COMS 400
Course catalog: Examination of basic legal concepts and legal problems affecting mass media and media professionals. Includes case studies from the areas of constitutional law, statutory law and regulatory agency decisions. Principles and case studies in mass media ethics explored.
Textbooks: Online resources as noted in the course schedule.
Instructor and Office Hours
Prof. Bill Kovarik, Ph.D. email wkovarik @ radford dot edu
What you will learn in this class:
- What freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly means in the US and the world.
- How US law protects you and your ability to act responsibly and ethically. Avoiding harm is not enough. You want to respect and protect freedom and you need to rely on the law to help you.
- How to avoid doing harm in your work. You will learn how to recognize and avoid defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement and other legal pitfalls.
- How to appreciate the strengths and flaws of media law, both in the US and internationally.
Textbooks & materials
- Readings from http://www.revolutionsincommunication/law
Policies
- Honor Code: By accepting admission to this university, each students makes a commitment to understand, support and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception.
- Professional standards are always expected.
- Controversy: We will be dealing with some controversial material that might be a little upsetting to some people some of the time. This will include some obscene words and some uncomfortable history. College students should expect to be challenged, of course; but no one should feel disrespected. Feel free to speak up in class or online sessions if you have a perspective or point of view.
- Late policy: Late completion of projects will result in reduction of your grade. Waiting until the last week of class to turn in all your assignments is a formula for failure.
- Disabilities policy: We are glad to work with all students to accommodate disabilities on a non-discriminatory basis. Students with special needs may be required to clear accommodations through the Disabilities Resource Office of the university.
- Attendance: You are expected to attend all classes, but are allowed to miss 10 percent of the classes without penalty or the need to offer excuses. More than 10 percent absenteeism will lead to penalties and grade reductions.
- Personal issues: To respect students, a professor can’t (and probably should not) evaluate major personal problems that may lead to a large number of excused absences or failure to meet deadlines. It’s better to take your issues to one of the helpful offices in the university where your problem can be evaluated and a reasonable accommodation suggested. These include: 1) The Disabilities Resource Office; 2) The Dean of Students Office 3) The CHBS Advising Center; 4) The School of Communication chair’s office. They can make recommendations to the instructor through a much more helpful process.
- Plagiarism — Students who submit work that is not their own may fail the class and be reported to the Dean of Students office.