COM 441 Communication Policy & Planning School of Communications University of Hawaii at Manoa Spring 2002
Instructor: Majid Tehranian, majid@hawaii.edu
Teaching Assistant: Maureen MacLeod, mmacleod@cba.hawaii.edu Class meeting: M 3-5:30 pm; BusAd D103 Listserv (required): ace-l@hawaii.edu Course Description Communication policy problems and methods of analysis are examined under five thematic headings (presented below) to addresses three fundamental policy questions: What are the current conditions in the global communication policy formation process? What are the current normative perspectives on communication policy? What can be done to bridge the normative gap between what is and what ought to be in communication policy at global, regional, national, and local levels? 1. ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT POLICY United Nations Development Program. Human Development Report 1999. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. 0-19-521562-1 2. COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY Majid Tehranian, Technologies of Power: Information Machines and Democratic Prospects. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1990. ISBN: 0-89391-634-X (PB) 3. COMMUNICATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICY Dan Schiller, Digital Capitalism: Networking the Global Market System. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-262-69233-3 (pb) 4. COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY Manuel Castells. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vols. 2. Malden, MA: Blackwells Publishers, 2000, Volume II. ISBN: 1-55786-617-1, 1-55786-874-3, 1-55786-872-7. 5. COMMUNICATION AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY Majid Tehranian, Global Communication and World Politics: Domination Development and Discourse. Boulder, CO: Rienners Publishers, 1999.
Grading Criteria Grades will be based on four assessments (15% each for a total of 60%), one case study (30%), and cumulative class participation (10%). Oral and written presentations will be evaluated on the basis of their originality (20%), cogency (20%), organization (20%), style (20%), and scholarship (20%). Case study: In consultation with the instructors, each student is required to undertake a major case study (approximately 10 pages in length) on a communication policy problem at global, regional, national, or local level. With instructor permission, case studies may be done collaboratively, particularly if they are comparative. The case is due May 5, 2002. Numeric course grades will correspond to letter grades in the following manner: 90-100, A; 80-89, B; 70-79, C; 60-69, D; and below 60, F. Attendance is required. For each unexcused absence or missed weekly assignment, one point will be deducted from a course total of 100 points. A course grade of Incomplete will be awarded in very limited circumstances. Students who demonstrate that a hardship exists preventing timely completion of final coursework may receive a course grade of Incomplete if the request is made to the instructor, in writing, prior to April 15th.
Global Classroom Given the global communication emphasis of this course, we hope to create a global classroom by employing, as much as possible, the resources of the Internet. If you haven't already, please obtain an Internet account from UH Computer Center. As soon as you have your own email account, sign up for membership in the world's most exclusive electronic club, the Academy for Global Communication and Education (ACE), by sending the following message: To: listproc@hawaii.edu Message Text: SUBSCRIBE ACE-L <First and LastNames> Example: SUBSCRIBE ACE-L John Doe Note: The message should be sent without an electronic signature (should you have one). Also, if you use an HTML e-mail package (ie. Microsoft Outlook) the message sent to listproc should be formatted as Plain Text rather than HTML (under Format, select Plain Text). Membership to the listserv will enable you to communicate with your instructors, fellow students, and some former students around the world. Internet is a great research tool and medium of communication with people near or far. Happy surfing! COURSE SCHEDULE Week One: Orientation and introduction January 14: A discussion of the study of communication theory and communication policy from a macro perspective as well as class introductory comments and housekeeping. Following this class ALL students must subscribe to the class listserv, ace-l@hawaii.edu. Important information about this course will be communicated to students via the listserv. Once you are a confirmed member of ace-l, please send an introductory
message to the list. Include your name, your academic program/major, your
country of origin and a brief comment about two communication policy issues
you find interesting. This e-mail must be sent by January 21. Week Two: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 21: No class Weeks Three through Five: The role of communication in human and political development policy January 28: Information and communications technology are combining with globalization to create the network age, giving rise to global networks of technological innovation. When these networks reach critical mass of members and interactions, they can become an important force in shaping the path and spread of technology. (From Human Development Report, 1999) Read: Human Development Report, 1999 February 4: Technologies in general and information technologies in particular are neither good nor evil - nor neutral! Technologies are powerful tools inextricably tied to the structure of power and domination in society. Their impact on society is mediated through social structures and social relations. (From Technologies of Power: Information Machines and Democratic Prospects) Read: Chapters 1 through 4 in Technologies of Power: Information Machines and Democratic Prospects February 11: Read: Chapters 5 through 9 in Technologies of
Power: Information Machines and Democratic Prospects Week Six: Presidents' Day February 18: No class Week Seven: Review the role of communication in human and political development policy February 23: Review Test #1: Students will be asked to provide
responses to four short answer questions based on material discussed in
class and contained in the January 28th, February 4th and 11th required
readings. Weeks Eight through Ten: Communication and economic development policy March 4: Cyberspace not only exemplifies but spearheads the greater political economy of which it has become such a critical part. The networks that comprise cyberspace were originally created at the behest of government agencies, military contractors, and allied educational institutions. However, over the past generation or so, a growing number of these networks began to serve primarily corporate users. The Internet has begun a political-economic transition toward digital capitalism. (From Digital Capitalism: Networking the Global Market System) Read: Introduction, chapters one and two in Digital Capitalism: Networking the Global Market System. March 11: Read: Chapters three and four along with the Conclusion of Digital Capitalism: Networking the Global Market System. March 18: Review Test #2: Students will be asked to provide responses
to four short answer questions based on material discussed in class and
contained in the required readings for March 4th and 11th. Week Eleven: Spring Break March 25 29: No Class Week Twelve to Fourteen: Communication and Cultural Development Policy April 1: Castells creates a new and challenging analysis of informational society and the global forces, which are reshaping states, ethnicity, ideology, and gender around the world. This book presents a powerful theory of the new world disorder, and of what others have viewed as an indescribable postmodern landscape. It is a broad, in-depth, and original view of the changes we are all experiencing. (From a review of The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vol. 2) Read: Introduction and chapters 1 through 3 in The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vol. 2. April 8: Read: chapters 4 through 6 and conclusion in The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vol. 2. April 15: Review Test #3: Students will be asked to provide responses
to four short answer questions based on material discussed in class and
contained in the required readings for April 1st and 8th. Weeks Fifteen through Seventeen: Communication and international development policy April 22: ...the post globalization era can enhance humankind's diverse cultures and develop common ground for global human rights and responsibilities. To achieve these goals, rules of civility in dialogue, tolerance in practice, and protection of vulnerable communities must be observed and specific mechanism must be created and put in place now. (From Global Communication and World Politics: Domination Development and Discourse) Read: Introduction and chapters one through four in Global Communication and World Politics: Domination Development and Discourse. April 29: Read: Introduction and chapters five through eight in Global Communication and World Politics: Domination Development and Discourse. May 5: Review Test #4: Students will be asked to provide responses to four short answer questions based on material discussed in class and contained in the required readings for April 22nd and 29th. Case Study: The written case study is due May 5th. REFERENCES Guides to Writing Strunk and White, Elements of Style. William Zinsser, On Writing Well. New York: Harper Resources, 1999. Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996 McGuire, Mary et al. The Internet Handbook for Writers, Researchers, and Journalists. New York: The Gulford Press, 1997. Scholarly Journals Journal of International Communication; InterMedia; Telecommunications Policy; Journal of Communication; Media Asia; Third World Quarterly; Alternatives; Media Development; Third Channel; Asian Journal of Communication; European Journal of Communication; Culture, Media and Society; Communication Theory; Broadcasting and Electronic Media, The Information Society; Journal of Communication Inquiry; Prometheus, etc. Radio and TV National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" as well as the Lehrer Report are recommended. Monitoring of foreign broadcasting, e. g. BBC World Service, Voice of America, CNN International, and CNN World Report Surveys, Yearbooks, Encyclopedias, UN Commission Reports, and Bibliographies Anon. " A Survey of Technology and Entertainment," The Economist, November 21, 1998 Anon., "A Survey of the Internet," The Economist, July 1, 1995. Anon., "Survey of Telecommunications," The Economist, September 30, 1995 Center for the Study of Communication and Culture. Communication Research Trends. A quarterly devoted to literature reviews of communication and cultural issues. Commission On Global Governance, Our Global Neighborhood. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Statistical Yearbook International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Missing Link: The Report of the Independent Commission for Worldwide Telecommunications Development. Geneva: International Telecommunication Union, 1985. INTELSAT. Bridging the Gap III: A Guide to Telecommunications and Development. Washington, DC: INTELSAT, 1987. International Foundation for Development Alternatives. IFDA Dossier, bimonthly, includes news and views on alternative development strategies and projects. The International Encyclopedia of Communications. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990 Kumar, Keval J. "Annotated Bibliography on Communication Development," Media Development, 1985. Lent, John. "Media in the Developing World: An Annotated Bibliography," Media Information Australia, No. 23, February 1982. Pacific Telecommunications Council. PTC Conference Proceedings, annual since 1979. UNESCO Communication Policy Series: Nigeria, Kenya, Colombia, Ireland, Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Yugoslavia, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, Zaire, Peru, Costa Rica. UNESCO Communication and Society Series: India, Venezuela, Czechoslovakia, Iran, Austria, Egypt, Communication Indicators, and Latin America. UNESCO Reports and Papers on Mass Communication. UNESCO Communication Order Series. UNESCO, Statistical Yearbook. UNESCO, List of Documents and Publications in the Field of Mass Communication. Paris: UNESCO, annual since 1974. UNESCO, World Communications Report, 1990. UNESCO, Many Voices, One World. Paris: UNESCO, 1980 UNESCO. A Documentary History of a New World Information and Communication Order Seen as an Evolving and Continuous Process, 1975-1986. Paris: UNESCO, Communication and Society Series, #19, UNDP, Human Development Report, annual since 1990. World Bank. World Development Report, annual. Useful Websites http://www.usc.edu/dept/annenberg http://www.toda.org http://www.nytimes.com http://interactive.wsj.com http://yahoo.com http://altavista.digital.com http://www.excite.com http://www.economist.com http://www.medihistory.com http://www.cnn.com http://www.census.gov http://www.whitehous.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html http://www.ameritech.com/news/contributions/education/schoolhouse/library_social_sci.html www.cs.cmu.edu/books.html www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett/ www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby//strunk/ www.thesaauru.com www.internetuniv.com www.finweb.com www.ucr.edu/h_gig/hourslinks/html www.cais.com/makulow/vlj.html www.pitt.edu/~ian/index/html www.abacon.com/sociology/soclinks/indx.html www.voxpop.org/jefferson/ UN, ITU, UNESCO, WIPO, INTELSAT, ASEAN, NAFTA, APEC, INMARSAT | ||