Law On-Line

http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lawonline

POSC479  GVPT439A  POLSC401

Fall 2002*

 *This syllabus represents the general plan for the course. Your individual professors may vary the outline slightly to fit the needs of their classes.

As we all know, our world is increasingly dependent on computer-based technologies. With more and more frequency, students and professional workers of all kinds are called upon to employ computers in research and communication as ever more areas of endeavor have gone on-line. Nowhere is this more true than in the field of law. No longer is the law primarily to be found on the back shelves of libraries -- it is now all over the World Wide Web! This course is designed to give students with a scholarly and/or professional interest in the law the computer-based tools necessary to investigate and converse in this area. Although we welcome students who already have computer skills and would like to hone those in the field of law, no particular computer skills are required for this course. This is your opportunity to learn! Students will learn how to manipulate the Internet in order to do effective research and in order to communicate with others interested and knowledgeable in particular fields of law. Students will participate in maintaining a course website, accessing research materials through the Internet, and creating a web-based electronic law journal for undergraduates.

Moreover, so that this "cyber-experience" will not simply be a theoretical exercise, students from Towson University, Kansas State University, and the University of Maryland, taking an identical course, will be communicating and working with each other. The substantive goal of the course will be an exploration of the role of law in American society. Every society creates a legal system to fit its particular needs and to help perpetuate its existence. Law is essential to the survival of a political system, and legal structure is a defining characteristic of each state. This course will examine of the role of law in supporting, shaping and responding to the social order in the United States, and we shall address these issues with special focus upon the following themes:

"Justice? --You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law."

!William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own (New York: Poseidon Press, 1994), p.11.

This is the opening line of an award-winning novel whose chief protagonist, Oscar Crease, devotes most of his time and energy to the law. Indeed, Oscar is constantly involved in litigation (usually as a plaintiff) and nearly always considers the potential for a law suit as he moves from one situation to the next. Gaddis wrote the novel as a satire on the "litigious society" we are constantly told we have become. Whether the United States has actually become overly litigious is a debatable question, and one that we will address, but the second point is not really debatable. Our lives are completely saturated by law. In one sense we are little more than agents involved in a hopefully long stream of action called life that can be broken down into bits, each one of which has a different set of rights and obligations associated with it, each one of which carries the potential for litigation.

Unraveling and understanding the connections between law and society is not as straightforward as it might at first blush seem to be. Indeed, "law" is a term that is used by us all literally everyday, but if you take a moment to think about it, we often take its meaning for granted. In actuality, "law" has a rather ephemeral meaning, suggesting different things to different people, and even different things to the same person. We also take the existence of law for granted, as if it were some kind of given. And most of us are oblivious to most of the laws that govern the bulk of our life activities, and we would be equally clueless about where they might have come from. Moreover, legal conflict nearly always involves a conflict between important social values.

In this course we shall collectively assess some of these questions, relying exclusively upon information resources available on the World Wide Web. Although most of the course work will be completed individually by each student, you will be paired with another student from your "home" class and research partners from the "other" university for the major project that is due at the end of the semester. For this reason, your active participation in this class is both vital and required. Specific requirements follow:

Read the remaining requirements thoroughly

Books ( Most material will be online).

Available at the bookstores:

Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. Required.

Computer Accounts: Everyone must immediately make sure you have a valid computer account and e-mail capability. This will be essential to completion of the course. Towson students who do not currently have computer accounts must immediately go to Room 5 (Help Center) in Cook Library to register for an account and password. Or, TU students may do this by visiting "Account Gate" on-line at http://wwwnew.towson.edu/cans/students/newaccts/welcome.asp. University of Maryland students who do not currently have accounts must immediately log onto a campus networked computer to complete the on-line WAM registration process. See: http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/topics/accounts/email/wam// Or, you may apply in person at the aITs Consulting Lab. Kansas State students who do not currently have accounts must immediately log onto a campus networked computer to complete their on-line registration process at: https://www.ksu.edu/activateID/

TU Students Only: You must have your account enabled for use with Front Page. A student can have his/her account enabled by visiting, calling or writing to the Help Center (Cook 5, 410-704-5151, helpcenter@towson.edu).

Disks: Everyone should purchase a box of 3.5 diskettes and/or a zip disk.

Suggestions: The following two paragraphs are suggestions only - not requirements.

Word processing software: Given that you have virtually no book costs in this course, you should take the opportunity to upgrade your word processing software if necessary. For compatibility purposes, if you are using WordPerfect or Word (versions prior to 6.0), you should seriously consider upgrading to more recent versions. Also, if you are still running Windows 95/98, now is the time to migrate to Windows2000 or XP. If you are a Mac user with old software versions, think about moving to more recent ones. The latest software is downward compatible, so reading your old files will not be a problem, and they have much enhanced features that you will find useful.

Anti-Virus Software: Computer viruses are everywhere – talk about ubiquitous! You should all plan immediately to download the latest ant-virus software from your school sites. This is critical in a class like this where we’ll be passing documents back and forth as a matter of course. TU students go to: http://wwwnew.towson.edu/cans/students/downloads/welcome.asp UMD students go to http://www.helpdesk.umd.edu/virus/ KSU students go to: http://www.antivirus.ksu.edu/

Remote Access to University Networks: Access from your home computer to the university systems, the Internet, and WWW is available to all students with a valid account. Remote access is certainly not required, but if you do go this route you will need to install the appropriate communications software (available at no charge from your computer center) and hardware.

Help and Resources: For all kinds of help, including good hardware and software deals and technical support, TU students should access The Student Computing Services Center at http://www.towson.edu/scsc/ . UMD students should access Information Technology Resources and Services at http://www.inform.umd.edu/CompRes/ KSU students should access the Information Technology Help Desk at http://www.ksu.edu/InfoTech/helpdesk/

Attendance: Attendance is required. In fact, more than two absences will result in an automatic "F" for the course. If, for some reason, you feel that you will not be able to attend class sessions on a regular basis, please drop the course now to make room for someone who is willing to make the necessary commitment. Your regular presence is essential, both in the sense that it will greatly aid your learning and in the sense that the other members of your group will be depending upon your active engagement in all aspects of the course. There is also a "bottom line" sense that class participation counts rather heavily toward your final grade (see below).

Readings: With the exception of the required style guide, all reading assignments for this course are in electronic form. Some are available directly on our Webpage; the remainder, you will be asked to locate by conducting your own WWW searches. You are responsible for all of the assigned readings. Although there are no tests in this course, your careful and timely reading of assignments and your understanding of materials will be reflected in weekly papers, webchats, and in-class discussions. In order to facilitate discussion and understanding you should, of course, read assigned materials prior to class.

Participation: It is essential that everyone participate in class discussions. Again, if, for some reason, you feel that you will not be able to actively take part in all facets of this course including in-class and on-line sessions, please do not take this class.

Participation will take two forms: (1) in-class and (2) on-line (WebChat). Of course, much of this subject matter is highly controversial stuff, so we expect that everybody would want to get her or his two cents worth in. But, as an added incentive, regular, informed, and thoughtful class participation will constitute 25% of your final grade. In-class participation will count 10%, and participation in our weekly online WebChat discussion will count another 15%.

In-class discussion needs no explanation, except to say that irrelevant, off-the-subject commentary will not count. Participation also involves asking questions, so please take advantage of our format, and fire away. These caveats also apply to weekly WebChat sessions, where discussion takes a written form in response to questions posted by your instructors. WebChat (and complete, easy to follow instructions) is located on the course website.

Written Assignments: Through a substantial portion of the semester, you will be responsible individually for brief written papers in response to a set of questions provided by your instructors. Most of these will involve on-line research and off-line writing. Each document will be electronically transmitted to your instructor as an e-mail attachment. Papers must be neatly typed, with standard font and margins, and fully documented. Your answers must clearly reflect that you have read the assigned material. We will return the papers with comments electronically. These assignments will cumulate as 35% of your final grade.

Research Papers: You will be asked to complete a formal research project with a student colleague from your class and two or more student colleagues from one of the other universities. We will provide you with a menu of research choices, from which you are to select three that are of special interest to you. We will, in turn, pair you with an on-site colleague from your class and two on-line partners from another class who have indicated a compatible interest. You will be provided with your on-line colleagues' e-mail addresses. It will then be your responsibility to work together in order to complete the research and write a coherent paper for class presentation. Week-by-week directives are available under the Course Outline below. Paper drafts are due no later than November 26, 2002. Oral presentation of research projects will take place during the first full week of December, with final papers due no later than midnight December 10.

Your subject should be chosen from among the topic headings available on the course web site. While we can be flexible about the precise format, the ultimate goal of the paper will be a more thorough examination of the topic than we are able to cover in class, including court opinions on point (or, perhaps, exhaustive reflection on dissents/concurrences) and consideration of at least one law review article from an on-line journal. Use of WWW sources is required, and you must be sure to document carefully (see our citation guide at the course homepage as well as links to WWW citation helps). We will go over appropriate citation and documentation protocols in class, and they are thoroughly discussed and outlined on the course webpage. Plagiarism is unacceptable and anyone engaging in the practice may expect to fail the course. The papers must by typed in 12 pt. font, double-spaced (including between paragraphs), with one-inch margins. They should approximate 16 text pages in length, not counting the cover page and bibliography. This is a joint exercise, and the final paper should read as a whole. Grammar, style, and usage are very important and your instructors take this element of paper writing very seriously. Thus, your papers should be completely free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. These rules apply both to your first drafts and final papers. You should be sure to refer to Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual. Hacker, by the way, has a nice companion site at http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/pocket/

As part (10%) of your paper project, groups will be required to complete a supplementary exercise. Your group will develop its own web page that can be used to display your project. And, your group will develop a power point presentation of your paper for display on the website during your oral presentation. We will post more explicit information about these exercises during the first week or two of classes. You should plan, however, to provide first drafts or verifications of these supplementary exercises when you submit the first drafts of your papers on November 26.

All of the final papers generated by course participants will be published in electronic journal form. Because our journal will be broadcast to the world, a conscientious effort to produce high quality manuscripts is, of course, expected. Please note that a good journal needs good editors. If you have an interest in this area, feel free to discuss it with your instructor. Regular credit hours may be available for student editors during the Spring of 2003.

Exams & Deadlines: Because this course is constructed to promote development of research, writing, and communications technology skills, both individualized and collaborative, there will be no exams. Yes, you read that correctly! No Exams. However, this places extra emphasis on the central course components, and failure to keep up with class activities will be lethal to your success. All deadlines are firm. A late assignment will be met with substantial penalty, unless it is accompanied by a documented excuse that can be confirmed by your instructor.

Warning: Failure to complete any of the assignments will result in an "F" in the course.

A Note on Partnerships: By now, most of you have been involved in the academic enterprise for a good 15 years. And at some (perhaps many) points along the way you have had to complete a project in cooperation with one or more partners. Moreover, once you move into the permanent career workforce, you will most likely have to engage in cooperative tasks with others and this will be true whether your chosen field is law, politics, medicine, business, or the arts. Such projects can, and ought to, be rewarding; and they can, and ought to, result in better products. Generally, several heads are better than one. However, those of you who are veterans of cooperative work also know that sometimes problems occur. These problems can run the gamut from simple (and easy to rectify) miscommunication to the truly lazy partner who does not (and never will) carry his or her fair share of the burden.

We are aware that problems such as these may be exacerbated by the disembodied nature of on-line communication. A simple error in communication may be more difficult to read and judge, devoid of facial expression or body language. And the guilt or shame that a lazy or neglectful individual may feel when forced to confront a rightfully impatient partner face-to-face, may be less immediate and less appreciated - e-mail messages can be ignored; faces cannot.

To be honest, there is no perfect solution to this potential problem, though your instructors have struggled over it long and hard. On the one hand, we toyed with the idea of having all of you "cc" all of your partnership communiques to us as a way of monitoring progress and catching potential "free-riders." Frankly, however, this approach seemed to us to border on a permanent invasion of privacy which potentially could inhibit creativity, genuine expression, and on-line camaraderie. It also assumes that shirking is the rule rather than the exception which we believe it to be. On the other hand, we could simply keep our noses out of your partnership business, at least until the papers come rolling in. Unfortunately, the hands-off approach risks missing any lazy students altogether and forces hard workers with "free-rider" partners either to assume more responsibility and anxiety they should have to or to become "tattletales" as a means of self-preservation.

The problem, then, has been to find some middle ground that will not permanently invade the privacy of the working groups while still picking up difficulties. We have determined to do this in several ways, with levels of intrusiveness decreasing as the semester progresses. The following represent our attempts to alleviate partnering problems. Part A below is general guidelines that should be followed by one and all. Part B is a series of requirements (also noted under the "Course Outline and Daily Assignments" section) that must be followed as part of the course syllabus.

PART A, GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Check your e-mail regularly and respond as soon as possible to all e-mail communiques from your partners.

2. Those of you who only access mail through one of the university labs should establish regular times (at least three times a week) for retrieving and responding to mail and you should let your partners know when those times are. You should establish this schedule by the second week of the semester. If you have to alter this schedule, let your partners know.

3. Those of you who are fortunate enough to have home access to e-mail should also establish regular retrieval and response times and should similarly let your partners know when those times are and should also establish a schedule during the second week. If you have to alter this schedule, let your partners know. At the same time, home-based e-mailers should not become impatient when lab-based partners do not respond immediately to communiques sent at 3A.M.

4. If you have to be incommunicado for a few days because of illness, deaths in the family, etc. let your partners and instructors know right away! If you are ill or called away from school and do not have home access to e-mail, telephone your instructor immediately so that she or he may inform your partners. Similarly, if your computer crashes, if your e-mail account is temporarily overloaded or suspended, or, if, for any of the zillions of potential computer-related crises, you find you cannot communicate electronically, call your instructor immediately so that he or she may inform your partners. The failure of one partner to respond to the others over a prolonged period (more than 3 days) without explanation will result in a very substantial grade penalty to the unresponsive party!

5. THINK before you respond and always review your message before hitting the "send" button. Never send angry or mean-spirited mail in the heat of the moment. If you are upset for any reason, always take a deep breath, and respond in measured tones before sending a message. Remember, once you hit the send button, you can never get it back. (Refer to Netiquette http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html)

6. Remember, your e-partners are university students just like you and, just like you, they have other courses, papers, exams, obligations. Don't become too impatient too quickly. However,

7. If, in spite of all our efforts to prevent bad partnerships, you find yourself saddled with a colleague (either in-class or at another university) who does not respond to communications or who does not contribute ideas to your joint project, you should by all means let your instructor know.

PART B, SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS (see also "Course Outline and Daily Assignments")

1. All group members should be included on all mailings to the instructors.

2. During the week of October 1, you will submit identical agreed upon subtopic preference lists to the instructors.

3. During the week of October 7, you must submit a joint research statement to your instructors.

4. During the week of October 21, you must agree upon the division of labor for your research project and submit your agreed upon work scheme, along with your ideas for the supplemental project to both instructors.

5. During the November "class free" weeks, each of you will be e-mailing your own instructors with progress reports on your research. These progress reports should include a sentence or two on your partnerships.

6. As in #7 above, if after a reasonable period of patience, you find yourself saddled with a colleague who does not respond to communications or who does not contribute ideas to your joint project, you should by all means let your instructor know.

Extra-Credit: None!

1. More than two unexcused absences from class.

3. Failure, during the month of November, to meet with your instructor at the appointed time or to submit your weekly e-mail progress reports.

4. Failure to complete any given assignment.

5. Plagiarism

Each week's schedule contains a number of directives. Some or all of the following headings will appear each week (special instructions appear for the weeks of October 28 through the end of the semester):

Skill Development: Describes the particular Internet skill you will be asked to learn and master.

Skill Reading: Directs you to the required skill-related reading. This reading will come from a variety of on-line sources. This reading should be completed BEFORE the start of classes each week.

Discussion Content: Describes the substantive legal topic for the week.

Reading and Writing Assignment: Directs you toward the week's substantive reading. All of this reading will be found on the Internet. This heading will also give you your weekly writing assignment, along with specific due dates. In general, each week's reading AND writing assignment must be completed and the writing assignment must be submitted by no later than Tuesday at 6 P.M. Thus, it will be to your great advantage to stay slightly ahead in following the syllabus.

WebChat: Directs you to the appropriate WebChat topic for the week. This topic (question/issue) will be found each week only on the course WebChat. Each week, beginning the week of September 16, you will be required to click into the appropriate WebChat heading and join in the on-line discussion. Optional WebChats for the first two weeks, however, are available immediately and we strongly recommend that you join in. Each week's WebChat contribution must be submitted by no later than Saturday midnight.

Cross-Campus Research: Gives you directives for contacting, communicating with, and undertaking research with your partners from the other campus.

Assignment: Access the course syllabus and read it very carefully!

Skill Development: By the end of the week, each student is to have a computer account and an e-mail address

Skill Reading: At "Web Teacher," http://www.webteacher.org/windows.html click into "Web Basics." Read the information found under the following headings: "A Simple Web Page," "Internet Addresses," "Navigation," "Finding Things," and "Glossary of Terms."

Assignment: Submit your e-mail address to your instructor by Saturday, September 7. (If you regularly use more than one address, please submit both.)

Cross-Campus Research: This week you need to check out the "Project Information" link on the course homepage. The list consists of a substantial number of very broad areas of legal interest. Please think about the items. Then, decide on three which seem most intriguing to you. Your announced interest will be used to link you with other students for the purpose of communicating and completing your research later in the semester. E-mail your top three preferences to your instructor by Tuesday, September 10.

WebChat: We encourage you to join in the optional WebChat for this week. Required WebChat begins the week of September 15

THE ROLE OF LAW

Skill Development: 1)General Overview of Campus Computer Facilities, Technologies, Etc. 2) e-mail and e-mail with word processed attachments

Skill Reading: At "Web Teacher," http://www.webteacher.org/windows.html click into "Communicating" and read all of the info under the heading "Email."

Discussion Content: The Role of Law

Reading and Writing Assignment: John Adams took great pride in the fact that we are "[a] government of laws, and not of men." Why did he make this distinction, even when he was in the process of creating a democratic republic? In light of the fact that democracy literally means "government of men (or the people)," how do you account for the fact that one of this nation's founders emphasized law seemingly to the exclusion of men? E-mail us your thoughts on these questions. Your response should be no fewer than two and no more than six paragraphs in length. E-mail responses due by Tuesday, September 10^th at 6P.M.. (If you know how already, please submit this response as a word processed attachment. If you do not know how to do attachments, simply submit as an e-mail. We will cover attachments in class.)

Cross-Campus Research: Remember, we need your "areas of interest" preferences by September 10^th.

WebChat: We encourage you to join in the optional WebChat for this week. Required WebChat begins the week of September 15.

Law, Nature, & the Mediation of Classical Liberal Values

Skill Development: Listserv, WebChat, and Appropriate Use

During this week, you will join the course listserv, use webchat for the first time, and review appropriate use policy.

Skill Readings: 1. Please follow Listserv instructions at: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lawonline/listserv.htm

2. At "Web Teacher," http://www.webteacher.org/windows.html go to "Communicating" and read "News Groups," "Mail Lists," and "Chat Groups."

3. Appropriate Use Policy. All students read: "THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE," http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html In addition,

KSU students read: http://www.ksu.edu/vpast/it.html

UMD students read: http://www.inform.umd.edu/CompRes/NEThics/ and http://www.inform.umd.edu/aug/

TU students read: http://wwwnew.towson.edu/cans/students/policy/guidelines.asp

Assignment: Join the course Listserv by Wednesday, September 18^th.

Cross-Campus Research: You will be given the name and e-mail address of your in-class partner and your partners from the other campus. Via e-mail you should be sure to chat with your partner (introduce yourselves) by the end of the week.

Discussion Content: Law, Nature, & the Mediation of Classical Liberal Values

Reading and Writing Assignment: Read the entire texts of Federalists #10 and #51 and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (see links on homepage). Consider and answer the following questions in a 2-3 page essay e-mailed to your instructor as a word processed attachment: Our Law is a reflection of the framers' conception of human nature: what it is, what it needs to be productive, and how it is to be controlled. What is Madison's view of human nature? How did he propose, in the form of our basic law, to exploit and control it? What dichotomy does this set up? What basic interests are they trying to reconcile? What two values are in conflict, and how does Madison propose to reconcile this conflict? E-mail responses due by Tuesday, September 17 at 6P.M..

WebChat: This week we begin required WebChat. See assignment on WebChat, Week of September 16. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, September 21 at midnight.

Law and American Culture

Skill Development: Directed Internet Search

Skill Reading: "Beginners Central,"Chapter 1, Parts 4-9 (Getting Started, Surf's up!, Picking your First Resources, Bookmarking your Resources, Searching the Internet, and Advanced Search Techniques) http://northernwebs.com/bc/

You also must begin familiarizing yourselves with the rules of citation!!!! Remember, failure to properly cite sources will result in a substantial grade penalty.

For basic citation rules see: Hacker, pp. 143-194.

For basic legal citation see: Peter W. Martin, Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (2000-2001 ed.) at http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/citation.table.html

For electronic citation see Footnoting Electronic Sources in the Chicago Style, http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html or Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association, http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

Cross-Campus Research: Via e-mail, you and your partners should begin discussing your research topic. Specifically, begin chatting about subtopics within your "area" that might be of interest to both of you and which would be researchable (do-able) projects and which will potentially address one or more of the course themes (i.e., law is ubiquitous [it's everywhere], law is ambiguous [it's elusive or enigmatic], law tries to reconcile conflicting values [the liberty v. order problem]) .

Discussion Content: Law and American Culture

Reading and Writing Assignment: In "Causes Which Mitigate the Tyranny of the Majority in the United States," Chapter 16, Vol 1 of Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville observed that "Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question. Hence all parties are obliged to borrow, in their daily controversies, the ideas, and even the language, peculiar to judicial proceedings." Find this quote online and read the entire chapter. Contemporary political commentators and politicians constantly bemoan the fact that America has become an overly litigious society. The premise behind these comments seems to be that once in the "good ole days of traditional family values," Americans settled controversies amicably within loving communities and without recourse to the judicial process. In light of Tocqueville's observations, is there anything new to the contemporary griping? What does this tell us about our system? Write a 1-2 page response. Also, report the URL and be sure and include in your response when (what date) de Tocqueville made this observation about how things work in the United States? E-mail responses due by Tuesday, September 24^th at 6P.M.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, Week of September 23. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, September 28 at midnight.

Getting Started: Law and the First Stages of Life

Skill Development: Independent Internet Search

Skill Reading: Search Engines. Explore search engines at: http://www.twics.com/~takakuwa/search/usa/index.html

Discussion Content: Getting Started: Law and the First Stages of Life.

Search and Reading Assignment: 1) Find and read the complete text of ROE v. WADE, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF S.E. PENNSYLVANIA V. CASEY, 505 U.S. 833 (1992). 2) Then, find information (at least 2 sites) on some other legal issue surrounding the first stages of life (possibilities include, but are not limited to: who may be a parent? [gays & lesbians? Post-menopausal women? Surrogacy issues?] Who has control over life? [women? Men? Both?] May life be sold? [sperm & egg banks, infant adoptions] Do young children have rights? What is the current law on cloning?)

Writing Assignments: Please note that there are two short assignments due this week. 1) Answer the following two questions in a full one or two page statement: A) Based on your reading of ROE v. WADE and PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF S.E. PENNSYLVANIA V. CASEY, does the law suggest when life begins? B) In ROE v. WADE and PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF S.E. PENNSYLVANIA V. CASEY, how does the Court attempt to reconcile the conflict between liberty and order? (Be sure and fully cite your web source(s) for both cases). E-mail responses due by Tuesday, October 1 at 6P.M.

2) Write a two page essay discussing the information you've found on your additional "first stage" issue. (Be sure and fully cite your web sources; which search engine(s) did you use?)

For proper legal citation, see http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/citation.table.html E-mail responses due by Thursday, October 3 at 6P.M.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, Week of September 30. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, October 5 at midnight.

Law and Personal Relationships

Skill Development: More Independent Searching

Skill Reading: "Evaluating Internet Resources,"http://library.albany.edu/internet/evaluate.html and "Evaluating Internet Resources," http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/ressubj/subject/intrnt/evaluate.htm

Discussion Content: Law and Personal Relationships

Search and Reading Assignment: Below is a list of questions that can be answered by surfing the Internet. You have until Tuesday, October 8^th at 6P.M. to e-mail us your responses. In your answers, you must properly cite your web source.

1. Find the1878 Supreme Court case dealing with the question of polygamy. In 2-3 sentences, what did the Court decide, what is the case citation, and what is the Internet source citation?

2. Find the 1967 Supreme Court case dealing with interracial marriage. In 2-3 sentences, what did the Court decide, what is the case citation, and what is the Internet source citation?

3. Find the 1986 Supreme Court case dealing with homosexual relations. In 2-3 sentences, what did the Court decide, what is the case citation, and what is the Internet source citation?

4. Briefly, what is the current legal status of same sex marriage? Are such marriages legal anywhere in the United States?

Writing Assignment: Law governs our most intimate relationships, everything from the sexual act to the dissolution of love once promised until death. Read the complete texts of the cases you found above. According to the law, is there such a thing as a "traditional" love relationship? Does the law now seem to favor liberty or order in personal relationships? Write a 2-3 page essay discussing these questions. You may append your essay to the answers submitted above. E-mail responses due by Tuesday, October 8^th at 6P.M.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, Week of October 7. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, October 12^th at midnight.

Cross-Campus Research: By now, you should be in agreement on your research topic. Begin constructing a thesis statement. This should be a 2-5 paragraph essay discussing the content of your research, why it is important, and how it will address one or more of the course themes (ubiquity, ambiguity, conflict). Appended to your thesis statement should be a list of potential web sources (a bibliography) for your topic (no fewer than 5). Each source should be accompanied by its complete address and a 1-2 sentence explanation of why this source is relevant and instrumental to researching your topic. Submit your joint thesis statement and bibliography to both instructors by Friday, October 11^th. All group members should be included on the mailing.

Law and the Final Stages of Life

Skill Development: Creating Web Pages

Skill Reading: Read all the sections under "Homepage Construction" at http://www.webteacher.org/windows.html

Discussion Content: Law & the Final Stages of Life

At an accelerating pace over the past 50 years advances in medical technology have allowed us to postpone death. Where once the elderly cancer patient would have died within weeks of metastasis, now she can be kept alive for months, even years. Where once the accident victim, consigned to a vegetative state, would have quickly succumbed to starvation and dehydration, now he can "live" indefinitely. Such advances are nothing less than medical miracles and, in the abstract, we have greeted each new advance with a public stamp of approval, for few of us wish to die.

At the same time, in particular, real instances, these medical miracles often become little more than hell on earth for the person and family of the terminally ill patient caught in the grip of excruciating pain, loss of bodily function, or drug-induced delirium. These two sides of the same coin set up a particularly difficult social dilemma. And, as we all know by now, in the words of our old friend de Tocqueville, "[s]carcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question." Thus, even an event as private (some would say, as lonely) as death becomes the stuff of legal fodder. And so, for roughly the past quarter century, from the Quinlan's fight to remove their daughter from life supports to the conviction and imprisonment of "Doctor Death" Kevorkian in 1999, the law has tried piecemeal to deal with this most sensitive of issues. Of course, the problem, as ever, is one of liberty v. order. On the one hand, we, as individuals, want to be able to control the last stage of our existence, no less than the rest. On the other hand, though, society has a very real interest in preserving life. The role of law is to resolve the tension between these two sometimes conflicting aims. Can it?

Search and Reading Assignment Part 1: Using web-based materials find and submit via e-mail brief definitions for the following terms: INVOLUNTARY ACTIVE EUTHANASIA, VOLUNTARY ACTIVE EUTHANASIA, ASSISTED SUICIDE, WITHDRAWAL OR WITHHOLDING OF MEDICAL TREATMENT (be sure to submit the address and full citation for your source[s]). Part 2: Find the 1997 Supreme Court cases WASHINGTON v. GLUCKSBERG and VACCO v. QUILL. In a 1-2 page essay answer the following questions: 1) What were these cases about? 2) Does an individual have a constitutional right to request the withdrawal or withholding of medical treatment? 3) Is there a constitutional right to physician assisted suicide? 4) As the law stands now, what, if any, entity[ies] has the authority to ban or legalize assisted suicide? (be sure to submit the address[es] and citations your source[s]). E-mail your responses to Parts 1 and 2 by Tuesday, October 15 at 6P.M.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, Week of October 14. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, October 19^th at midnight.

Cross-Campus Research: Your joint thesis statements and bibliographies will be returned with comments by Friday, October 18^th.

Week of October 20

Skill Development: 1) Identifying General Legal Links, 2) Powerpoint

Skill Reading: Review previous readings and review information at http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/using/default.asp http://www.fgcu.edu/support/office2000/ppt/

Discussion Content: Law, Life, and Technology

When we look back to the lives of our forebear or over our shoulders at the lives of the many, many less fortunate throughout the world today, we can be very thankful about the extent to which technology has made our lives much easier. Technological revolutions in transportation, home comforts, health, and communications have made us the most mobile, prosperous, hearty, and connected people in the history of humankind.

But technology clearly comes at some costs. Arguably, for example, the technology revolution has exacerbated the gulf between the "haves" and "have-nots" both here and abroad. For another example, many psychologists contend that the frenetic, high pressured world of the technologically-driven economy has cost us dearly in terms of mental health. Similarly, religious leaders and ethicists worry about our moral fiber.

And, then, there is the problem of privacy. Of privacy, Justice Louis Brandeis once said, it is "the right to be let alone -- the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men." (Olmstead v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438, 478 (1928) (Brandeis, J., dissenting). Yet, today, and increasingly, we worry about loss of privacy in the face of seemingly inexorable technological invasions -- and not just, or even mostly, invasions by government.

Search and Reading Assignment: Begin by visiting the Electronic Information Privacy Center at http://www.epic.org/privacy/ . Click or scroll down to "Privacy by Topic: The A to Z's of Privacy." You should decide on one topic of interest to you. You should then explore that topic, using the link(s) provided by EPIC and one other source on the topic. Then, you should write a 4-page paper on your findings, including the problem, your assessment of the problem, the legal response (if any) to the problem, and your sources. Submit by Tuesday, October 22.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, Week of October 21. Your WebChat contrinution must be submitted by Saturday, October 26^th at midnight.

Cross-Campus Research: Agree upon the division of labor for your research project. By Friday, October 25^th, submit your agreed upon work scheme and your plan for the supplemental project to both instructors. All group members should be included on this mailing.

Weeks of October 27 through November 24 (days: October 27 through November 26):

Throughout this roughly four week time frame there will be no formal class periods. Rather, you will be engaged in completing your research activity with your partners. Your instructors will be available throughout this period to assist and guide you individually and informally with your research. The first drafts of your papers (at least 16 full pages, substantively sound, free of typos and grammatical errors) are due no later than midnight on Tuesday, November 26. (Earlier submissions will be happily accepted.)

Assignments: During this period, each of you will be required to meet at least once for an extended meeting with your instructor. These meetings will take place during regular class times and office hours throughout the month. A meeting sign-up sheet will be available on your instructor's door beginning Monday, October 21^st. You will also be required to e-mail your instructor once each week throughout this period with brief reports on the progress of your joint research, including a sentence or two on how the partnerships are going. Failure to meet with your instructor at the appointed time or to submit your weekly e-mail progress reports will result in a substantial grade penalty. Finally, you are required each week to engage in the WebChat conversation. see below:

Meeting with Instructor: If applicable. Refer to sign-up sheet.

E-Mail Instructor: Brief e-mail progress report due by Friday November 1.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, week of October 28. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, November 2 at midnight.

Week of November 3

Meeting with Instructor: If applicable. Refer to sign-up sheet.

E-Mail Instructor: Brief e-mail progress report due by Friday, November 8.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, week of November 4. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, November 9 at midnight.

Meeting with Instructor: If applicable. Refer to sign-up sheet.

E-Mail Instructor: Brief e-mail progress report due by Friday, November 15

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, week of November 1. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, November 16 at midnight.

Week of November 17

Meeting with Instructor: If applicable. Refer to sign-up sheet.

E-Mail Instructor: Brief e-mail progress report due by Friday, November 22

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, week of November 18. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, November 23 at midnight.

FIRST DRAFTS DUE ON Tuesday!!!!!

WebChat: None.

Paper Drafts: The first drafts of your papers (at least 16 full pages, substantively sound, free of typos and grammatical errors) are due no later than midnight November 26^th. Along with the paper draft, we will need either a draft of your supplemental project or verification that it is almost complete. Remember, the first draft is worth 15% of your final grade and the project is worth 10%. Happy Thanksgiving.

Class Presentations: Throughout this week, students in each of the classes will be giving oral presentations on their research projects. Presentations should be roughly 20 minutes in length and include the following elements:

First Drafts Returned: December 4.

WebChat: See assignment on WebChat, week of December 2. Your WebChat contribution must be submitted by Saturday, December 7 at midnight.

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