Syllabus

Mission Statement

The Stetson School of Business and Economics of Mercer University delivers 
career focused business education to develop entrepreneurial leaders and responsible global citizens.

Course Description

This course will explore the various legal, ethical and regulatory issues relating to the collection, use and retention of data.  It will examine the privacy requirements mandated for certain industries, such as health, finance and credit reporting.  It will also address topics related to the use of data in social media and targeted advertising.

Course Objectives

                Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Prerequisites

             None

Textbooks

None

Class Assignments and Evaluation

Evaluation Criteria

Exam

There will be one exam in this class. It will cover the material from the first three classes and all the readings related to those classes. The exam will contain all essay questions and will not be open book. It will be worth 30% of your grade. The exam will be on January 16.

Essays

There will be four essay assignments in this course. You need to do at least three of them. Each of them will be worth 15% of your grade. If you do all four of them, I will automatically drop the essay with the lowest grade (or replace half of your exam score) for purposes of grading. Each of the essays will be due before we begin discussions about that topic in class (see schedule below and in Canvas). The essay must be submitted in Canvas by 10:00 pm on the night due in Word format (either .doc or .docx). Late essays will not be accepted. You may submit essays as early as you want to. They are all available now on the Assignments Page in Canvas. Each essay must be at least 1000 words. (You will lose points for essays that are not at least 1000 words.) (Essay due dates are January 19, January 19, January 22, and January 29.)

PowerPoint Project

There will be one PowerPoint Project on Privacy Policies. Each of you will be randomly assigned to discuss the privacy policy of either Apple, Facebook, or Google. The PowerPoint will be due on Sunday, January 26 at 10:00 pm. They will be presented and discussed in class on January 28 (and possibly also on January 30). Your PowerPoint and presentation will be worth 25% of your grade. A further discussion of this project can be found in Canvas.

Grading Structure

Note from the Professor

The exam will cover the assigned readings, as well as any additional material covered in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed.  No make-up examinations will be given. If you cannot be present for the exam (for a legitimate reason), let me know beforehand - call me at my office and tell me, or leave a message on my answering machine. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero on the exam. All of the material that you hand in for grading must be your own. I am not a fan of "cutting and pasting." I want to see your words in the essays and in your analysis of the privacy policies. Any work that is not your own will receive a grade of zero. Any assignment submitted after the due date will receive a grade of zero.

Mercer University Honor Code and Council

See Mercer catalog for detailed description.

Honor Code

Mercer University Atlanta expects each and every student to maintain the highest principles of academic honesty and integrity.  Violations of academic honesty represent a breach of the University's expectations and will be regarded as a serious matter.  Violations include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, lying, and stealing.

All work on tests must be your own. Any inappropriate copying or collaboration on any test will result in a grade of 'F' for the course.

Course Evaluations

Course evaluations will be conducted via the online, university approved system during week seven of this course.  All students are encouraged to participate when they receive the email notification.

Disability Statement

Students in need of accommodation due to a disability should contact the Access and Accommodation Office to complete the verification process to become approved for services. In order to receive accommodations, each term, students will request accommodation and faculty notification forms through the Access Office online system Accommodate. Students are strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting with each professor in a timely manner to discuss arrangements. Accommodations are not retroactive in nature. Note - Disability accommodations or status are not reflected on academic transcripts. Students with a history of a disability, perceived as having a disability or with a current disability who do not wish to use academic accommodations are also strongly encouraged to complete the verification process with the Access Office.

Students must request accommodations in a timely manner to receive accommodations in a timely manner.

For additional information please contact Richard Stilley (stilley_r@mercer.edu), at (678) 547-6823 or visit the Access and Accommodation Office website at http://atlstuaffairs.mercer.edu/disability-services.cfm.

Inclement Weather

If severe weather occurs, classes will be canceled in accordance with the Associate Provost’s decision of Mercer-Atlanta.  Call the Mercer weather phone for information about class cancellations (678)547-6111 (Atlanta) or listen to WSB 750 AM.

Course Reading and Learning Schedule:

(Syllabus subject to change at the discretion of the Professor)

PowerPoints

Introduction to Privacy - Part 1 (full)
Introduction to Privacy - Part 2
Google Toolbar (2000)
Smart Regions Workshop
Top Ten Reasons

Additional Reading Assignments

These are not part of the material you are responsible for this course, but they may be of some interest to you:
Exploring Constitutional Law - an interesting site that presents some basic information about the U.S. Constitution (for those of you who would like some more information about the U.S. Constitution)
Constitutional History - the PowerPoint we looked at in class