Adjunct Lecturer in Law - Personal Data in the 21st Century

USC Gould School of Law is seeking an adjunct lecturer to develop curriculum and teach an undergraduate law class, LAW 207 Personal Data in the 21st Century. The instructor will begin work during the summer to develop the course.

The instructor will then teach the course during the fall 2026 semester, from August 24 to December 4, 2026 (final exam period from Wed-Wed, Dec 9-16). The class is scheduled to be held in person, on campus on Thursdays from 5:00PM to 8:20PM.

Candidates must have a JD and strong legal professional backgrounds in the relevant subject matter, preferably with teaching experience. The course will be taught exclusively to enrolled undergraduate students.

Personal Data in the 21st Century (4 units)

This course examines the legal, social and philosophical background on how personal data is treated both in the United States and abroad. This will include discussing methods of commercial and government surveillance, and debating policy approaches to data collection. Topics in class will include conceptual foundations of privacy, privacy in the information age, consumer data, government access to personal data, and Fourth Amendment protections in the United States.

Upon completion of this course, students will

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the origins of American data privacy law and its subsequent impact and understand where and how it differs from approaches abroad.

• Demonstrate competence in understanding the basic structure of the current regulation of privacy data.

• Critically and meaningfully analyze the ethics and societal impacts of mass surveillance and commercial data collection, with a focus on how this technology should be used.

• Engage in meaningful debate with peers about the extent to which personal data is private, and what role the government should play in protecting such data.

• Students will demonstrate proficiency in structuring legal arguments and communicating them orally in discussion settings.

This class may be postponed to a later semester if there are fewer than 6 students enrolled.

Undergraduate Academic Calendar for Fall 2026 (68 instructional days)

Classes Begin: Mon, August 24

Labor Day Holiday: Mon, September 7

Fall Recess: Thu-Fri, October 8-9

Veterans Day Holiday: Wed, November 11

Thanksgiving Holiday: Wed-Sun, November 25-29

Classes End: Fri, December 4

Study Days: Sat-Tue, December 5-8

Exams: Wed-Wed, December 9-16

USC reserves the “Adjunct” appointment for faculty teaching less than full-time at USC, who are employed full-time in a primary profession or career elsewhere. Adjunct faculty typically teach only one course per year but, in exceptional cases, may teach one course per semester, if approved by the dean.

To ensure compliance with federal, state or local regulatory requirements as well as university policy and procedures, Adjunct Lecturers are required to complete specific training requirements as a condition of employment. Adjuncts Lecturers must complete mandated training by a required deadline. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination, in accordance with the Faculty Handbook. Trainings that are required for all faculty and staff include USC’s Harassment Prevention Training at the time of hire and every two years thereafter, USC’s Integrity and Accountability Code Training at the time of hire, Information Security training annually, and Workplace Violence Prevention Plan training annually. A variety of other trainings may be required based on specific job responsibilities.

https://policy.usc.edu/training-requirements-and-opportunities/

https://employees.usc.edu/learn-grow/learning-and-professional-development/required-training/

The Gould School of Law (Gould) considers candidates that demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values. Gould holds a unique position in society, and within the university, as every aspect of these principles are influenced by and can be protected through legal rules and institutions.  At Gould, we are proudly committed to maintaining a community in which each person respects the rights of others to live, work, and learn in peace and dignity, to be proud of who and what they are, and to have equal opportunity to realize their full potential as individuals and members of society.

The base salary range for this position is $2,433.66 - $12,250.00 per semester. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the number of units per course, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.