SYLLABUS
Journalism/Speech 3060
Georgia State University
Spring 2015
Monday, 4:30-7:00p
Langdale 529
Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-12:15p
Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-12:15p
Dr. Shawn Powers
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
Office: 1116 (11th floor), Twenty Five
Park Place NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Hours:
Tuesday
1:00-3:30p, or by appointment
CATALOGUE
DESCRIPTION: Communication Law
and Regulation—The law as applied to press, film, and telecommunication. A
philosophical basis and evolution of legal precedent governing media. Topics
include: Slander, privacy, copyright, information access, freedom of expression,
and practical limitations of libel. 3.000 Credit hours.
PURPOSE
OF THE COURSE: This course deals
with the genesis and state of freedom of expression and the rights of
individuals and media organizations in the United States. It provides an
overview of the development of media law with emphasis on the current policies
that govern media, as well as how media policies differ around the world.
Attention is paid to the local, national and international legal systems and to
how they relate to communication at the micro (individual) and macro (societal)
levels.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES: Students will: (1)
Understand the origins and logic behind the U.S. legal system and its
relationship to freedom of expression and democratic practices; (2) Understand
and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, including the
right to dissent, to monitor and criticize institutions of power, petition the
government for access to information and to assemble and petition for redress
of grievances; (3) Think critically, creatively and independently; (3) Conduct
research and evaluate information by legal methods.
TEXTS:
W. Wat Hopkins (ed.), (2014 or 2015).
·
3060 Course
& Supplementary Materials available on the course website: http://gsumedialaw.blogspot.com/
·
Optional:
Packard, Digital Media Law
(2nd, 2012); Lisby, Mass Communication Law in Georgia
(6th, 2011); Carter, Mass Communication Law in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing))
(2006); Franklin, Anderson and Lidsky, Mass Media Law: Cases and Materials
(8th ed. 2011).
(2nd, 2012); Lisby, Mass Communication Law in Georgia
(6th, 2011); Carter, Mass Communication Law in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (West Publishing))
(2006); Franklin, Anderson and Lidsky, Mass Media Law: Cases and Materials
(8th ed. 2011).
TECHNOLOGY:
No laptops, recorders, tablets
or mobile phones can be operated during class. No exceptions will be made. If
you use a computer, tablet computing device or mobile phone during class, I
will ask you to leave immediately.
I typically record my lectures and make them available to students via the
course website. These recordings are the instructor's intellectual property.
While I do my best to make recordings available for each lecture, technological
and practical challenges inevitably prevent me from properly recording every
single class. Recordings should be used to supplement your in-class experience.
Students who try and rely on the recordings of lectures alone typically fail.
ATTENDANCE:
Regular, punctual attendance is
necessary to achieve a passing grade in this course. However, attendance will
not be taken nor is an attendance grade part of this course.
ABSENCES: Unexcused late work will not be
accepted, nor will any absence be considered excused unless (1) the instructor
was notified in advance of the
absence; (2) the instructor acknowledges that the absence qualifies as
“excused” prior to the absence; and (3) the proper substantiation is
subsequently provided. These
requirements are strictly enforced. If a student misses an exam as the
result of an excused absence, she will make up the exam during the course’s
final exam period. Make-up exams are different from the original test. Late papers will be penalized one letter
grade for each day they are late past the due date and time. These requirements
are strictly enforced. See also, “Policy on Class Attendance” in the 2013-2014 GSU
Undergraduate Catalog.
TIME REQUIREMENTS: Students are expected to spend at least six (6)
hours per week – in addition to time in class – studying to master the
materials in this course, according to the Board of Regents of the University
System of Georgia, which has concluded that “in general, students do not spend
enough time preparing for classes.” (See, Minutes,
USG Board of Regents, Feb. 8, 2006). See
also, Louis Menand, “Live and Learn: Why We Have College,” The New Yorker, June 6, 2011.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Students who require accommodation for a disability may do so by
registering with the GSU Office of Disability Services. Students may only be
accommodated upon the issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed
and approved accommodation plan. Students
are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all courses
in which accommodations are sought.
ACADEMIC
HONESTY: Each student is expected
to do his or her own work. To use “aids”
on exams, to look at another student’s exam during a test, to remove an exam
without permission, or to turn in anything written by another is academically
dishonest. Evidence that any student has engaged in such activity or
plagiarized at any time in the semester will result in the student failing
the course. In addition to the
academic penalties described, the student will also be subject to disciplinary
penalties. The GSU “Policy on Academic Dishonesty” (2012) is available on the
course website and is incorporated herein by reference.
GRADES: Grades
are based on a 100-point scale (97-100 = A+; 93-96 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+;
83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; etc.).
Final grades in the course are based on three
exams and a term paper. These assignments are calculated as percentages of your
final grade:
- Exam I: 21 percent of the final grade
- Exam II: 22 percent of the final grade
- Exam III: 22 percent of the final grade
- Term paper: 35 percent of your final grade
Details regarding the paper assignment are also
available on the course website. “Incomplete” grades are available only as
provided in the 2014-2015 GSU Undergraduate Catalog. Test
grades will be returned as soon as possible, typically within one week.
EXTRA CREDIT: Extra credit opportunities may be made available during the term.
However, students should not assume such opportunities will be available, nor
should students expect or plan to rely on such opportunities to earn the final
grade they desire. Extra credit is often offered during lectures,
available only to those who attend and are able to correctly answer questions
of lecture and reading materials. Students may suggest additional extra credit
opportunities. Such suggestions should be (1) in writing, (2) equally available
to all students, and (3) related to course learning objectives, as defined by
the professor.
COURSE EVALUATIONS: I value your feedback! The professor and the University
strongly encourage unbiased student participation in and response to the
end-of-term online course evaluations, based on the belief that students’
constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping
education at Georgia State University. Upon completion of this course, then,
students are urged to take time to complete the online course evaluation. Because of this policy and to guarantee the
fairness of both the grading and evaluation processes, student grades will not
be available nor will the professor be available to discuss student academic
performance during the period after the final exam date and before grades are
made available online to students. Following
that period, he will be available to discuss any issues.
Click here for a detailed week-by-week schedule, and important dates, for my MONDAY (430-700) class.
Click here for a detailed week-by-week schedule, and important dates, for my TUESDAY/THURSDAY (11:00-12:15) class.
[1] Copies of the Bill of Rights and
the U.S. Constitution are also included in the Hopkins textbook.
