COM 246 - Copyright & Culture

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirement SL and W.
Copyright was envisioned in the United States as a motivating force for creativity in “science and useful arts.” Yet the scope and duration of copyright have expanded dramatically in recent decades. How does this expansion affect both the user and producer of creative works? Has copyright achieved its creative ends, or outgrown its usefulness to become a hindrance to creativity? Students in all disciplines will benefit from learning in this course the fundamentals of copyright law that pervade our everyday lives, affecting our use and authoring of creative works. The course will cover among other key elements the history of copyright, the process of acquiring copyright, the scope and duration of copyright, the public domain, fair use, acquiring permission, and the Creative Commons.