Instructor: Susan Landau, Bridge Professor in Cyber Security and Policy, The Fletcher School and School of Engineering.

Two Important Announcements:

This course is offered as a Computer Science course. This means that the class schedule will follow the AS&E calendar, not the Fletcher calendar. The first day of class is Wednesday September 7. Also note that there will be classes on November 7 and 9 (but these will be most likely be via Zoom so that they can be taped).
There will be an optional class on Saturday September 10, time TBD, on how the Internet works; those who have taken or are currently taking networking courses, Cyber for Future Policymakers, or How Systems Work can comfortably skip this optional class. Those who do not know how the Internet works will find the class useful, but this extra class is not required.

Course Description:

Wiretapping, copyright, and espionage haven’t been the same since the Internet came into play—and law has been having a hard time keeping up with the changes that the new technology has wrought. This course is an introduction to the complex legal issues of cyberspace. Learn how the Digital Revolution impacts the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment law, the failure and solutions of copyright in the Digital Age, about the failures and limitations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The course will mostly focus on U.S. law and jurisprudence, but will cover issues from an international perspective. Plan to write, think, and argue!

Course Non-Description:

Or what this course isn't. This isn't a law course. It isn't a course in jurisdiction, speech, search, evidence, copyright, or response to attacks, each of which deserves a full legal course on their own, focusing on the laws of a particular nation. This is, instead, a course on how the Internet affects law and policy in a number of crucial domains (jurisdiction, speech, search, etc.), the logic and causes behind the law and policy changes, and the laws and policy that result.

Readings: There will be a number of readings, including US Supreme Court cases, various government reports, law review articles and other papers, The course reading is demanding; please plan on reading intensively and apportion time accordingly.

We also use James Grimmelmann, Internet Law: Cases and Problems, 11th edition. The Grimmelmann text is available for download only at Semaphore Press. I encourage you to read about Semaphore Press's publishing approach on its website, a small piece of which I am excerpting here:

"Each publication has a suggested price. We price full casebooks based on our belief that it is fair to ask a student pay about $1 for the reading material for each one-hour class session. Different schools use different calendars and credit hours, so we've settled on a suggested price for most of our casebooks of $30. We ask that you pay the suggested price either with a credit card (by clicking the appropriate link on our page), or by sending us a check, and then download a digital copy of the casebook. Note that if your professor has assigned, e.g., only 10 class sessions of material from a Semaphore Press book, then we suggest that you pay $10."

I strongly support support this pricing model and hope you will as well. Thank you.

Grading and Assignments:

There will be two short papers—an op-ed and a policy brief—as well as a short reflection piece. These will be due on September 27 (op-ed), October 18 (policy brief), October 30 (reflection piece). The reflection piece involves viewing a short video and writing 200-300 words on how it changed your thinking; this will be due October 30 and is in lieu of class on October 24; it will count 5% of your grade. The op-ed will count 10% of the grade, the policy brief 15%.
In addition, each of you will participate in a group project in which you prepare a group policy brief and do a group presentation in class arguing one side of an issue; there will be an opposing group arguing the other side. The group policy brief will count 15% of your grade, the group presentation and response to class questions, 15%. These presentations will be on November 16, 30, and December 5. Each presentation will take 12 minutes, and there will be an additional 20 minutes of discussion split between questions from the opposing side and questions from the audience. More information will be forthcoming. The group policy briefs will be due December 11 at 5 pm; I recommend, though, that each group complete their brief and submit within a week of presentation as your thinking will be fresher then.
There will be a final that will count 30% of the course grade.
Class participation is worth 10% of the grade. Note that the course has extensive readings that are an integral part of the course; I expect you to reflect on the readings and participate actively in class.

Course Prerequisites

There are no course prerequisites but it is recommended that students have either an understanding of computing and how the Internet works or some sophistication in policy, political science, or law.

Syllabus:

The syllabus can be found here.

Class: class will be held in person in Halligan 111B.

Office Hours: Office hours will be via Zoom Mondays 11-12 and Tuesdays 1:30-2:50. Sign up here.

University and Class Policies

Appreciating and Respecting Diverse Viewpoints

You come to this class with different backgrounds and experiences. Such different perspectives are always great to have; they will be particularly valuable in a course that looks at law undergoing dynamic change. This change is happening in large part because of technology but the changes in the law are shaped by social dynamics. Your different perspectives will provide valuable contributions, and I look forward to having your participation.

At Tufts, we treat everyone with respect and dignity, and I expect the same in this course. Please let me know if you feel that principle has been violated. Please note the Computer Science Department's statement on diversity Links to an external site., which I and the other members of the teaching staff strongly support.

Academic Honesty

Fletcher students: You should be familiar with the Fletcher Academic IntegrityLinks to an external site. policy.

AS&E students: You should be familiar with the Academic IntegrityLinks to an external site. policy for Graduate and Undergraduate Students, available on the Dean of Student Affairs website.

All students: We take academic integrity seriously. Academic dishonesty includes the following: buying papers; borrowing papers; lending papers (or parts of papers) to other students; submitting the same assignment for two different classes without the express permission of both instructors; plagiarism, defined as quoting material from other sources without using quotation marks or paraphrasing materials without proper citation; and uploading corrupted files to Canvas.

Laptops, Cell Phones, and All That

Laptops, cell phones, and all that are immensely distracting, not only to you, but to your neighbors. So no open laptops or cell phones in class. If you want to take notes, pen and paper work better (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Your brain will enjoy the break from email, Twitter, FB, Snapchat, ... , and so will your concentration. Though this paragraph is written gently, it is a command: no open electronic gadgets in the class—with the exception of those who have special dispensation from me.

Students with Disabilities

Tufts University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty; recognizing the important contribution each student makes to our unique community. Tufts is committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in their educational experience. If you believe you require accommodation, please email accessiblity@tufts.edu or, in the case of Fletcher students, staarcenter@tufts.edu or 617-627-4539 to make an appointment to determine appropriate accommodations. Please be aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making timeliness a critical aspect for their provision.

Late Papers

No late papers with three exceptions:

Bereavement (e.g., the death of a parent, a step-parent, a sibling, or another close relative);
A life-threatening illness in your immediate family; or
A serious illness or medical emergency that requires you to receive immediate medical attention.

In the case of bereavement or a family emergency, an AS&E student must ask his or her Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (“alpha dean”) in Dowling Hall to send us notification. In the case of a serious illness or medical emergency, the student is required to provide medical documentation from Health Service or other medical provider information if the student is too ill to take an in-class mid-term or in-class final examination.

Please remember that any student in such unfortunate circumstances is still responsible for obtaining documentation from your respective dean and/or Health Services in a timely fashion. A timely fashion means within a day or two, not three or four weeks.

Class in a Time of Covid

Nothing is easy. I will be teaching masked. Hanging out together, having informal discussions, spending time in my office are all much harder—or impossible. (Under current circumstances, I'm doing office hours by Zoom. I want to teach you, but there are also many lessons to learn. Most important of these is looking out for each other and kindness to one another. This is always important; these times point how much so.

Some of you will likely become ill with Covid this fall. You'll need to quarantine and you'll miss class. The most important thing to do if this happens is to take care of yourself and get medical help if needed. As for schoolwork, each of you right now should find two students with whom you'll share notes in case that happens (and don't just form clusters of groups of three, since if all three of you become ill ...). I will, of course, allow delayed assignments when if are ill.