7947. Right to Privacy

Examines the various legal and philosophical interests that have been characterized as privacy rights by courts and legislators. The course examines the right of privacy in three contexts: constitutionally protected rights of privacy, including the right to be free from government intrusion, the right to personal autonomy in certain intimate decisions and conduct, and the right to control the acquisition and dissemination of personal information about oneself; common law privacy, including the various forms of torts characterized as the right of privacy; and statutory rights to privacy, with a focus on such laws as the Privacy Act of 1974, the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1974, the Freedom of Information Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. Student grades will be based upon final examination and class participation.