COM 399 – COMMUNICATION LAW

CASE LAW RESEARCH REPORT ASSIGNMENTS

100 POINTS EACH – TOTAL 400 POINTS
You will write four case law reports this semester. Possible cases for your reports are
on the following page. You will be allowed the opportunity to select some of the specific
cases you will research. Reasonable accommodation for cases in your area of interest
will be made; however, no specific case may be used by more than one student through
the semester.
Your cases law reports will be due on Brightspace on the Monday of the week in which
that specific case area is discussed. (For example, if you choose a case involving
Invasion of Privacy-Appropriation, your case law report would be due Monday, February
27.)
You must also review the chapter and Power Point on your topic before attempting this
assignment, because you will need to relate your article to specific principles and case
law. You must also search for and provide me a copy of the complete case including
the final decision and any concurring or dissenting opinions. We will discuss these
terms in detail during class.
Your articles should be, at the very least, five double-spaced pages and include the
following sections:
1. Background and facts of the case
2. The final decision (and rationale for why that decision was reached) and
concurring opinions.
3. Dissenting views of the court that made the determination (if there are no
dissenting views, you can skip this section and focus more heavily on
Section 2, since there will likely be many concurring opinions.)
4. Lasting impact of the specific ruling (common law precedent, if any)
Each section of your article should be labeled with the above headers.
On the day your case law report is due, be prepared to present an overview of your
article to the entire class and answer questions about it. You will not be allowed to
present your oral report if your written report has not been uploaded to Brightspace prior
to the class period in which you are scheduled to present.