Government Information Law and Policy (LAW-700-002)
Metcalfe
Meets: 01:30 PM - 02:50 PM (TTH) - Room 103
Enrolled: 16 / Limit: 20
Notices
From time to time during the semester, this course will include the presentation of real-world FOIA problems for solution during class. The first such presenter will be Project on Government Oversight (POGO) General Counsel Scott Amey on Thursday September 17. The second will be National Security Archive General Counsel Meredith Fuchs on Tuesday October 20. And the third will be Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press FOI Director Corinna Zarek on Tuesday November 10.
Description
LAW-700-002 Government Information Law and Policy (3 hrs.) An examination of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, and related laws and policies throughout the federal government -- including matters of national security, personal privacy, and law enforcement sensitivity. The class will also explore the intractable problem area of “pseudosecrecy,” in which federal agencies have since 9/11 increasingly used document safeguarding labels such as “For Official Use Only (FOUO),” “Sensitive But Unclassified Information (SBU),” and “Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)” to guard against information disclosure. There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam, with the final grade split 35%/55% between them, plus 10% for class participation.
Textbooks and Other Materials
The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.
First Class Readings
For the first class, students should read the "Introduction" section of the most recent edition of the Department of Justice's "Freedom of Information Act Guide," which is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/foia_guide07/introduction.pdf. Additional readings will consist largely of Supreme Court decisions that are readily available on the Web site of WCL's Collaboration on Government Secrecy (http://www.wcl.american.edu/lawandgov/cgs/).