Class: T&Th 8-9:15 a.m., CMA 2.320
Professor: Bob Jensen
Office: CMA 5.134D; 471-1990
Office Hours: W 8:30-11:30 a.m. and by appointment
email: rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu or rjensen@mail.utexas.edu
web site: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/home.htm

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
    Media Law and Ethics is designed to (1) introduce students to First Amendment doctrines and issues concerning freedom of expression, (2) explain applications of the law to the work of journalists, and (3) engage students in a conversation about the ethical and political issues facing the news media.
   
TEXTBOOKS:
   Zelezny, John D., Communications Law (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004).
   Weston, Anthony, A Practical Companion to Ethics, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002).

ATTENDANCE:
   No attendance records will be kept. However, the quizzes and writing assignments in the course will be based in large part on lectures and discussions, and it will be difficult to earn a respectable grade without coming to class on a regular basis.

Important Note for Students with Disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.

GRADES:
   Your final grade will be based on:
   1. Three tests, 20 points each.
   2. Four take-home questions, 10 points each.

   GRADING SCALE:
   A = 93-100  points
   B = 85-92.5 points
   C = 77-84.5 points
   D = 69-76.5 points

TESTS:
   There will be four tests during the semester. We count your three best grades. This means you may take all four tests and drop your lowest grade, or miss one test without penalty.
   Each of the first three tests will cover material from the lectures and readings for that segment of the course. The fourth test, during the final exam period, will be comprehensive.
   Because you can skip one of the tests, no make-up tests will be given, unless the absence is for an official UT function. That means if you blow off the first test and then are legitimately sick for the fourth one, you’re out of luck. Common sense suggests you should take all the tests. If special circumstances arise, see me as soon as possible.

TAKE-HOME QUESTIONS:
   On the Tuesdays marked on the schedule I will give you a question based on the material covered in recent lectures, discussions, and readings. You will write a one-page answer to be turned in the following Tuesday.
   Your answers must be typewritten and double-spaced on a single page (200-300 words). Don’t write more than that; we will not read beyond the first page. Use 1-inch margins and 11- or 12-point type. Put your name and the assignment number at the top of the page. Do not use a title page. Do not use plastic binders. Do not use colored paper. Do not use exotic fonts.
   No extra research beyond the textbook and the information provided in class is necessary to write these assignments. Do not use footnotes. Mention court cases if they are relevant, but you need not provide formal citations for cases.
   Answer the question in your own words. In formulating your answer, you may talk with others. But the final answer and writing must be your own. Plagiarism -- of published material or another student’s work -- will be punished in accordance with university regulations and the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. For more on academic integrity and plagiarism, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/academicintegrity.html
   Your assignments will be graded on form and content. See the last page of the syllabus for details on the grading system.
   Five questions will be distributed during the semester. Your grade will be based on the best four assignments you turn in. You may complete all five assignments and use the four best grades, or you may complete only four and use those grades. No late work will be accepted. If special circumstances arise, talk to me as soon as possible.
   Keep copies of all assignments you turn in and keep your graded assignments until the end of the semester. A lot of paper changes hands in a class this large, and sometimes papers get lost. If there are discrepancies between our records and yours, you need to have your papers to help us resolve the problem.
   If you don’t think your grade on an assignment is fair, you can ask for an explanation. The first step is to talk with the TA within one week after the assignments are returned. If you want a formal re-evaluation of your grade, write a short (one paragraph to one page) explanation of why you think a higher grade is warranted. Be specific. If you can’t work it out with the TA, ask the professor to resolve the dispute. If you wait longer than a week, we will not review your paper. Papers cannot be rewritten for a higher grade.
 

Texas Open Meetings Act
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinopen/om_easy.shtml

Texas Public Information Act
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinopen/or_easy.shtml

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
http://www.rcfp.org/

National Security Archive
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/

Freedom of Information Center
http://www.missouri.edu/~foiwww/

Society of Professional Journalists
http://www.spj.org/

Committee to Protect Journalists
http://www.cpj.org/

Reporters Without Borders
http://www.rsf.org/

World Press Review
http://www.worldpress.org/

Student Press Law Center
http://www.splc.org/

FindLaw
http://www.findlaw.com/

Legal Information Institute
http://www.law.cornell.edu/

Oyez Project
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage

Society of Professional Journalists
http://spj.org/ethics/
 
Associated Press Managing Editors
http://www.apme.com/about/code_ethics.shtml
 
American Society of Newspaper Editors
http://www.asne.org/kiosk/archive/principl.htm
 
Radio-Television News Directors Association
http://www.rtnda.org/ethics/coe.shtml
 
National Press Photographers Association
http://www.asne.org/ideas/codes/nppa.htm
 
Public Relations Society of America
http://prsa.org/_About/ethics/

1. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKED. This seems obvious enough, but in past semesters this is where students have lost the most points. Don’t begin writing until you are sure you understand what you are being asked to write about. If you are unclear about the intent of the question, ask the professor.

2. DON’T ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT AREN'T ASKED. Students sometimes have a tendency to ramble on about things that aren’t directly related to the question. Don’t pad your answer with unrelated information.

3. DON’T TURN IN MORE THAN ONE PAGE. If you think you need more space to answer the question, you probably don’t understand the question. Read #1 and #2 again.

4. DON’T ASSUME THE TA KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Explain things clearly in your answer. Otherwise, we’ll assume you don't know what you are talking about. The assignments are designed to allow you to demonstrate what you understand about a particular aspect of communication law. So, demonstrate it.

5. DON’T TURN IN LESS THAN A FULL PAGE. If you think you have answered the question in a half page, you probably have not fully explained yourself. Read #4 again.

6. WRITE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. Don't just list elements of your answer or jot down sentence fragments. Quality of writing counts.

7. REMEMBER THE RULES. Use a standard type size (11- or 12-point) and style. Double-space your answer. Use normal margins (1 inch). Don’t squeeze more on one page by using tiny type or eliminating the margins. That makes us cranky. Don’t make us cranky.

8. DON’T BLOW OFF THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT. You need only four, but if you skip the first one you won’t have any wiggle room at the end of the semester. If you don’t write the first one and are sick one week at the end of the semester, don’t expect a break.

Here’s how your grade will be calculated:
   THE “RIGHT” ANSWER                              2 points
    did you provide a credible answer to the question asked?
   EVIDENCE                                                    2 points
    did you support your answer with evidence from the readings and lectures?
   ANALYSIS                                                    3 points
    did you explain your answer in a way that made it clear how you decided the case?
   EXPRESSION                                                2 points
    did you write coherently following the widely accepted rules of English?
   MECHANICAL RULES                                 1 point
     did you follow the instructions

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