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February 07, 2006
Why You Should Teach Information Privacy Law
Since now is the time that many new law professors are being hired, I thought I'd re-post an earlier post about teaching information privacy law. When new law professors are hired, there is often a lot of flexibility in what courses they can teach. While the law school will typically want a newly-hired professor to teach one or two "core" courses (first year courses or required courses), other courses are often highly negotiable. So if you want to teach a particular course, sometimes all you have to do is ask for it.
My goal is to get more new professors to think about teaching information privacy law. (I have a casebook in the field, so this is really a thinly-disguised self-plug.)
Information privacy law remains a fairly young field, and it has yet to take hold as a course taught consistently in most law schools. I’m hoping to change all that. So if you're interested in exploring issues involving information technology, criminal procedure, or free speech, here are a few reasons why you should consider adding information privacy law to your course mix:
1. It’s new and fresh. Lots of media attention on privacy law issues these days. Students are very interested in the topic.
2. Lively cases and fascinating issues abound. There’s barely a dull moment in the course. Every topic is interesting; there is no rule against perpetuities to cover!
3. It’s a way to teach fascinating First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and other constitutional law issues. Often, those wanting to teach in these areas have to wait in line until the course is “released” by professors who already teach it. Getting the First Amendment course, for example, is about as easy as unseating an incumbent in Congress. Information privacy law lets you teach really interesting First Amendment issues and there’s usually not a long succession line to teaching an information privacy law course. Moreover, many law schools already have somebody teaching cyberlaw, and information privacy law covers some incredibly interesting law and information technology issues.
4. The field is growing . . . big time. There are many new jobs in privacy law – jobs at privacy advocacy organizations, most major companies, financial institutions (must have a privacy officer per Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act), health institutions (must have a privacy officer per HIPAA regulations), and the government (DHS privacy office, etc.). Many new laws are being passed regarding privacy, and cases involving these issues are multiplying.
5. The field has some staying power. As long as computers and information remain in fashion, privacy will remain a big issue. It’s not going away . . . the field, that is. Privacy . . . well, that’s a different story.
6. Plenty of material for a three-unit course. You can teach the course with a focus on law enforcement and security issues, or on cyberspace and computer issues, or on media and entertainment issues, or on regulatory issues about healthcare and financial data. Because there is so much material to work with, you can teach the course in many different ways.
7. Great synergies between teaching and scholarship. There’s a lot left to write about in the field, and teaching the course helps tremendously in developing good ideas for scholarship. The community of folks who write in privacy law is wonderful – a really neat group of professors. We love to welcome new folks into this great club.
8. The course is very intellectually rich. There are lots of interesting theoretical issues to ponder. And the theory doesn’t turn off students -- they really dig it. Really!
9. It’s easy to teach. The field is very accessible. Currently, there are many great books, articles, websites, and other resources in the field.
10. I don't have a tenth reason, but I thought that I'd do something to round this list out to ten.
So think about adding information privacy law to your course package. It’s a rewarding and fascinating course. Many law schools still don’t have a course in the field, and it is my hope that someday it will be offered everywhere.
Posted by Daniel J. Solove at February 7, 2006 12:17 AM
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