A. Opening Remarks
Technology and the Internet have drastically changed the
way our society interacts. The ability to access, store and transmit
information electronically presents us with many new and interesting legal paradigms.
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the issues related
to these emerging technologies as a way of enhancing their legal skills.
Students will be exposed to the Internet, E-mail, LEXIS®, Westlaw®,
PowerPoint®, and HTML all of which are valuable tools for today's
practitioners, irrespective of one's area of concentration. This class is
interactive by nature and hopes to draw upon the skills of both the
instructors and the students.
B. Course Design
This course exposes you to selected cyberspace issues. The
goals of this course are threefold. First, the course introduces you, by
means of cases articles, and hypotheticals, to selected legal issues
resulting from the change in technology. Second, it helps you develop and enhance
your legal skills by using the Internet as a legal resource tool. Third, it
allows you to further enrich your research, writing, and presentation skills.
Please note: this course is not designed to be a substitute
for a course in computer law, or intellectual property, or copyright, though
you will encounter some of those issues as we proceed.
In order to successfully accomplish these objectives,
students are expected to:
 Complete the reading and other assignments on time.
Attend
and participate in class.
Help
others learn.
Become
familiar with several software applications.
C. Course Acknowledgements
This is the fifth year that this course is being
taught. However, a course of this type is the product of many minds.
Although the instructors are ultimately accountable for the course and its
design, there were several others who helped to bring this course to fruition
over the years. Special thanks go to Prof. Lisle Baker, Prof.
Michael Rustad, Associate Deans Corbett and Ortwein,
and Dominick Grillo, Esq., of the Law Library Staff, and Gina
Gaffney, Judy Scalley and Jose Gonzalez
of the Computer Resource Center.
D. Overview of Class Schedule
Classes during the first six weeks of this course will be
broken down into two parts: (a) a specific legal topic surrounding cyberspace
and (b) an opportunity to experience the issue and/or various applications
first hand. During weeks seven and eight, the lectures will be structured
around creating a dot com company and addressing the various issues that on
may encounter in private practice.
During the remaining classes, you and your classmates will present
your papers and projects. Depending on time, the last class may address other
legal issues that were not previously discussed during the spring semester.
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