Schedule of Events (the class I'm teaching later)
Schedule:
Topic Introduction:
Freedom of Information Act: Do we really need to know all this?
- Handouts: Schedule, Info.
- Connections with Human Rights Act
Class Discussion 01:
Perceptions surrounding Freedom of Information, Is it required? Could it be dangerous? Would the U.K. or ANY Gov’t ever really release self-incriminating evidence? …etc?
Presentation 01; History:
- Preeceding Acts
- Compliance with E.U.
- ‚New Labor’ Campaign
- Steps towards passage, subsiquent legislation.
Presentation 02; Implementation:
- Freedom of Information Act (UK)
- Who is affected?
- Citizen’s Rights (Request Procedure)
- Gov’t Organizations (Standardized/required responces)
- Who is Exempt?
- Parliamentary Exemption.
- ‚National Interest’
- Freedom of Information Act (Scotland)
- How is this different? What does it cover?
- What sort of Accountability exists?
- Gov’t Accountability Office
- Examples of Non-Compliance
Class Discussion 02
Is there really such a thing as ‚Freedom of Information’ in the UK? Between Exemptions, stalling, S.O.P. and so forth, is the information that comes through going to change anything?
Non-Sequitur:
Why I Hate Typing in English on a German Computer.
Presentation 03
- Comparison with United States Freedom of Information Act
- Judicial Review
- ‚State Secrets’
- ‚Executive Privelage’ (Does it exist? Ex: Watergate, Current U.S. Presidency)
- ‚Disinformation’? (Comments on Fahrenheit 9/11 and 2004 Presidential Election; and an article from The Onion)
Presentation 04:
Professional / Authoritative Opinion on the Subject
Class Discussion 03: (class lead discussion)
How are things different in Germany? Who has the best/worst system? How or Why is this relevant?