INSTRUCTOR: Dr. G. Howard Doty, Professor
Business Management Department 615-353-3400
OFFICE HOURS: Posted on Door
VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: I usually check Email twice a day
OFFICE NUMBER: Clement C-232-A E-mail: howard.doty@nscc.edu
OFFICE PHONE: 615-353-3416 HOME PHONE: 615-292-0568
Credit Hours: 3 Lecture: 3
Prerequisites: DSPR 0800 and DSPW 0700 or equivalent skills
Email: Click on "Mail" on the left bar and select Dr. G. Howard Doty. All emails should come through this Web based course and not through your instructor's regular email where it will get mixed up with many other emails received each day. However, if this web course goes down, you may get in touch with him through his campus email at Howard.Doty@nscc.edu.
Important Announcement: Your Textbook can be purchased at the Nashville State Bookstore or at the RODP Virtual Bookstore at http://bkstr.com. See below under Required Textbook for the link to the RODP Bookstore.
This course addresses Internet law and provides guidelines for putting existing material online, creating material specifically for the Internet, using material found on the Internet, e-commerce, and educational aspects of the Internet. Real-world examples are used to illustrate how the rules affect businesses. This is a three (3) hour course. Students will work on real case studies and will have discussions on what they feel should be the correct outcome based on the law as learned through this course.
Course objectives will be pursued through a combination of textbook study, on-line discussion through the use of WEBCT, student presentations of selected cases or topics, and written assignments, quizzes, and tests. Students will participate in activities designed to enhance their abilities in communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. These objectives will relate to the Learning Goals as set out at the beginning of each chapter's Lessons.
Prerequisites for this course are DSPR 0800, Developmental Reading and DSPW 0700, Basic Writing or equivalent skills if the student is required to take these courses at their institution. The student must possess sufficient reading and writing skills to succeed in this course.
Course Topics:
Looking at the Contents of the textbook for this course, the student will see that this course is divided into three major Units. A breakdown of the Units are as follows;
Unit A, Building Blocks
Chapter 1: Copyright Law
Chapter 2: Patent, Trademark and Trade Secret Law
Chapter 3: Ownership of Copyrights
Chapter 4: Contract Law
Chapter 5: Employees
Chapter 6: Contractors and Consultants
Chapter 7: The Laws of Defamation, Publicity, and Privacy
Unit B, Creating Web Sites and Web Products
Chapter 8: Web Development Agreements
Chapter 9: Using Preexisting Works
Chapter 10: Clearing Rights and Obtaining Licenses
Chapter 11: Licensing Content: Industry by Industry
Chapter 12: Content Owner and Publisher Issues
Chapter 13: Web Products Distribution Agreements
Unit C, Web Marketing and E-Commerce Issues
Chapter 15: Choosing Names for Your Products
Chapter 16: Domain Names
Chapter 17: Privacy Policies and Procedures
Chapter 18: E-Commerce Laws
Chapter 20: Linking, Framing and Caching
Specific Course Requirements:
- Reading and other Assignments indicated in the course Syllabus and Schedule reflect the plan for presentation of this course and the course material. It will be followed closely. Adjustments may, however, be made from time to time by class announcements and email from your instructor. Each student is responsible for completing all assignment, quizzes, discussions, and Tests.
- This course requires work to be completed on a variety of methods including written case analysis, case discussion, homework problems, participation in exercises, quizzes and Tests.
- Each student is expected to participate in all scheduled on-line discussions and assignments. Group discussions will include many items that are not in the textbook. Therefore, you must participate in order to receive the full benefit from this course. A portion of the student's grade will come from the on-line case discussions.
- Case Discussions will require research on the Web to formulate the student's responses. The student will also have to cite their sources in submitting their case responses. This will involve determining what the "current" law is concerning a topic discussed within a chapter of the textbook. Since law is "ever-changing" research will have to be current.
- Students will have self-graded quizzes over the chapters covered in this course. These are taken through the D2L function and are completed through the students "home" computer.
- There will be two proctored test for this course. The student will need to make sure that their Testing Center has the correct Mid-Term and Final semester tests. These two tests may be on-line or may be hard-paper copy tests. (See a discussion of this by opening "Test/Quizzes" under Test/Quizzes on the menu bar).
The Textbook for this course has gotten a little complicated. There are two that are virtually identical with one a hardback and one a paperback. They both have the same name but different ISBN numbers. The name of the required textbook is CyperLaw Text and Cases Second Edition by Ferrera, Lichtenstein, Reder, Bird, and Schiano. ISBN 0-324-16488-2. Note: Do NOT purchase the Third Edition of the hardback since this is totally different than what we are using in this course. You can also purchase the customized paperback edition with the ISBN -13:978-1-133-22916-2 or ISBN-10:1-133-22916-6. It can be purchased at the Nashville State Bookstore or on line by clicking the RODP Virtual Bookstore at http://bkstr.com. This RODP Virtual Bookstore is located at Middle Tennessee State University but you can purchase your textbooks on line at this web page.
Supplementary Materials:
Access to a law dictionary is very helpful but not mandatory. The textbook does not have a Glossary but defines legal words and concept throughout the text. Students must have access to the Web and the Internet. Handouts through email by your instructor.
Hardware and Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm. A specific software requirement for this course is that the student must submit all written assignments in Microsoft Word or like program. Microsoft "Works-Word" and the new Microsoft Vista will not open in D2L. Make sure the suffix is .doc and not .wpd or .docx.
Assessment and Grading
Quizzes, Testing and Discussion Procedures:
- Quizzes are taken by the student on their "home" computer and are self-grading. Links are found on the menu bar. The first time a student takes a quiz or test, they will need to carefully read the instructions provided. These are multiple choice and true/false questions.
- The Midterm Exam and the Final Exam are proctored and are to be taken in a Testing Center at Nashville State Tech or at your college or university. If you are using a distance site (other than Nashville State Tech), check with your institution on two very important points BEFORE going to your Testing Center to take these two Exams. First, find out if your Testing Center has received the two tests if they will be given through hard copy/paper tests. Secondly, plan to go to the Testing Center at least one hour before closing time and therefore, you need to know your Testing Center's hours. Testing Centers require a photo ID before administering a test. Children are not allowed in the Testing Centers.
- If you are taking this course at a distance site and cannot come to your campus for these two tests, it will be your responsibility to make arrangements for the proctored testing. You can find approved Testing Centers for the state of Tennessee at http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/proctorsites.htm. Contact your instructor to discuss the matter immediately.
Grading Procedure:
Midterm and Final Exam - up to 70 % of your final grade
Participation in On-line Case Studies & Research 20%
Averages of quizzes and outside assignments - 10%
All grading procedures are to determine that the student has mastered the material for the successful completion of this course. High achievement in the course will be achieved by participating fully in all case studies through research of assigned topics, discussion of these cases with other students in this course, and the mastery of the course material through reading the textbook and the lesson notes prepared by the instructor. Your Instructor does not allow late submissions on Quizzes, Tests, or Case Assignments.
Grading Scale:
90-100---A or1520 to 1368 points
80-89 --- B or 1367 to 1218 points
79-70 --- C or 1217 to 1064 points
69-60 --- D or 1063 to 912 points
Below 60 -F or 911 or below points
The Schedule on the menu bar for this course, sets out all assignments along with the due dates. Case Study Research assignments are found within each chapter in the Legal Lesson notes on the Menu Bar under "Assignments". Your instructor does not allow late submissions of Case Assignments.
Class Participation:
Students must communicate within this course as part of your participation. This is done through "email" on the top menu bar You are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource. You must check both the Announcements that will be posted on the Homepage and you will need to check your email each day. All email communication must be through this course and not to the Instructor's personal email at the college. Further, students must actively participate in the Case Assignments through research.
Punctuality:
Due dates and times for all assignments, quizzes and tests are set out on class Schedule on the menu bar. Students in Web based courses often wait until the course gets going before purchasing the textbook and then ask the instructor for extra time to complete their first assignments. This course starts immediately the first day of class whether you have purchased and received your textbook or not. You need to go ahead and purchase your textbook and begin you reading assignments since not having your textbook is NOT a good reason to get behind. Students who have failed to be involved in the class for 2 weeks will receive a grade of F in the class for excessive absence.
- To succeed in this course, you must read assigned chapters in the textbook. There are also self-graded quizzes over the chapter that we will be covering this semester.
- You are expected to participate and your participation is required.
- You are expected to communicate with your instructor as part of the learning process.
- You must learn how to navigate in D2L.
- You must keep current in all assignments and knowledgeable of all announcements.
- You must use D2L for all emails so that all of your work does not get mixed with both students and instructors other emails that have nothing to do with this course.
- Your instructor may have irregular working hours like the students. Do not assume that they stay on line all the time. They have lives also and may be in lecture classes or in Switzerland or Greece.
- Assignments received late may not be accepted.
- There will be no make up Unit Test/exams if you miss the test/exam window.
- Address technical problems immediately.
- Observe course netiquette at all times.
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.
Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly, through
participation or assistance, are immediately responsible to their
instructors. Based on their professional judgment, instructors have the
authority to impose the following academic sanctions: (a) require the student to
repeat the assignment for full or partial credit; (b) assign a zero, an F, or
any other grade appropriate for the assignment or examination; (c) assign an F
for the course. In addition, disciplinary sanctions may be imposed through the
regular institutional procedures.
Any form of academic dishonesty, cheating, plagiarizing, or other academic misconduct is prohibited. “Plagiarism may result from: (1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words” (A Writer’s Reference 331). Academic dishonesty may be defined as, but is not limited to, intentionally trying to deceive by claiming credit for the work of another person, using information from a web page or source without citing the reference, fraudulently using someone else’s work on an exam, paper, or assignment, recycling your own work from another course, purchasing papers or materials from another source and presenting them as your own, attempting to obtain exams/materials/assignments in advance of the date of administration by the instructor, impersonating someone else in a testing situation, providing confidential test information to someone else, submitting the same assignment in two different classes without requesting both instructor’s permission, allowing someone else to copy or use your work, using someone else’s work to complete your own, altering documents, transcripts or grades, and forging a faculty/staff member’s signature.
In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed through regular college procedures as a result of academic dishonesty the instructor has the authority to assign an “F” or a “Zero” for the exercise, paper, or examination or to assign an “F” for the course.
If a student believes that he/she has been erroneously accused of academic dishonesty and if his/her final grade has been lowered as a result, the student may appeal the case through the appropriate college grade appeal procedures.
- Always include a subject line.
- Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emotions might be helpful in some cases.
- Use standard fonts.
- Do not send large attachments without permission.
- Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
- Respect the privacy of other class members
Web Resources:
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D2L SERVER GOING DOWN: I will reset due dates of all work, quizzes and tests assigned during extended periods of time if the Nashville State Web Sever goes down. This does not apply to the student's computer or server since the student may use anyone's computer and web access to access this course at anytime and anywhere. This includes the computers in the Nashville State Computer Labs and in the Nashville State Library.
- Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
- Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
The Tennessee Virtual Library found at http://vl.rodp.org is available to all students enrolled in courses at Nashville State and in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.
Telephone Support:
If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Computer Services Help Desk by calling
1-615-353-3678
or email them at: