FALL 2024
MEDIA LAW CLASS SCHEDULE
FALL 2024
Of Counsel explained:
When you are of counsel, you will write your group members and select a contemporary case (within the past 2 years) that focuses on the topic for the day you are assigned. You and each person in your group should be ready to answer
questions about the case including the facts, the plaintiff's and
defendant's side and the outcome of the case.
September 3
Introduction to Class
September 5
Copyright, Infringement & Trademark
September 10
NO CLASS
September 12
*Bring Your Book to Class* You must have your book.
Finish Copyright, Infringement & Trademark & Review for Quiz
September 17
LIBEL
Be prepared to discuss the chapter on Libel
September 19
Quiz #1 on Copyright, Infringement & Trademark
LIBEL continued
September 24
LIBEL Defenses and Damages
Chapter on Libel Defenses & Privileges
September 26
LIBEL Defenses and Damages
Emotional Distress
September 30
Oral Argument Discussion- Receive Team Assignments
Click here for details on oral arguments.
Libel Exam Review
Begin Privacy
October 1
Privacy
October 3
Privacy Continued
October 8
EXAM #1 on LIBEL ONLY including Libel Defenses & Privileges
This exam will be 35-40 questions and
you will have the whole class to complete this exam.
October 10
Finish Privacy
Read Chapter 1:
This chapter includes How the The Judicial System works
and how the Supreme Court Works
Selection of U.S. Supreme Court Justices
October 15
Selection of U.S. Supreme Court Justices continued...
Supreme Court Justices & Ethics
Meet Your Oral Argument Partner
Chapter 8 Overseeing the Courts
(Media & The Courts)
(Protecting the rights of how the court system works)
October 17
Review Headlining Cases &
Application of the Law
October 22
Chapter 8 Media & The Courts/Overseeing the Courts
(Media & The Courts)
October 24
Quiz #2 Chapter 1 & How the Supreme Court Works & Overseeing the Courts
Chapter 8 Media & The Courts/Overseeing the Courts
(Media & The Courts)
October 29
EXAM #2 PRIVACY
October 31
GO VOTE!
MEET WITH YOUR STUDY
GROUP FOR THE QUIZ
November 5
NO CLASS- GO VOTE
MEET WITH YOUR STUDY
GROUP FOR THE QUIZ
November 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 8 Media & The Courts/Overseeing the Courts
(Media & The Courts)
November 12
Quiz #3 Media and the Courts
Obscenity, Indecency & Pornography
November 14
Obscenity, Indecency & Pornography
November 19
Chapter 9 Electronic Media Regulations
November 21
Facebook, TikTok, The Whistleblower and the FTC
Headlining Cases
November 26
Review Headlining Cases
Applying the Law
November 28 -November 30
Thanksgiving Break
December 3
Review Headlining Cases
Applying the Law
Last Exam Review
December 5
Oral Argument - Order of Appearance
Oral Arguments
December 10
Oral Arguments
Finals Week December 13-19, 2024
THE FINAL EXAM IS EXAM #3 and it is not cumulative.
—END—
The law is best understood through discussion therefore, all students must understand the following guidelines for the class.
IF YOU ARE CALLED UPON, THERE ARE NO PASSES ALLOWED. YOU MUST ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE, NO EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GIVEN FOR ANY REASON AT ANY TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
Communication Law will give you an overview of the legal issues currently facing most forms of mass media. We will examine older case law but more importantly, we will examine the law and its applicability to more contemporary cases and how the law can be your friend when you go out into your desired field.
Because you will be tested on your understanding of media legal issues and the cases involved, it is suggested that you put all the pertinent information about each important case and topic on a separate index card. As you read the chapters, create cards for the topics and cases mentioned. This will help study for tests, as well as prepare you for class. The law can be best understood through thorough discussion.
TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks/Supplies (Required):
The Law of Journalism & Mass Communication by Robert Trager, Joseph Russomanno, Susan Dente Ross
PHONE USE: Phone use during this class is prohibited. You will be asked to leave class for 2 minutes if you use your phone. Phone use on exams is also clearly prohibited and will result in the drop of one full grade or more depending on the severity of said phone use.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Do not plagiarize, fabricate, or submit work you have done for another class. The university does not tolerate plagiarism or fabrication of any kind. You should adhere to the University’s policy on cheating and plagiarism. If you are caught breaking this policy, you will be prosecuted to the full extent that the policy allows.
If you use someone else’s work, you are plagiarizing! If you provide your work to someone else, you are plagiarizing! If you take copy from the Internet without permission and attribution, you are plagiarizing! Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. All work complete in this class must be 100% your own. You should adhere to the highest possible standards of ethical behavior for this class.
ACCOMMODATIONS & DISABILITIES
Your academic success is important. If you have a disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me early in the semester. Students also need to provide documentation of their disability to the Center for Academic Success in order to receive official University services and accommodation. Dr. Johanna Velez-Yelin, Associate Director of the Academic Success Center can be reached at velez-yelin@rowan.edu or 856-256-4234. The Center is located on the 3rd Floor of Savitz Hall. Dr. Yelin is available to answer questions regarding accommodation or assist you in your pursuit of accommodation.
COURSE FORMAT
Media Law will give you some of the basic principles of the law as it relates to media. After you are done with this course you will not be prepared to write a legal decision but you will understand when and where to ask the right legal questions as you move into your career. The class will be primarily discussion of cases from the book and in headlining legal news.
CLASS TEAM -PARTICIPATION
You have be assigned to teams of 3. You are to select a contemporary case that has been decided (within the past 4 years) that deals with the topic of the day. All three team members will independantly study the facts of the case, the legal reasoning behind the outme as well as the outcome of the case. During class those three persons will be on the “hot seat.” This means that I will talk to them and engage them about their case *NOTE: ANYONE can still be called upon at anytime about the case, even if you are NOT on the team.
GRADING
Quizzes -30% [3 Quizzes TOTAL]
Exam s – 50% [3 Exams TOTAL including Final Exam that is not comprehensive]
Oral Argument 20%
ROWAN UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC POLICIES:
Students are expected to read and abide by all University policies, including:
Student Conduct
https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Student+Code+of+Conduct
Attendance Policy
https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Attendance+Policy
Academic Integrity https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Academic+Integrity+Policy
Classroom Behavior https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Classroom+Behavior
Mobile Electronic Device Usage https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Mobile+Electronic+Device+Policy
All policies are outlined in the University Policies website
https://confluence.rowan.edu/display/POLICY/Home
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION:
Rowan affords equal opportunity to all and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected class in its educational programs, activities, or employment policies and practices.
ACCOMMODATION POLICY:
Your academic success is important. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon your work in this class, please contact me at the beginning of the semester. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The Academic Success Center can be reached at 856-256-4234. The Center is located on the 3rd floor of Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your pursuit of accommodations.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:
The University has made it a practice to hold classes during inclement weather whenever possible. As the Attendance Policy states, it is the student's decision, based on his or her assessment of the situation, whether or not to attend class. Students will not be penalized for missing classes because of inclement weather; however, they must contact their professors prior to class and make up any work assigned.
JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT CODE OF CONDUCT:
The Department of Journalism Code of Conduct was created to serve as a practical guide for students as they advance in their academic careers. These policies are meant to encourage students to meet the high standards in the news industry and earn the privilege of becoming a journalist with ethical standards. It is a compliment to Rowan University’s Academic Integrity Policy, which students are required to read and follow.
Journalism is by its nature a public act. As stated in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, journalists must recognize that the work of “gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort” to others and must do all they can to “minimize harm” and ensure their work is “accurate, fair and thorough.” Therefore, student journalists must always be clear, upfront and honest about who they are and what they are doing. They are expected to abide by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. Students must take full responsibility for their conduct and work.
The policy below is not all-inclusive, but identifies situations that frequently arise among Journalism students.
Prohibited Conduct
Plagiarism is a serious offense. Do not use words, phrases, or ideas without proper attribution. This includes copying content from the Internet. When in doubt, ask if it is acceptable or see the Rowan University Student Information Guide http://libguides.rowan.edu/c.php?g=248143. Essentially, plagiarism means trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own. It does not necessarily mean copying an entire paper, although that would clearly be plagiarism.
For example, you plagiarize if you:
Use an interview someone else did or use a quote someone else obtained and don’t credit the source.
Cut and paste a variety of sources and cobble them together without proper citation and with no evident thought on your part as to the thrust of the piece.
Lift a segment verbatim without citation. A few words here or there are permissible – there are only so many ways to say “Edward R. Murrow died of lung cancer” – but you can’t drop in even a sentence of somebody else’s work verbatim into your piece if you don’t credit it. Just listing the title of a source in a bibliography is not sufficient. You must be very clear about the source of words that are not yours, put quotes around verbatim usage, and cite the source in the text of your paper or article. Remember, if you take a direct quote from another source, word-for-word, you must not only cite but you must put it in quotation marks. Failing to put quotation marks around something you have appropriated is a serious issue and could result in lowering of your grade or a formal referral for academic discipline.
Use facts and figures that are not common knowledge without citing the source, creating the impression you gathered the information yourself.
Use your own work from another context without citing that it was used previously. If you are researching or reporting on a topic that you have written on before, you must clear it with the professor before hand.
In addition, under the Journalism Department’s Code of Conduct, students may not:
Fabricate – Deliberately invent or alter information with the intent to deceive.
Cheat – Misrepresent one’s mastery of material on an academic exercise or help someone else do so.
Misrepresent oneself or work.
Submit late work without penalty.
Use others’ words or media without proper attribution and copyright permission; it is always best to use third-party content that is licensed under Creative Commons.
Use friends or relatives as sources for stories.
Submit work, in part or in full, from another class.
Pitch same story or assignment in multiple classes.
Conduct interviews via email without prior approval from instructor.
Submit assignments in alternate form than required (i.e. via email when required to submit in person).
Act unprofessionally to the instructor or other students in the classroom.
Habitually leave class early or arrive late.
Repeatedly fail to participate in class.
Use cell phones or electronic devices in class for non-class activity.
Consequences for Violations of Journalism Department Code of Conduct
Instructors will use their discretion to ensure that these policies are met. The consequences for violating the Code of Conduct will be based on the seriousness of the offense and be determined by the instructor, and when necessary, in consultation with the chair of the department.
For serious violations (i.e., plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, lying), students may:
Fail the course.
Have the incident reported to Academic Integrity Review Board for further disciplinary action.
For major violations, (i.e., violating copyright, improper sourcing, submitting work from another class), students may:
Receive no credit for the assignment.
Be required to attend a workshop on academic integrity.
Have incident reported to Provost’s office.
For significant violations (i.e., submitting late work, failure to attribute facts, using friends or family as sources), students may:
Lose points or fail an assignment.
For minor violations, (i.e., using cell phone in class, failing to participate, or repeatedly arriving late) students may:
Be asked to leave classroom.
Lose points for participation/attendance.