This course provides an overview of the U.S. legal system, the press as The Fourth Estate, and The First Amendment's role in American law. The class focuses on issues, both legal and ethical, currently faced by communication professionals. Topics studied in the class include freedom of the press, the American legal system, defamation, invasion of privacy, information gathering, records and open meetings, free press and fair trial, obscenity, copyright, advertising and media regulation. The class will discuss issues affecting Seventh-day Adventists, such as intellectual property, church identity, and the church's stance on Separation of Church and State. Students present legal cases, write legal briefs, and conduct legal research, culminating in a final paper and presentation at the end of the class.