Course Faculty:

Sue Carter, Associate Professor, School of Journalism, Michigan State University, 305 Communication Arts and Sciences, East Lansing, Michigan, United States, 48824-1212; ph: 517-353-6430; e-mail: sucarter@msu.edu

Stephen D. McDowell, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 32306-1531, ph: 850-644-2276; e-mail: smcdowel@mailer.fsu.edu

Michel Berne, Directeur d’Etudes, Institut National des Telecommunications, Department Sciences de Gestion, 9 rue Charles Fourier, 91011 EVRY CEDEX, France, ph: 33 (1) 60 76 46 85; e-mail: Michel.Berne@int-evry.fr

For more information about the course in upcoming years, please contact Charles Steinfield, Professor, Department of Telecommunications, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-1212; e-mail:  steinfie@msu.edu

Objectives:

"Telecommunications in Europe," now in its eleventh year, provides an introduction to the main issues, institutions, and processes of change in telecommunications technology, industry, and policy in Europe. The course is designed to address questions such as the development of national communication policy strategies, contemporary issues associated with different telecommunications service sectors, the roles of international organizations dealing with communications, and the objectives and activities of the European Union agencies that address telecommunications.

Resources:

In addition to presentations by the three course faculty, the course is organized as a series of presentations by guest lecturers who work in the communications industry, by industry and policy analysts who serve in international organizations, or by academics whose special expertise lies in these areas. Contact with these speakers offers an important opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues directly with these experts.

Another unique element of this course is the visits to important industry centers (Paris, London, Bonn) and international organizations (ITU, WTO, OECD, European Commission). These visits provide a sense of the places in which industry development takes place and the institutions in which governance is organized. See the "Schedule of Classes and Speakers" for a detailed outline of the speakers, topics, and locations.

The course readings also serve as a key resource, both in providing background information to prepare for presentations ahead of time, and as research materials for use in writing final essays. See the "Reading List" for the full citations of the main readings. The background readings may serve as research resources, but are not included in your reading package.

Your colleagues in the course come from a variety of backgrounds, and this also provides a unique learning opportunity. They will also serve as discussion partners, and interaction with and presentations by other students will serve to clarify readings or presentations.

Requirements:

Course requirements include attendance in class sessions, presentations of reading summaries and discussion questions (when these are scheduled), and a final essay that addresses a topic of your choice and draws on course resources.

Given that the course sessions are mainly composed of guest lectures, attendance is essential. Your preparation for these talks should include completion of the background readings prior to the talk for which they are assigned, and a readiness to ask questions of the guests. Since your final paper will draw on the lectures, it will be useful to take careful notes during these presentations.

We plan to have some time in class sessions for students to present brief summaries and questions for discussion arising from the readings. The assignment of these presentations will be discussed during our initial class sessions.

The final essay should address a question or issue of your choice related to communications technology, industry, or policy development, with two important requirements. Firstly, it must include a comparative or international dimension. For instance, you may choose to look at a policy question in comparative perspective (i.e., local service policy in the U.K.and Germany) or as an international issue (interconnection in the European Commission or ITU). You may wish to examine industry development in different countries (cable television in France and Italy), or in the European Union region.

Secondly, the essay must also draw upon class lectures and presentations, in addition to course readings materials or other research materials you may collect. You should integrate notes from lectures as a substantial component of your paper, so that you will be reporting on ideas that are not available solely in published resources.

Papers should be 13-15 pages (double-spaced) in length (around 3,500 words).  Assignments will be evaluated based on use of course lectures and reading materials, analysis and insight, and the paper’s organization, writing style and presentation.  The paper should use a standard citation format. Papers must be typed, and are due by September 30, 2000. This should be sent to both Stephen McDowell and Sue Carter in either paper or electronic format (Word if possible).