WRIT 4431W is also offered in Spring 2025
WRIT 4431W is also offered in Spring 2024
Fall 2019 | WRIT 4431W Section 001: Science, Technology, and the Law (20097)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Discussion
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- A-F only
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Tue,
Thu 01:00PM - 02:15PM
UMTC, East Bank
Nolte Ctr for Continuing Educ 229
- Enrollment Status:
Open (17 of 24 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- How issues in science/technology affect 21st century practice of law. Ownership, access, ethics, information, technology used to frame topics. Intellectual property, privacy, health law, research practice. prereq: Jr or sr or grad student or instr consent
- Class Description:
- This course introduces students to the areas of the law that are relevant to science and technology as well as communication. These areas of the law include intellectual property, privacy, and health law. Such diverse topics as electronic surveillance, fair use in copyright, informed consent, file sharing, trademarks, forensic evidence in the courtroom, and patents will be covered. We discuss such acts and laws as The Wiretap Act, The Stored Communication Act, The Patriot Act and Electronic Surveillance Law and how the Fifth and Fourth Amendments affect such laws and acts. We start with a discussion of privacy as ?the right to be left alone? and what actions by business, government, and private individuals constitute invasion of privacy as well as what limits are placed on the right of privacy. We then balance the government's need to support and encourage the development of technologies through patents, the expressions of ideas through copyright, and the use of those technologies through trademarks with the desire of the individual creator to profit from his or her invention. The final section of the course focuses on health law--how medical science and the law have affected each other. We begin with a look at medical examiners, forensic pathologists, and psychiatrists as they first entered the courtroom as experts. We look then at medical-product liability, medical evidence in the courtroom, and such concepts as at the right to refuse treatment, informed consent and malpractice suits, and property rights as they pertain to body parts and tissue samples. Students will read opinions and decisions in landmark and current cases to see what values, precedents, and issues arise. Reading quizzes and take-home exams as well as class discussion constitute graded work in the course. The course is designed to address the needs of students who seek employment in industry and government where knowledge of legal issues is important, students who wish to go on to law school, and students who have a general interest in science, technology, or the law. No prior knowledge of the law is necessary. All majors are welcome! This course satisfies both Writing Intensive and the Civil Life and Ethics Liberal Education theme.
- Grading:
- 25% Midterm Exam
25% Final Exam
15% Quizzes
25% Additional Semester Exams
10% Class Participation Other Grading Information: Three take-home essay exams are given. Students have two weeks to complete them.
- Exam Format:
- Take-home exams--two weeks to complete
- Class Format:
- 100% Discussion
- Workload:
- 25 Pages Reading Per Week
3 Exam(s)
11 Quiz(zes)
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/20097/1199
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 15 October 2013
ClassInfo Links - Fall 2019 Writing Studies Classes