School of CommunicationUniversity of Miami

COM 250 -- Freedom of Expression and Communication EthicsSec. R1, 3 CreditsSpring 2013T/R 2-3:15 p.m. CIB 2055 Dr. Sallie Hughes2016 Wolfson Building Office Hours: T/R, 3:30-5 p.m. Phone - (305) 284-8163 Email - shughes@miami.edu (usually quickest)

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

This course is an examination of the concept of freedom of expression, its philosophical roots and its application to contemporary issues in communication, as well as the basics of moral philosophy (ethics) and moral reasoning.

Learning objectives are:

1. Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the origins, development, and prospects of the right to freedom of expression, and of the importance of ethics in communication with emphasis on ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic diversity in a global context;

2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the role of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and its application over the course of American history and in contemporary society abroad;

3. Demonstrate knowledge of major schools of ethical thought or moral principles emerging from various communication industries in either conventional or new media;

4. Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical abilities concerning ideas, issues and materials introduced by this course and its assignments.

This class also encourages students to display critical thinking and learn digital literacy skills through content selection, analysis and communication in digital media environments. To this end, students will identify, analyze and communicate information about freedom of expression and professional ethics in a group blog, presentation and class discussion session using digital communication tools such as Crowdmap, InstaPoll or Polleverywhere, Prezi, WallWisher or any digital tool that helps communicate the information the presenters want their audience to understand.

The class covers the dominant liberal and authoritarian approaches to free expression and public communication, as well as critical and participatory approaches to freedom of expression in the United States and a selection of countries around the world. The critical and comparative aspects of the class are designed to help identify and analyze assumptions that are not always explicitly stated in the readings. Communications professionals need to be culturally competent and aware of differences in power of all

kinds (ideological, economic, gender, etc.) to understand and act within multiple cultural communities and societies.

COURSE PREREQUISITE

COM 101.

COURSE FORMAT

Knowledge in COM 250 is generated, evaluated and shared through a combination of lectures, class discussions and exercises, and student group presentations, blogs and discussions. Assessment of student learning is based on three tests, the group blog and presentation, and participation in-class discussions and exercises. Attendance is recorded in one of two ways: 1) via participation in discussion questions that are posted on the class Blackboard site and available to be filled out during class, or 2) via roll taken at the beginning of class. While I always expect the best from you, experience requires I remind you that any fabrication of signature on attendance forms will be treated as a violation of the student honor code.

Readings are posted on the course schedule below. However, please keep in mind that the professor, as well as the student presenters, will sometimes supplement textbook readings with materials and readings from think tanks, advocacy organizations and news media that cover free expression issues. In fact, make it a habit to regularly check freedom of expression NGO websites (Article 19, The First Amendment Center, etc.) as well as news media carrying international information (e.g. such as BBC, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, CNN, Al Jazeera, etc.). Since all media have a viewpoint of some kind, you will be able to judge an issue more independently and critically by exposing yourself to news across different media channels and from at least two different countries.

TEXTBOOKS

Fraleigh, D. M. & Tuman, J. S. (2011). Freedom of expression in the marketplace of ideas. Sage Publications. Available in the UM bookstore or online. ISBN 9781412974677

Christians, C.G., M. Fackler, K.B. Richardson, P. J. Kreshel & R. H. Woods. 2012. Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, 9th edition. Pearson. Available in the UM bookstore or online. ISBN-10: 0205029043.

Additional readings and handouts are noted in the course schedule. Remember, readings and other materials are supplementary to class lectures. The readings and lectures will not always cover the same material.

GRADING/EVALUATION

Three exams are scheduled in the course topics outline. Tests will cover assigned readings, student blogs and presentations, lectures and other materials presented in-class. I will provide a study guide the Thursday before a Tuesday exam date. This is to focus your study before an exam, not to replace continuous study throughout the semester.

Topics for student-led discussions and presentation dates are presented in the course outline and there is an online sign-up sheet for you to choose a topic of interest. I will explain the assignment in detail in the second week of class and provide a list of criteria for the assignment on Blackboard. The signup sheet for the group blog and presentation is located at: http://doodle.com/e4v4pnqnxmadeazd. There are a limited number of spots per topic, so the slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

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The course blog is located on the link below. Sign-in to post your blog using the login “classid” and the password “comschool.” Let me know if you have any problems. Do not wait until the last minute to post because I have to approve the posts and there is an automatic delay to prevent spam. Tell me via email as soon as you have posted so I can approve the posts. Course blog: “Freedom of Expression in the World” -- http://doodle.com/e4v4pnqnxmadeazd

Group blog and presentation topics are:

Government spying on U.S. citizens and residents National security, freedom of information and Wikileaks Privacy on Facebook and other social media Music, film and television piracy News ethics and truth-telling Advertising ethics and persuasion Public relations ethics and persuasion Ethics and entertainment media

Please remember that there will be no possibility to make-up presentations or in-class work. You can be excused from that assignment with a verifiable emergency or illness for which you bring evidence to me as soon as possible.

If you have an emergency or are sick on an exam day, you must contact me as soon as possible and bring evidence of your emergency or illness in order to take a make-up test. You will not be allowed to take a make-up exam without a verifiable emergency or illness.

Grading

In-class discussions, exercises, and short essays ……………...…….10% Group blog and presentation ………………………………………...20% Exam 1……………………………………….………………………20% (2/19)Exam 2……………………………………………………………….20% (3/28)Exam 3……………………………………………………………….20% (5/7)

*** More than four unexcused absences will result in three points taken off your final grade for each extra day missed.

Grade Scale:

93-100 = A 77-79.5 = C+90-92.5 = A- 73-76.5 = C87-89.5 = B+ 70-72.5 = C-83-86.5 = B 67-69.5 = D+80-82.5 = B- 60-66.5 = D

Below 59.5 = F

A grading criteria rubric is posted on Blackboard for the group presentation and blog. For other assignments, think of my grading criteria like this:

An A grade represents outstanding work that is good enough to be distributed publicly and shown to other students as an example.

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A B grade indicates better than average work that demonstrates excellent effort and understanding.

A C grade is assigned to work that demonstrates competence but does not display any attempt to shine.

A D grade indicates work that is lacking in some important way.An F is a failing grade. It will be given if an assignment or exam is not submitted or is

extremely poorly executed, or in the case of plagiarism or other failure to adhere to norms of academic honesty.

Accreditation: A pre-test, post-test evaluation for school-wide accreditation and assessment purposes will be conducted at the beginning and the end of the semester. These tests have no bearing on the final grade.

Clarity of thought and writing: COM 250 is not a writing skills class. Still, quality writing is necessary for me to be able to evaluate your written work. Excellent spelling, word usage and grammar are thus expected for all assignments with the exception of exam essays written under time constraints, which nevertheless must be written clearly enough for me to understand. For more insight into how I grade, review the rubrics attached to particular assignments on Blackboard.

Digital literacy and laptop computers

The university is striving to enhance students’ digital literacy. In this course, the group assignments are designed to help students identify, evaluate and present information collected from digital media environments.

If you have a laptop computer, smart phone, or cell phone, please bring it to class and use it appropriately as a way to participate in class discussions. We will have many opportunities for electronic participation in discussions, informal polls and other activities.

An important note about Blackboard and email:

Blackboard is an important platform for our classwork. I use the Blackboard email tool to communicate with you effectively outside of class. Blackboard uses your official university email address. It will be impossible for me to use your personal email address. Please be sure you check your university email on a daily basis or forward your UM email to a personal address.

Class-discussions and periodic checks of your level of comprehension of the material will use the “Survey,” “Discussion Board” and “Virtual Classroom” functions of Blackboard. We will go over these during the second week of class. If you join the class late, please come see me during office hours to go over these functions.

Religious holy days policy -- notification at the beginning of the semester

It is the student’s obligation to provide faculty members with notice of the dates they will be absent for religious holy days, preferably before the beginning of classes but no later than the end of the first three class meetings. Absences due to observance of religious holy days not pre-arranged within the first three class meetings may be considered unexcused and there is no obligation to allow any make up work, including examinations. Missing a class due to travel plans associated with a particular religious holy day does not constitute an excused absence. The University’s complete Religious Holy Day Policy can be found in the 2012-2013 Bulletin.

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I have set up a space on Blackboard for you to submit notification of an expected Holy Day absence. It is in the form of a survey question and you can access it by clicking on the “Survey” tab in the left-hand column of the class Blackboard homepage. This will create a record for both of us.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You cannot participate if you do not come to class. Regular attendance and active participation will be a deciding factor in the final grade. Frequent tardiness will also be a sign of poor performance and may cause you to miss an in-class exercise which cannot be made up. More than four unexcused absences will result in three points taken off your final grade for each day missed.

HONOR CODE AND PLAGIARISM STATEMENTS

Students enrolled in this course are expected to abide by the University of Miami Honor Code. The purpose of the Honor Code is to protect the academic integrity of the University by encouraging consistent ethical behavior in assigned coursework. Academic dishonesty of any kind, for whatever reason, will not be tolerated.

No honest student wants to be guilty of the intellectual crime of plagiarism, even unintentionally. Therefore, we provide you with these guidelines so that you don’t accidentally fall into the plagiarism trap.

Plagiarism is the taking of someone else’s words, work, or ideas, and passing them off as a product of your own efforts. Plagiarism may occur when a person fails to place quotation marks around someone else’s exact words, directly rephrasing or paraphrasing someone else’s words while still following the general form of the original, and/or falling to issue the proper citation to one’s source material.

In student papers, plagiarism is often due to …

Turning in someone else’s paper as one’s own Using another person’s data or ideas without acknowledgement Failing to cite a written source (printed or internet) of information that you used to collect data or

ideas Coping an author’s exact words and putting them on the paper without quotation marks Rephrasing an author’s words and failing to cite the source Copying, rephrasing or quoting an author’s exact words and citing a source other than where the

material was obtained. (For example, using a secondary source which cites the original material, but citing only the primary material. This misrepresents the nature of the scholarship involved in creating the paper. If you have not read an original publication, do not cite it in your references as if you have!)

Using wording that is very similar to that of the original source, but passing it off as one’s own

The last item is probably the most common problem in student writing. It is still plagiarism if the student uses an author’s key phrases or sentences in a way that implies they are his/her own, even if s/he cites the source.

COURSE TOPICS OUTLINE

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WEEK 1 Introduction to the Class

1/15 Overview of Syllabus and Blackboard Blackboard – www.courses.miami.edu. Help desk – (305) 284-3949

Why does freedom of expression matter? Is it absolute? If not, who or what sets the boundaries?

For discussion: Have you ever been sanctioned in some way for a thought or idea that you spoke, wrote or otherwise communicated? Have you ever not communicated a thought or idea when you wanted to? What do our personal experiences tell us about social power and voice (in other words, the informal norms, formal rules and distribution of resources that regulate who speaks and with what reach and authority)?

Post your experience here -- http://wallwisher.com/wall/Silencing

1/17 The Social Environment of First Amendment LawFor discussion Jan. 17 -- How do social norms silence expression?

Read: “Longitudinal gender and age bias in a prominent amateur new media community (Shorenstein Center, Harvard University) http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/media-society/longitudinal-gender-age-bias-online-community/

Review: Robert Jensen and Alvia R. Arriola, “Feminism and Free expression: Silence and voice,” on Blackboard. From David S. Allen and Robert Jensen, eds. 1999. Freeing the First Amendment. Critical perspectives on freedom of expression. On Blackboard.

* Remember to sign up for group presentations (link is above).

WEEK 2 The Right to Communicate - History, Definitions and Perspectives1/22-1/24 Read: F & T, Chs. 1, 2 (until page 30). Review website of Article 19:

http://www.article19.org/pages/en/what-we-do.html

Main themes: Definitions and origins of the right to communicate. Liberal, authoritarian, critical and participatory approaches to free expression issues in the United States.

WEEK 3 Development of Freedom of Expression in the United States1/29 Read: F & T, Chs. 2 (beginning at page 30) & 3. Main themes: Censorship and

social repression in colonial America. U.S. independence and its historic contributions: The U.S. Bill of Rights.

1/31 The Alien and Sedition Symbiosis - Then and Now. Review in advance: “Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio” (Chicano Studies Center,

UCLA) http://www.chicano.ucla.edu/research/HateSpeech.asp “Codewords of Hate” (Anti-Defamation League) video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kCpoXbCpqQ

WEEKS Prior Restraint, National Security Concerns, True Threats & Information Access4, 5 Read: F & T, Chs. 4, 13

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2/5, 2/7 Main themes: Is there a national security exception to the First Amendment? What is prior restraint and how does it work? Forms and practices of censorship. Keeping government information secret and surveillance of citizens. Are reporters and their sources protected? The landmark U.S. FOIA and its uneven implementation.

2/12 Group 1 Presentation - Government Spying on Citizens. Review in advance: Pear. 2012, Dec. 28. “Federal Power to Intercept Messages is Extended.” The New York

Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/us/politics/senate-votes-to-extend-electronic-surveillance-authority-under-fisa.html?ref=foreignintelligencesurveillanceactfisa

The Wall Street Journal. 2013, Jan. 2. “A Wiretapping Miracle.” http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887323820104578215661360927982-lMyQjAxMTAzMDAwMjEwNDIyWj.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email

Sanchez. 2013, Jan. 2. “The Wall Street Journal’s Misleading Celebration of NSA Spying.” http://www.juliansanchez.com/2013/01/02/the-wall-street-journals-misleading-celebration-of-nsa-spying/ The Cato Institute. [Take a look at the “about” section; this is someone whose career could be a model for the journalists in the class.]

A video version of Sanchez’ (Cato’s) argument: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/a-short-video-summary-of-the-government-spying-debate/266830/

Harris. 2012, Aug. 22. “Giving in to the Surveillance State.” The New York Times.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/opinion/whos-watching-the-nsa-watchers.html?

emc=eta1Poitras. 2012, Aug. 22. “The National Security Agency’s Domestic Spying Program.”

The New York Times. Reading and video. “Spying on First Amendment Activity - State by State” (ACLU)http://www.aclu.org/maps/spying-first-amendment-activity-state-state

2/14 Group 2 Presentation -- National Security, Wikileaks and Government Information. Review in advance:“Wikileaks: Freedom of Information v. National Security” (IBA Media Law blog)http://ibamedialaw.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/wikileaks-freedom-of-information-v-national-security/

“The Wikileaks Saga” (Yale Global Online)http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/wiki-sagaWikileaks - Abouthttp://wikileaks.org/About.html

WEEK 6 EXAM I2/19 First Exam

WEEKS 6-7 Freedom of Expression in the World2/21 Read: F&T, Ch. 15. Themes: Differences in perception, use and regulation of expression.

Cultural/philosophical, political and economic origins of differences. Organizations monitoring free expression issues internationally.

2/26 Freedom of Expression in China -- Guest Lecture by Prof. Yu Liu2/28 Public Expression in Mexico - Prof. Hughes WEEK 8 Obscenity and Defamation as Exceptions to First Amendment Protection

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3/5 Read: F&T, Ch. 8 Main themes: The development of obscenity restrictions. Obscenity versus erotica. The Miller Test and its application in the 2LiveCrew case.

3/7 Read: F & T, Ch. 7. Main themes: What is defamation? What is ‘actual malice’? Elements and defenses of an old exception to freedom. What is invasion of privacy? Types of privacy violations. Personal information privacy in the digital age. (What did you put post Facebook last night?)

WEEK 9 Spring Break

WEEK 10 Fighting Words and Hate Speech, Introduction to Privacy3/19 Read: F&T, Ch. 5, 6 Main themes: What is fighting words doctrine? Is it a solution to

hate speech regulation? What is hate speech? Why is it harmful? Frustrations with the Supreme Court’s hate speech rulings. Regulation versus a “more speech” solution.

3/21 Read: F & T, Ch. 12. Main themes: What is invasion of privacy? Protections in public versus private spaces. Personal information privacy in the digital age. How social networks can get you fired.

WEEK 11 Privacy on Social Networks, EXAM II

3/26 Group 3 Presentation -- Facebook, Free Expression and Privacy Review in advance: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. 2010. “Social Networking Privacy: How to be Safe, Secure and Social.” https://www.privacyrights.org/social-networking-privacy

3/28 Second Exam

WEEK 12 Time, Place, Manner restrictions; Symbolic Expression4/2 Read: F & T, Ch. 9 and 10.

Main themes: The time, place and manner test -- how the courts handle government regulation of public protest. Symbolic expression and First Amendment protection: Flag burning and swear words.

Broadcast Regulation, Introduction to Copyright 4/4 Read: F & T, Chs. 11, 14. The history of broadcast regulation. Frequency scarcity and

diversity. The Fairness Act: An untimely demise? Regulation of internet communication and copyright. Copyright and First Amendment protection. Copyright law in the United States.

Week 134/9 Group 4 Presentation -- Music, Film and Television Piracy in the Digital Age

Review prior to class-“Times Topics - Sopa and Pipa”http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/copyrights/index.html?8qa

WEEKS 13-15 Ethics for Communications Professionals

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4/11 Foundational ethics for communications professionals. Themes: moral reasoning frameworks and general principles for ethical decision-making. Duty, utility, justice, religious love and feminist care approaches. Read: Christians et. al, Ch. 1

4/16 Group 5 -- Ethics for news professionals - presentation of issues and cases. Read: Christians et. al, Part 1: “News”

4/18 Group 6 -- Ethics in Advertising - presentation of issues and cases. Read: Christians et. al, Part 2: “Persuasion in Advertising”

4/23 Group 7 -- Ethics in Public Relations - presentation of issues and cases. Read: Christians et. al, Part 3: “Persuasion and Public Relations”

4/26 Group 8 -- Ethical Principles in Entertainment Media - presentation of issues and cases. Read: Christians et. al, Part 4: “Entertainment”

EXAM PERIOD Tuesday, May 7, 2-3:15 p.m.

5/7 Third Exam. Students have an option to take an in-class short-essay exam during the exam period or a take-home long-essay exam that must be posted on Blackboard before the end of the exam period. Whichever option is chosen, the exam must be turned in by the end of the exam period.

STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: PLEASE TURN IN

I HAVE RECEIVED AND READ THE SYLLABUS FOR COM 250. I HAVE COMPLETED THE PREREQUISITE COURSES LISTED IN THE SYLLABUS OR HAVE HAD THE PROFESSOR SIGN BELOW TO CERTIFY A WAIVER OF THE PREREQUISITES.

SIGNED: __________________________________________

PRINT NAME: _________________________________________

DATE: ___________________________

PROFESSOR PREREQUISITE WAIVER (IF NEEDED)_________________________

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