Law class updates syllabus

WU’s New WU’s New Media Media Law Class Law Class

by Savannah Workman

Intersectionality is defined as the connected groups of social categorizations such as gender, race, caste, sexuality, religion, disability, physical appearance, even height.

As the world continues to change and mass media continues to be a powerful force in society, the faculty decided a new approach to law and theory was necessary.

Assistant Professor Kristen Grimmer redesigned the mass media law class to increase the scope of the course because it will now take the place of MM300 and MM400.

“We wanted to include this section on diverse audiences, giving students the ability to interact with not only the changing landscape that we are in right now as a society, but also to understand how the media plays its role.”

Students will spend a third of the semester covering laws and rights regarding freedoms of speech. The murky law of the First Amendment enables a democratic and truth-seeking exploration into the intrinsically diverse society that increasingly uses many different platforms of communication.

Not only does Grimmer teach Supreme Court case studies in this new law class, but also the interconnectedness of ethics and race to point out government failings and social problems.

“When we talk about diversity, we start talking about a long history of racism in the country,” said Grimmer. “How can this be changed? In the last 10 years, people have come to the forefront in the media and are showcasing that this is a problem.”

Breckyn Rowley, senior mass media major with public relations concentration, took Grimmer’s special topic media law class during the spring semester. But, she also took Maxwell Kautsch’s law class in a previous semester.

“We need to know what exactly we can and can’t do in terms of the law,” said Rowley, who explained that Grimmer’s class also included weekly themes, such as religion.

“In the current social climate, it is important to pay attention and have knowledge of diversity and inclusion, and what that means in a court of law,” said Rowley.

Grimmer believes talking about these current events will give students the tools they need to navigate a changing landscape.

“The only way you are going to change things is if you do talk about new ideas,” said Grimmer. “People are allowed to put out new ideas and the government does not censor them.”

Kautsch, former adjunct professor of mass media law, accepted a new job at the University of Kansas, and he realized his schedule would not allow him to continue teaching at Washburn, too.

Professor and Chair Maria Stover says the edition of ethics

and race into the new course helps close a gap in the curriculum.

“The widespread issues of fake news and distrust in media bring the importance of the study of media ethics to the forefront,” said Stover. “This class has wide applicability because it aims to prepare our students not only as competent media professionals, but it also give them the knowledge and tools to act as informed media consumers.”

Designing a curriculum in a set number of credit hours in an increasingly complicated world creates challenges that simply updating one course cannot fix. The combining of MM300 and MM400 and the additional topics of coverage were part of the department’s mission to overhaul its existing curriculum.

Exploring mass media law as a media practitioner can lead to empowering and rewarding career opportunities. Adding diversity and ethics to the law course allows students to challenge the status quo and sparks deeper conversations, which can lead to positive changes in society.

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