Course ID: | JRMC 8025. 3 hours. |
Course Title: | Seminar in Mass Media Law |
Course Description: | Exploration of the contemporary issues in communication law.
The course is designed to familiarize students with First
Amendment doctrine, judicial decision making, and the
literature concerning freedom of expression and the regulation
of communication. The course also teaches research and
analytical skills. |
Oasis Title: | MASS MEDIA LAW |
Semester Course Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
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Course Objectives: | Students in this course will understand the history, theory and
jurisprudence of freedom of expression. They will be able to
research legal literature and brief judicial decisions,
understanding and evaluating judicial analysis. Students will
also explore contemporary issues in communication law
regulating the professions of journalism, public relations and
advertising. Issues range from defamation to copyright, from
hate speech to internet neutrality. Students will also learn
to make effective oral and written legal arguments. |
Topical Outline: | A. Principles and Purposes: An analysis of the origins of
freedom of expression and the contribution of freedom of
expression to democratic governance and a market economy.
Statutory and administrative regulation of communication will
be surveyed. Cases and legal doctrines controlling mass
communication will be analyzed.
B. Research: Sources of media law, such as constitutional,
statutory, and administrative law will be assessed. Also,
students will learn how to conduct legal research via published
and electronic sources. Students will frame legal questions
and make effective written and oral legal arguments.
C. Legal Issues in Publishing - Including Print and Electronic
Media. Restrictions on publication, including defamation,
privacy, copyright, and obscenity will be surveyed.
Specialized contexts, such as commercial speech and political
campaign speech, will also be explored.
D. Legal Issues in Information Gathering. Legal doctrines
governing how information is gathered, such as eavesdropping
and wiretapping laws, will be assessed. Access to government
meetings, judicial proceedings, events and war zones will be
studied. Confidential relationships between journalists and
sources will be investigated. |