the scheduled time. If you cannot take the final exam at the scheduled time, you must drop this class.
 
Assignments
You will be expected to complete three small written assignments periodically during the semester that involve applying the law to hypothetical scenarios.
 
 
All written work must be STAPLED, with one-inch margins and typed in a 10 or 12-point font. I encourage you to print on both sides of the page to conserve paper (but this is not required). All assignments are due in class. Late assignments will lose TWENTY percent per day, even if you turn it in later the same day.
 
Your written work will be graded primarily on content (relevance, understanding, insight, originality, and adhering to the requirements of the assignment) as well as form (grammar, spelling, punctuation, organization, and clarity of expression). You should strive for brevity and clarity in all your written work. Content and form typically are related. Vague and muddled writing is usually the result of a lack of effort in thinking through your ideas carefully. Remember: think before you write. Because this is a journalism class, spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors will significantly reduce your grade. What makes this more frustrating (for you) is that almost all of these errors could be avoided with a little bit of effort. Please proofread your work and get a friend to proofread, too.
 
 
Academic integrity:
Cheating, including plagiarism or turning in someone else's work, will result in an automatic zero for the assignment, exam or quiz and possibly an F in the class and suspension from the university. You must abide by rules established in the Student Guide to University Policies and Rules, 1999-2000. These rules include but are not limited to 49-20, "Academic Integrity," available at: http://www.psu.edu/dept/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20. Please make sure you review the plagiarism guidelines at: http://www.psu.edu/dept/English/comp/plagiarism.html/ .
 
 
Addendums & Changes:
Through evaluating your input and our progress, I reserve the right to amend and change the syllabus, reading schedules, assignments, exams and quizzes in this course.
 

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