October 27, 2005
COMS 644 Change in Sked
COMS 644 – Proposed Change in Schedule
Week 10: November 8
THE GRAHAM SPRY MEMORIAL LECTURE 2005
MARC RABOY
Full Professor and Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications in the Department of Art
History and Communication Studies at McGill University.
MAKING MEDIA: CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR COMMUNICATION IN THE PUBLIC GOOD
5 pm [reception follows]
Université de Montréal
Room M-415, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry
2900 boul. Édouard-Montpetit
(Metro Université de Montréal)
November 15 – CLASS CANCELLED while Leslie is in Tunisia at WSIS and NGO Forum…
Paper outline can be emailed to me by November 21 (Monday at noon) and appointments made for the following week to talk to me about your paper; Tuesday, November 22 from 3-6; and Wednesday November 23 from 4-6; also November 29 and November 30th
November 22 - World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) AND ICT4D
November 29 –Alternatives
Week of December 5th - an evening of informal presentations of student papers
Papers can be emailed to me BY December 20th.
Posted by shade at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)
September 27, 2005
Canadian ICT Policy Map
CRACIN Canadian ICT Policy Map
The manner in which changing political landscapes come to frame subsequent policy discussions and initiatives is a matter of particular interest to policy researchers. This document constitutes a "policy map" summary of activities relating to telecommunications and broadcasting in Canada, network access, e-commerce, e-learning and various other informatics initiatives leading up to and through the development of what is now known as the internet. Included with each policy section is a bibliography of key documents and academic writing on the area. This document is written for use with the accompanying timeline "grid" that compares various policy activities from 1987 to the present.
The overview is broken into six primary sections:
* I. Key government initiatives and activities
* II. Government discourse and framing of policy problems
* III. Infrastructure and governance: CA*net / CANARIE Inc.
* IV. CRTC, telecommunications and convergence policy
* V. Private Sector / Industry activities
* VI. Non-Governmental and Public Interest action
Posted by shade at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2005
Communication Policy and the Public Interest
Readings
William H. Dutton. (1999). Regulating Access: Broadening the Policy Debate, pp. 285-308 in Society on the Line: Information Politics in the Digital Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Patricia Aufderheide. (December 2002). Competition and commons: the public interest in and after the AOL-Time Warner merger. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 46: 515-531.
Nicholas Garnham. (1999). Amartya Sen's 'Capabilities' Approach to the Evaluation of Welfare: Its Applications to Communications, pp. 113-135 in Communication, Citizenship, and Social Policy: Rethinking the Limits of the Welfare State, ed. Andrew Calabrese and Jean-Claude Burgelman.
Other Books, Articles
Bettig, Ronald. V. and J. L. Hall. (2003). Big Media, Big Money: Cultural Texts and Political Economics. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littefield.
Bogart, Leo. (2000). Commercial culture: the media system and the public interest. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Crouteau, D. and Hoynes, W. (2001). The business of media: corporate media and the public interest. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Peter Day. The Networked Community: Policies for a Participative Information Society. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Brighton, 2001.
Analysis of a variety of community technology projects in Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden) and the U.K. (community telecottages and electronic village halls) through a comparative critical evaluation of community ICT initiatives and a critical analysis of information society policies. Day builds upon community informatics theory to develop an alternative, inclusive, and participatory approach to community ICT practice. He also develops criteria for a democratic design framework (democratic community, democratic politics, democratic work, securing democratic sustainability, perpetuating participatory democracy in the local technological order.
Dervin, Brenda. and P. Shields. (June 1999). Adding the missing user to policy discourse: Understanding US user telephone privacy concerns. Telecommunications Policy v23 i5: 403(3).
Johnson, Nicholas. (June 1968). The Media Barons and the Public Interest: An FCC Commissioners Warning. The Atlantic Monthly. http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/media/johnsonf.htm
Krasnow, E. G.; Goodman, J. N. (May 1998). The "public interest" standard: the search for the holy grail. Federal Communications Law Journal 50(3): 605-635.
McChesney, Robert. (1999). The Internet and U.S. Communication Policy-making in Historical and Critical Perspective. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 1(4). http://jcmc.huji.ac.il/vol1/issue4/vol1no4.html
Melody, William. F. (May 1996). Toward a framework for designing information society policies. Telecommunications Policy v20 n4 p243(17).
Mosco, Vincent. (1996). The Political Economy of Communications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Napoli, P. (2001). Foundations of Communications Policy: Principles and Process in the Regulation of Electronic Media. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Napoli, P. (2001) The federal communications commission and the communication policymaking process: theoretical perspectives and recommendations for future research. Gudykunst, W. B., ed. Communication Yearbook 25. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 45-77.
Napoli, P.(Fall 1999). The unique nature of communications regulation: evidence and implications for communications policy analysis. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 43(4): 565-581.
Selwyn, N. (1999). Educational superhighways - in the public or private interest? Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 9(3): 225-231.
Meier, W. A. and Trappel, J. (1998). Media concentration and the public interest in McQuail, D. and Siune, K., eds. Media policy: convergence, concentration & commerce. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications: 38-59.
Warnick, Barbara. (2002). Critical literacy in a digital era: technology, rhetoric, and the public interest. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Organizations
United States
Federal Communication Commission
The Annenberg Washington Program
> Center for Digital Democracy
The Center for Public Integrity
Civil Rights Forum on Communication Policy
UCLA Center for Communication Policy
Canada
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Information Policy Information Project
Britain
Chris Tryhorn, The importance of the public interest, Wednesday July 2, 2003, The Guardian.
Policies and Case Studies
Canada:
Our Cultural Sovereignty: The Second Century of Canadian Broadcasting. Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, 2003.
E.U.
European Communities – Council Resolution of 8 October 2001 on
> ‘e-Inclusion’ – exploiting the opportunities of the information society. (2001/c 292/02). Official Journal of the European Communities.
Calls on EU member states to facilitate and provide online content and services affordably to all, particularly those with disabilities and other special need, as well as digital literacy programs and gender mainstreaming.
Neil Selwyn. 'E-stablishing' an Inclusive Society? Technology, Social Exclusion and UK Government Policy Making. Journal of Social Policy (2002) v.31, n.1: 1-20.
Examination of the UK government’s ICT-based social policies (UK Online) through analysis of documentation, policy statements, and political discourse. Selwyn points out how the focus of recent social policy has been a debate about whether or not ICTs can increase or decrease social exclusion. UK policy is, Selwyn contends, weak in conceptualizing access, as it does not consider a capabilities approach. His fear is that such policy “will only redefine a 'digital divide' rather than overcoming it” (p. 11). Also, policymaking places an emphasis on “the role of technology access as a means of increasing social inclusion and as a means of increasing economic competitiveness” (p.13). The latter focus Selwyn illustrates by describing policy on education and training. Selwyn concludes that ICT policy is weak because the overarching social and political elements of ‘social exclusion’ are “very much sidelined or ignored altogether in the ICT drive, as in the New Labour exclusion project as a whole” (p.17).
U.S.
Seattle Community Technology Program. Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). 2000-2001 Information Technology Indicators for a Healthy Community Report.
Provides a set of measurements for the state of information technology in and how it impacts the social, economic, and cultural health of Seattle. Five goals of a technology healthy city include: enhancement of local economy; application to solve social issues; use to foster civic participation; promote relationship building and community development; support the sustainability of our quality of life; and access to technology tools is equitable and affordable. Measures were longitudinal in nature, encompassing a collection of various city surveys and consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Posted by shade at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2005
COMS 644 - Media Policy Course Outline
COMS 644
MEDIA POLICY
Fall Semester 2005
Tuesdays 18:15-21:00
CJ 5.223
Professor Leslie Regan Shade
Department of Communication Studies
DS 4.407
Tel: 848-2424 x2550
lshade@alcor.concordia.ca
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-5 or by appointment
OVERVIEW
This course will provide students with a critical look at the evolving debates and issues surrounding media and communication policy, in the national (North American) and international arenas.
Specific case studies will focus on Canadian internet policy (access and digital divide issues), the media reform movement in the United States, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) (communication rights, internet governance, and information and communication technologies for development – ICT4D) and UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions (cultural globalization, cultural policy and trade debates).
Other objectives for the course include an enquiry into:
o Identification of stakeholders and vested interests in the policymaking process (governments, industry, civil society)
o Whither the public interest in media and communication policy; commerce vs. commons visions.
o Themes and tensions: jurisdictional quandaries, the difficulties of law and governance within a global media system.
REQUIRED BOOKS (at Loyola Bookstore)
Darin Barney (2005), Communication Technology (Vancouver: UBC Press).
Marita Moll and Leslie Regan Shade, eds. (2004), Seeking Convergence in Policy and Practice: Communications in the Public Interest Vol. 2 (Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)
Andrea Langlois and Frédéric Dubois, eds Autonomous Media: Activating Resistance & Dissent (Montreal: Cumulus Press).
Other readings are marked on your syllabus as available at either the Learning Centre (LC), marked with a URL, or online at the Concordia library (CLUES).
Various course materials be posted on the blog http://808.pariso.com
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING
Class Participation (10%): This course is a graduate seminar, so students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss and debate the weekly readings. Anticipated absences are to be discussed with the professor ahead of time.
Writing piece from McGill Lost in Space panel (10%): ~250 words, due September 20 in class
Policy Think Piece (25%): Provide a brief summary (approx. 1500-2000 words) of one to three submissions (Round 1 or 2) made to the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel, with specific attention to Section D, ‘Canada’s Connectivity Agenda’. Some of the submissions (particularly those of telcos and industry) are very long, while others are shorter. Due October 11
Reading presentation (15%). Each student will choose one weekly reading and give a brief (15 minute) critical analysis in class.
Paper (40%--10% of grade includes outline and bibliography) (15-20 pages, approximately 3500-5000 words). Outline due November 15th. Final paper due December 16th.
Choose a specific policy issue and provide a critical analysis of the issues and trends. One way to approach this is through discussion of one or two case studies that has wound its way up the legal and policy chain. This can be a case study in any jurisdiction (national, US, international). Scope and timeframe can be in the recent past or ongoing.
The outline will provide a brief description of the policy issue, references to case studies (if any) and a brief bibliography. It is intended to allow me to give you plenty of time for feedback.
The final paper will provide elements of the following
--an overview of the issue/case: description, context
--examination of diverse stakeholders and their positions
--importance of the issue/case to information society debates and media policy
You will be consulting original legal decisions or policy decisions if they are available; transcripts and any court records, if they are easily available online; you will also be making sure you provide a comprehensive lit review of the case – online resources from diverse points of view (legal docs, stakeholder positions, media coverage) and academic resources.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Week 1: September 6
Introduction to course
Week 2: September 13
Looking at Policy…
Fieldtrip!! Panel Discussion to inaugurate the Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media & Communications, McGill University
"Lost in Space? Steering the Media in the Age of Globalization"
Tuesday, 13th September 2005
6:30 p.m. Panel Discussion
8:00 p.m. Reception
Faculty Club, Ballroom
3450 McTavish Street
Moderator: Peter Grant, Media lawyer, McCarthy Tetrault
Panelists:
Marc Raboy, Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media & Communications, McGill University
Charles Dalfen, Chairman, CRTC
Robert Rabinovitch, President, CBC
Lawson Hunter, Executive Vice President & Chief Corporate Officer, Bell Canada Enterprises
Everyone agrees on the media's importance to society, culture and public life. But there the agreement ends. What types of media are best suited to meeting the high expectations we place on them? How can we ensure we get the media we need? Who should make these decisions, and how? Conventional wisdom holds that the best guarantee of a vibrant, socially responsible media system lies in diversity, pluralism and the widest possible array of information sources. Are our media institutions – the press, public and private broadcasters, and now the Internet - up to the task? The 20th century saw an array of governing mechanisms put in place to steer the media on the course society set for them. How well do these still work in the 21st century and what, if need be, should take their place?
In preparation for this panel, take a look at several recent articles on the CBC labour dispute, and the debates over the recent CRTC decision on satellite radio. These are archived on the website of the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Media Monitor. In particular, look at the following articles:
Arnold Amber Cutting off CBC Spites Us All Globe and Mail, August 31, 2005.
> The CBC's boss speaks: The Fight's Over Means, Not Ends by Robert Rabinovitch, The Globe and Mail, August 30, 2005.
The CRTC authorizes Canada's first three subscription radio services. June 16, 2005. CRTC 2005-61 Decision
Petition to the Governor in Council to set aside Broadcasting Decisions CRTC 2005-246 and CRTC 20005-247, August 2, 2005.
Your assignment for this week will be to come to this panel, and write a brief (~250 word) informal impression for next week. I’ll ask each of you to present your thoughts in class…
You are also asked to read the following batch of readings, and come prepared on September 20 having read the 8 readings for 9/13 and 9/20!
Readings
Jan van Cuilenburg and Denis McQuail. (2003), Media Policy Paradigm Shifts: Toward a New Communications Policy Paradigm. European Journal of Communication 18(2)(2003): 181-207. (CLUES)
William H. Dutton (November 1992), The Ecology of Games Shaping Telecommunications Policy, Communication Theory 2(4): 303-328. See also Dutton (1995), The Ecology of Games and its Enemies, Communication Theory 5(1): 379-392. (LC)
Sandra Braman (Spring 2004), Where Has Media Policy Gone? Defining the Field in the Twenty-First Century, Communication Law and Policy 9(2): 153-182. (CLUES)
Week 3: September 20
Looking at Policy…
Readings
Alison Beale (1999), From ‘Sophie’s Choice’ to Consumer Choice: Framing Gender in Cultural Policy, Media, Culture & Society 21: 435-458. (CLUES)
Milton Mueller, Christiane Pagé, and Brenden Kuerbis (2004), Civil Society and the Shaping of Communication-Information Policy: Four Decades of Advocacy. The Information Society 20: 169-185. (CLUES)
Hernan Galperin (2004), Beyond Interests, Ideas, and Technology: An Institutional Approach to Communication and Information Policy. The Information Society 20: 159-168. (CLUES)
Andy Opel (2004), A Typology for Media Activism: A Social Movement About Media and Democracy, pp. 23-34 in Micro Radio and the FCC: Media Activism and the Struggle for Broadcast Policy. (Westport CT: Praeger). (LC)
Week 4: September 27
Communication Policy in Canada
Readings
Barney, Chapters 1-2
Seeking Convergence: Mosco, Babe
Week 5: October 4
Communication Policy in Canada
Readings
Barney, Chapters 3-4
Seeking Convergence: Longford, Bodnar, Gutstein, Balka
Week 6: October 11
Guest Talk: Professor Darin Barney, Canada Research Chair in Technology and Citizenship, McGill University
Readings
Barney, Chapters 5-6
Seeking Convergence: Luke, Gurstein, Clement, Beaton
Week 7: October 18
Media Reform Movement in the U.S.
Readings
Robert McChesney (2004), Ch.7, The Uprising of 2003, pp, 252-297 in The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. (NY: Monthly Review Press). (LC)
Mark Lloyd (2005), Lessons for Realistic Radicals in the Information Age, pp. 73-95; Michael J. Copps, Where is the Public Interest in Media Consolidation, pp. 117-125; John Dunbar, Who is Watching the Watchdog?, pp. 127-140; Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Cheryl A. Leanza, and Harold Feld, The Legal Case for Diversity in Broadcast Ownership, pp. 149-161 in The Future of the Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century, ed. Robert McChesney, Russell Newman and Ben Scott. (NY: Seven Stories Press). (LC)
Week 8: October 25
Cultural Diversity
Readings
Ted Magder (2004), Transnational Media, International Trade and the Idea of Cultural Diversity. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 18(3): 380-397. (LC)
Catherine Murray (2005), Cultural Participation: A Fuzzy Cultural Policy Paradigm, pp. 32-54 in Accounting for Culture: Thinking Through Cultural Citizenship, ed. Caroline Andrew, Monica Gattinger, M. Sharon Jeannotte, and Will Straw. (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press). (LC)
Browse through:
UNESCO.
< Towards a Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions and the International Network for Cultural Diversity
Week 9: November 1
Cultural Diversity; Issues in Intellectual Property
Readings
Lori Wallach and Patrick Woodall/Public Citizen (2004), The WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services: Perpetual Servitude, pp. 109-138 in Whose Trade Organization? (NY: The New Press). (LC)
Siva Vaidhyanathan (January 2005), Remote Control: The Rise of Electronic Cultural Policy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 597: 122-133. (CLUES)
Week 10: November 8
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
Readings
Seeking Convergence: Moll & Shade; Shade
Anabelle Sreberny, WSIS: Articulating Information at the Summit: 193-201; Seán Ó. Siochrú, Will the Real WSIS Please Stand Up? The Historic Encounter of the ‘Information Society’ and the ‘Communication Society’: 203-224; Marc Raboy, The World Summit on the Information Society and its Legacy for Global Governance: 225-232 in Gazette: The International Journal for Cultural Studies (2004) 66(3-4) (CLUES)
Nancy J. Hafkin (Spring-Summer 2004), Gender Issues at the World Summit on the Information Society . Information Technologies and International Development 1(3-4): 55-59.
(scroll down to Hafkin article)
Week 11: November 15
Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)
Readings
Manuel Castells (1999),
Information Technology, Globalization, and Social Development. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) Discussion Paper No. 114.
Brendan Luyt (August 2004), Who Benefits from the Digital Divide? First Monday 9(8).
Larry Press (April 2004), > The Internet in Developing Nations: Grand Challenges. First Monday 9(4).
Larry Press (August 2004), Refuting Objections to a Global Rural Network (GRNet) for Developing Nations. First Monday 9(8).
Week 12: November 22
Alternatives
Readings
Seeking Convergence: Scatamaburlo-D’Annibale and Chehade; Crow and Longford, Surman
Langlois & Dubois, Autonomous Media
Week 13: November 29
Final Class
Informal presentations of student papers
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