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RTV5702/COM4930 Schedule of Topics and Readings
Communication Technology and Public Policy: Course Outline
RTV5702/COM4930
Department of Communication
Florida State University, Fall 1997
Classes: Tuesday 7:00 pm - 9:45 pm
Location: Room 107, Turnbull Conference Center
Instructor: Stephen D. McDowell
Office: Room 356D Diffenbaugh Building
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00 - 4:00 pm; Wednesday 2:00 - 5:00
pm
Ph: 850-644-2276
Facs: 850-644-8642
E-mail: smcdowel@mailer.fsu.edu
Course WWW site: http://mailer.fsu.edu/~smcdowel
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This policy seminar will examine issues, actors, policy
processes, institutions, and the social and economic context of
telecommunication policy in the United States. The focus will be
on the federal government during the period from the 1930s
through to the 1990s, with consideration of the historical
development of federal institutions and policies. We will also
consider state and local issues emerging in the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.
The readings will acquaint the student with
descriptive and historical material regarding telecommunications
policy and regulation. As well, they include competing
explanations and interpretations of regulation and of various
attempts to formulate and implement U.S. federal
telecommunications policies and
legislation.
REQUIREMENTS:
Course requirements are participation in class discussions,
presentations on readings, a take home tests, two "issues and
concepts" papers, and a policy research paper.
Students are expected to attend and participate in seminar
discussions in an active and informed fashion. Readings should
be completed before each class session for which they are
assigned.
Participants will each be assigned readings as the basis for
class presentations. These oral presentations should be 10-12
minutes in length, and should take the form of an analytic
introduction of the reading. Presentations should provide your
own assessment of the reading and raise questions for discussion,
rather than a descriptive summary. The presentation should lead
into questions for discussion, and provide your own perspective
and analysis on those questions.
The take home test will include short answer and essay style
questions. It is due on September 23.
The "issues and concepts" or discussion papers deal with the
literature from one week of the schedule of topics prior to October 14
(due October 14) or November 11 (due on November 14). As well as defining
clearly the
question that you
will discuss, the papers should compare and contrast perspectives
from that week's assigned readings, and provide your own argument
and analysis. Papers should use a consistent citation format,
and should not exceed 7-8 pages in length (double-spaced). They
will be marked based on writing style and clarity, organization,
command and application of course material, and analysis and
insight of the argument.
The policy research paper should undertake descriptive,
historical or empirical research in the analysis of a particular
policy process or issue. In combining your own research with the
use of course materials, the policy paper should address
practical and theoretical issues of policy analysis and policy
formulation. It may either analyze policy processes or issues,
evaluate particular policies, or make recommendations regarding a
telecommunications policy. The paper's findings and argument
should also be presented as a three page executive summary.
In addition to the criteria of evaluation outlined above for the
discussion papers, the policy research paper will also be
evaluated based on research and creativity. This paper should
not exceed 20 (double spaced) pages in length, in addition to a
three page summary (single spaced). Please arrange to meet with
the instructor during the first two months of the term to discuss
the topic and methods of your policy research paper. The draft of the
paper is due on November 25, and the final paper is due on Friday,
December 5.
Please keep your own paper copies or electronic copies of any
work submitted. Be careful to cite fully any ideas or direct
quotations drawn from others' work in your assignments.
Plagiarism is an academic offense which may result in a failing
grade being assigned for the course.
____________________________________________
NOTE: It is our desire that all our students fully participate in
the curriculum of our department but we need your assistance. If
you have a disability or condition that compromises your ability
to complete the requirements of this course, you must notify the
instructor immediately. All reasonable efforts will be made to
accommodate your needs. Further, if you do not understand or
accept the contents or the terms of this syllabus, you must
notify the instructor in writing within one week of receiving
this syllabus.
_____________________________________________
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RTV5702/COM4930 Schedule of Topics and Readings
EVALUATION:
Requirement
Weighting
Class participation/presentations
15%
Take home test (September 23,
15%
Discussion Papers (due on or prior to October 14, November 14) (2 @ 15%)
30%
Policy Research Paper (draft November 25; final paper Dec. 5)
40%
TEXTS AND READINGS:
In addition to electronic resources and a course pack, we will be
using much of two texts:
Horwitz, Robert Britt, The Irony of Regulatory Reform: The
Deregulation of American Telecommunications (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1989).
Drake, William J. (ed.), The New Information Infrastructure:
Strategies for U.S. Policy (New York: Twentieth Century Fund,
1995).
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RTV5702/COM4930 Schedule of Topics and Readings
ELECTRONIC RESEARCH RESOURCES:
Below is a list of servers and mail addresses which will be
useful for your policy research papers. It was posted to the
telecomreg listserver by Mick Souder, Page Keeper,
http://www.mtn.org/mco, masouder@mtn.org.
****Information Services and their Uniform Resource Locators****
ACTV21 Columbus, Ohio
http://www.thesphere.com/ACTV/
Alliance for Competitive Communications
http://bell.com
American Communication Association WWW
http://www.uark.edu/depts/comminfo/www/telecomm.html
Cable Labs
http://www.cablelabs.com/NR/telco_page.html
Center For Democracy and Technology (World Wide Web Site)
http://www.cdt.org/
Center For Democracy and Technology (File Transfer Site)
ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/
The Communications Policy Project
http://www.cdinet.com/Benton/
Computer Professionals for Social Respondsibility (CPSR)
http://www.cpsr.org/home
CPSR's Detailed Analysis of Telecommunication Regulations'
Proposed Impact on the Internet
http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/nii/cyber-rights/telecom.html
The Digital Information Infrastructure Guide
http://farnsworth.mit.edu/diig/index.html
The Electronic Activist
http://www.berkshire.net/~ifas/activist
Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org
Electronic Privacy Information Center
http://www.epic.org
The Insight Research Corpoartion
http://www.wiltel.com/Insight/insight.html
Minnesota Government Information Access Council (GIAC)
http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/admin/ipo/giac/index.html
Morino Institute
http://www.morino.org
National Association of Telecommunications Officers and
Administrators http://www.natoa.org/
Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) Links from the
World Wide Web Consortium
http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/PICS/
Progress and Freedom Foundation: "Cyberspace and the American
Dream" http://www.pff.org/pff/i-cad.html
TIES Acceptable Use Policy Links
http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/accept
Voter Telecomm Watch
gopher://gopher.panix.com:70/11/vtw/
**U.S Government**
Federal Communications Commission
http://www.fcc.gov/
National Telecommunication and Information Administration
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/
The Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996
http://rs9.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/5?c104:./temp/~c104s5pz::
Final version.
Electronic Privacy Information Center text of the Communication
Decency Act
http://www.epic.org/free_speech/censorship/cda.txt
****Electronic Mail Lists****
CABLEREG-L@NETCOM.COM CPSR@CPSR.ORG
Electronic Frontier Foundation Mailing Lists (listserv@eff.org)
GOVACCESS@well.com IIAIPO@HIS.COM
MCOWORK@MTN.ORG MN-
III@VM1.SPCS.UMN.EDU
MN-POLITICS@MR.NET
NII_AGENDA@WORLD.STD.COM
NIIREGIONAL-L@COYOTE.RAIN.ORG PUB-INFRA@EFF.ORG
ROUNDTABLE@CNI.ORG TELECOM@EECS.NWU.EDU
TELECOM-POST@CPSR.ORG
TELECOMREG@RELAY.DOIT.WISC.EDU
TPR-NE@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS:
There are also a number of journals and periodicals that are
especially useful for research in telecommunications:
Telecommunications Policy
Telematics and Informatics
Media, Culture and Society
Telephony
Cable and Broadcasting
Intermedia
Journal of Communication
European Journal of Communication
Canadian Journal of Communication
Journal of International Communication
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Journal of Media Economics
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RTV5702/COM4930 Schedule of Topics and Readings