Engaging undergraduates in copyright and fair use fundamentals

Undergraduate students have a limited knowledge of copyright basics. In order to fill this knowledge gap, I seek to engage undergraduates by providing them with an understanding of the ethics around copyright law, of their rights over their own contributions to their scholarly communities, of the availability of Creative Commons-licensed materials, and of how to exercise their fair use rights. Basic knowledge of these concepts is not only an integral part of understanding and engaging with information, but it also has the potential to motivate informed attitudes and behaviors around copyright. With this in mind, I designed an undergraduate class on copyright and fair use fundamentals that can be incorporated into any introductory college or university library instruction course or can be treated as a stand-alone session.