Office:	Newton 2222-A
Telephone:	(912) 478-1327
Office Hours:	T/R 10-1-2pm, 3:30-4:30pm Online Office Hours Fridays, 7-8 pm
Email:	jwalker@georgiasouthern.edu
Home Page:	http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~jwalker/

Course Description

This course provides an introduction and general overview of fundamental aspects of intellectual property. Students will learn about such topics as the history of copyright laws, fair use, and the public domain. Through readings and class discussion of such issues as music downloading, remix, plagiarism detection services, copy-left, open-source, and creative commons licensing, students will acquire a greater understanding so that they can make informed choices for themselves. Recommended for all majors.

Outcomes

Students will acquire a general understanding of issues of intellectual property, including such issues as music downloading, plagiarism, creative commons licensing, and privacy.
Students will be introduced to some of the ideas they will need to make informed choices for their personal, academic, and professional lives in a digital age.

Required Textbooks

Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity. Penguin, 2004. Hard cover 978-1594-200069

OR FREE at http://www.free-culture.cc/freecontent/

NOTE: If the above link isn't working, try http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/free_culture.lawrence_lessig/portrait.pdf

Honesty

All members of the academic community recognize the necessity of being honest with themselves and with others. The integrity of the educational experience is diminished by cheating in class, plagiarizing, lying, and employing other methods of deceit or dishonesty. (See Student Conduct Code for definitions of Academic Dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarizing.) The need for honest relations among all members of the community is essential. Students will be held responsible for academic integrity and honesty in all work done in this course. The instructor reserves the right to submit student work to SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection service subscribed to by Georgia Southern University. Note: This is a writing course; as such, plagiarism is a serious offense and will be treated accordingly. The instructor retains the right to set the minimum academic penalty for dishonesty in the course.

Class Discussion List

All students will join, read, and contribute to the class discussion listserv. You are required to make at least 10 postings during the semester as stipulated in the schedule of assignments . You also need to read each other's postings; you will not get credit if you merely repeat information others have already posted. You may also choose to respond to other students' posts, ask questions regarding assignments, readings, or class discussions, or discuss other topics of interest to the general student population. Spamming, use of inappropriate language, or posting of inappropriate materials will not be tolerated. It is your listserv, and as such it is up to you (the students) to police it.

Postings should be substantive (that is, they should actually have something to say) and should be approximately 250 words in length, follow good format for email, and reflect an awareness of the rhetorical situation of which they are a part. For information on writing effective email, see "Writing Effective E-Mail: Top Ten Tips" at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm . Missed postings must be made up within two weeks of the due date; grades on late postings will be reduced by 10%.

Rubric for Discussion Postings

Appropriate subject line; clearly identified content
Organized logically; chunking that makes sense
Sender clearly identified
Free from mechanical errors; appropriate diction for audience and situation
Adequately addresses the assigned topic
Assignment completed on time
Acknowledges technological needs of audience
Acknowledges content needs of audience (what can the audience be expected to know about the topic already? what does the audience need to know?)
Engages the audience (recognizes other contributions to the discussion; begins with a clear statement of what information the message contains and why it is important to the reader; provides a clear summary or recommended action for the reader--what should the reader DO with the information provided?)

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. My attendance policy is firm: no excuses are allowed. It is the student's responsibility to find out any information missed as a result of tardiness or absence. Please make arrangements with another student early in the semester to ensure that, should you need to be absent, you will still have access to this information. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Grades

Distribution of final grade:

Attendance and Class Participation	20 pts.
Class listserv participation	15 pts.
Mid-term Essay Exam	15 pts.
Final Project	50 pts.


90-100 pts.	A
80-89 pts.	B
70-79 pts.	C
60-69 pts.	D
Below 60 pts.	F

Writing Center

Don't forget that the University Writing Center , located in in the Forest Drive Building, Room 1119, is one of your most important resources as a student at Georgia Southern University. The consultants in the center will give you one-on-one help with any paper you're working on for any class on campus, including this one. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the feedback and advice they can give you. Call 478-1413 for an appointment, or use the online scheduling system.

Assignments

The schedule of assignments is a tentative one and is provided for planning purposes only. Students are expected to check the schedule frequently for changes, and to complete all assigned readings and coursework as shown by the dates listed. Additional information on assignments may be added to this site and/or discussed in class. It is the student's responsibility to find out any assignments or information missed as a result of tardiness or absence. (See also Attendance policy above).

All assignments must be typed unless otherwise stipulated and submitted in the designated format. Make sure you include your name on your work. Check with the instructor in advance if you need any special accommodations.

Disclaimer

All assignments in this syllabus are subject to change, depending on the instructor's assessment of students' needs. It is the student's responsibility to obtain missed assignments, handouts, changes to the syllabus, and other course-related information.

Inappropriate use of computer resources can result in students losing their accounts, failure of a class, or legal repercussions. Inappropriate use includes but is not limited to illegal access of information (hacking), using someone else's account without authorization, tampering with the settings on Georgia Southern University's writing lab computers, uploading, downloading, or installing pirated software or files, and viewing or distributing pornographic or otherwise offensive materials using Georgia Southern's facilities. If you are unsure whether or not a specific use is allowed, contact Computer Services.

Last modified 17 January 2012 by Janice R. Walker .

The content of personal and other unofficial home pages is not sanctioned by Georgia Southern University and does not represent official information or opinions of the University. jwalker@georgiasouthern.edu is solely responsible for the contents of this page.