Dealer's Choice - A Research Assignment

We can't read everything we might like to read, and your research interests might well be adjacent to the texts I've chosen for this semester. With this in mind, I'm asking each member of the class to select either a really terrific article from a recent academic journal (think 2002-05) or a really fine I.P.-focused book that is not on the syllabus. Once the selection is made, circulate either the whole article to your classmates, or a representative chapter (if you choose a book) no later than Thursday, March 24. On that day' we'll establish the schedule (April 14-May 3)for a series of in-class presentations based on the texts you've chosen.

On these days, the student who chose an article or chapter will lead the classroom discussion. This discussion should address what we might glean from the material, whether it is well argued, whether it accurately reflects current understandings of the law, and why it rose above competing articles to merit this kind of focus. Note that I do not expect the discussions to last the entire class period (but will not stifle discussion if it is rolling). I expect most discussions to last roughly 45 minutes to an hour.

To get the ball rolling, I'll list five books that would have been on the syllabus if this class were a few weeks longer:

James Boyle's Shamans, Software, and Spleens

Rosemary Coombe's The Cultural Life of Intellectual Properties

Lawrence Lessig's The Future of Ideas

Kembrew Mcleod's Owning Culture

Kembrew Mcleod's Freedom of Expression