Fall 2022
INF 390N Information Policy: Communication Law and Policy
Cross listing of J 395, hosted by the Department of Journalism.
DESCRIPTION
This course examines the U.S. communication policy in light of domestic and international structural, economic and technological changes. We will investigate how notions of control, access and expression have changed during the 20th and the 21st centuries, examining communication policies and regulation against a backdrop of technological innovation. The definitions and controversies around what constitutes the public interest intersect with policies for specific media systems including broadcasting, cablecasting, the Internet and social media, among others. The cultural ramifications of communication systems in terms of their impacts on people and on speech are a related domain we will address. At the current moment, issues around privacy, large tech companies and their role in contemporary life, the limits and authority of regulation, and of course social media,AI and ‘big data’ dominate many political and research agendas. Our goal will be to understand the backgrounds and foundations that bring us to these concerns and to frame them in critical ways.
PREREQUISITES
Graduate standing.
RESTRICTIONS
Restricted to graduate degree seekers in the School of Information during registration periods 1 and 2. Remaining seats will be made available to outside students on August 19th. Interested non-iSchool students may request a seat reservation by completing this Registration Support Questionnaire.