Postgraduate Course: Information: Control and Power (LAWS11180)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This module will investigate, through a range of legal disciplines and perspectives, the growing focus placed on, and value attached to, information by society and individuals; concerns as to its control and misuse; and the impact of this on individuals, business and government, particularly in the light of the opportunities and challenges of evolving and converging - technologies. The module will consider legal regimes relating to privacy, freedom of information and data protection; the extent to which present regulatory, co-regulatory and self-regulatory systems conform to expectations in respect of information privacy and access; the extent to which basic data, information and content is or should be protected by intellectual property or other information rights, particularly in the light of new means of creating, obtaining, recording, sharing and exploiting that information; human rights law and policy, with particular reference to (online) privacy, electronic surveillance, access to information and the conflict between freedom of expression and reputation and image rights; and the possible impact of different regulatory structures. A wide ranging international approach will be adopted, with contributions sought from students in respect of their own jurisdictions.
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| Course description |
1.Introduction to Information Law
2.Regulation, co-regulation and self-regulation
3.Information privacy
4.Data protection
5.Freedom of information
6. Control of online content 1: copyright enforcement, blocking and filtering
7.Control of online content 2: user generated content and social media
8. Electronic surveillance 1 - Interception and encryption
9. Electronic surveillance 2 - Communications data
10.Reputation and image rights
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
| Additional Costs | Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet.
Print consumables (paper and ink) would be recommended to provide hard copy of some on screen text and materials (e.g. articles). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
The aims of this module are to:
1. Explore the extent to which access to and use of information and data is controlled;
2. Consider the implications of this for privacy, commercial and international development, and freedom of expression;
and:
3. Assess whether academic and policy debate in this area is progressing in a sufficiently holistically manner, and whether there are opportunities for further interaction of disciplines.
By the end of this module the student should be able to:
1. Assess when rights or obligations arise under data protection and freedom of information legislation;
2. Evaluate when information should and should not be recorded, retained, re-used or shared;
3. Analyse the extent to which developments in information and privacy can impact upon individuals and business, and the appropriate balance between these interests;
4. Form a view on the roles of IP, privacy and data protection law, FOI and regulation, human rights and ethics in the field of information control, and the implications for private, public and corporate interests wherever situated;
5. Assess when, if ever, and to what extent control of information should be possible and identify situations where rights to create, share and access information may conflict with rights to privacy and personal autonomy.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Judith Rauhofer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: Judith.Rauhofer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Douglas Thompson
Tel: (0131 6)50 2022
Email: D.Thompson@ed.ac.uk |
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