LEGAL COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATIONS 421

Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00-6:20 pm

Tyra J. Hughley, J.D., M.C.M.

COURSE SYLLABUS

Fall 2009

Course Description

This course serves as a crossover course for First Amendment legal and communications theories, and basic legal skills, such as legal writing and reasoning. This course is primarily designed for communications students interested in how communication and journalism effects and is affected by law, for pre-law students, and any student interested in the role communication plays in the field of law. This course focuses on various areas of law, but most specifically First Amendment Law. Students will primarily study legal theory and analysis and how legal jurisprudence affects the communications and journalistic industries.

During the first portion of the class, students will learn how to read and analyze legal decisions rendered by the United States Supreme Court. These decisions will be some of the most paramount court decisions in United States history. During the second (and largest) portion of the course, students will learn and analyze First Amendment law in the areas of free speech, press rights, defamation, obscenity, commercial speech (advertising) and other areas. During the law portion of the class, students will get a basic “crash course” in legal writing and argument and will prepare both written and oral advocacy based on the legal principles learned earlier in the course. Specifically, students will act as attorneys, arguing a case through briefs to the “court” and oral argument in a type of mock trial format.

Course Materials

Textbook: First Amendment Law, Sullivan & Gunther, 3rd edition, 2007.

Handouts: periodically, I will provide handouts in class or via Blackboard that may be excerpts from other casebooks, tutorial books, cases, or online references.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance is mandatory as this class will be based largely on discussion of legal cases. A sign in sheet will be passed around each class for you to sign. If you need to miss class for a legitimate reason, please let me know in advance. Otherwise, if you have excessive absences during the semester, it will in turn affect your participation scores and will affect your grade in the course. Additionally, being excessively late to class will adversely affect your grade.

Office Hours

By appointment only. I am most likely to be available after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Grading

Midterm: 100 points

Final Examination (oral and written advocacy): 200 points

Participation/Assignments: 100 points

Extra Credit: periodically, there may be opportunities for extra credit by attending a speaker or through other opportunities. More information will come throughout the semester.

Academic Integrity Policy

The Annenberg School for Communication is committed to upholding the University’s academic code as detailed in the SCampus guide. IT is the policy of the School of Communication to report all violations of the code to the Office of Student Conduct. Any serious violation or pattern of violations of the academic integrity code will result in the student’s expulsion from the Communication major or minor.

Assignments

I will post weekly assignments on Blackboard, or will give you that information during class. Assignments will be for the whole week, so you should attempt to have all cases and relevant materials read by the Tuesday class.

Units of Study for the Course

  • Unit 1: Introduction to Constitutional Law
  • Constitutional Law Cases and Analysis
  • How to Brief a Case
  • Legal Writing: Formats and Advocacy
  • Desegregation and Gender Cases
  • Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity
  • Unit 2: (will include most if not all of the following areas of law)
  • First Amendment Law and Scrutinies
  • Free Speech
  • Incitement and Advocacy of Unlawful Behavior
  • Obscenitiy
  • Advertising
  • Internet Law and the First Amendment
  • Unit 3: Written and Oral Advocacy
  • Legal Writing: Formats and Advocacy
  • Argument Selection and Analysis
  • Oral Argument Principles and Procedures
  • Written Argumentation in Support of Oral Arguments