MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

This course introduces the student to the history, philosophy, epistemology and analysis of media and mass communication. The class covers social, cultural, and political changes triggered by new media and communication technologies and presents current theory and research models. Students will specifically focus on the implications of the phonetic alphabet, the invention of the printing press, television, and cyberspace and will participate in a mixture of lectures, readings, discussions, experiments and projects.

• CLASS INFORMATION
  
• CLASS SCHEDULE
  • Week 1 - Introduction
  • Week 2 - History of Communication Media
  • Week 3 - History and Definitions
    Plato/ Vannemar Bush/ Claude Elwood Shannon
  • Week 4 - Mass Media/ Marshall McLuhan
  • Week 5 - Mass and New Media I
    Marshall McLuhan, ArpaNet and WWW
  • Week 6 - Mass and New Media II
    Jürgen Habermas
  • Week 7 - Mass and New Media III
    Neil Postman and Jean Baudrillard
  • Week 8 - Mass and New Media IV
    Bruce Sterling and Neal Stephenson
  • Week 9 - Social Aspects of Media and Communications I
    Propaganda and Censorship
  • Week 10 - Social Aspects of Media and Communications II
    Bias, Ownership, and Monopoly
  • Week 11 - Social Aspects of Media and Communications III
    Social Implications
  • Week 12 - Social Aspects of Media and Communications IV
    Social Aspects of Media and Communications
  • Week 13 - Body/Gender and Reality/Virtuality
  • Week 14 - Final Exam
  • Week 15 - Conclusion and Evaluation

• MATERIAL
  
• REQUIREMENTS

Reading
Ownership. Bagdikian, Ben. The Media Monopoly. (1997)

Book
Communication. Innis, Harold A. and David Godfrey (Editor). Empire and Communications. (1986)
Culture. Carey, James W. Communication As Culture: Essays on Media and Society. (1988)
Civilization. Mumford, Lewis. Technics and Civilization. (1990)

Resources
They Rule.
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Frontline. Media Giants.
AdAge. Datacenter.
AdAge. 100 Leading Media Conglomerates.
Columbia Journalism Review. Who Owns What?
Media Channel. Media Ownership.
Media Channel. Media Ownership Chart.
The Nation. The Big Ten.

Reading
Marcos, Subcomandante. Our Word Is Our Weapon. (1996)

Movie
Wild, Nettie. A Place Called Chiapas. (1998).

Reading
Marcos, Subcomandante. Speech by Subcomandante Marcos. (2000)

Movie
Race Against The Machine. The Battle of Mexico City. Marcos (2001)

Resources
Race Against The Machine. Speech by Subcommandante Marcos.
Zapatista EZLN Index.

Reading
Hegener, Michiel. Telecommunications In Africa - Via Internet In Particular. (1996)
Charts. Landweber, Larry. Internet Connectivity. (1996)

Resources
CIA. The World Fact Book.
Cyberatlas. Statistics Toolbox.
The Digital Divide Network
CPSR.Shaping the Network Society.
DOT Force. G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force.
ITU. International Telecommunications Union.
UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Org.
UNDP. United Nations Development Programme.
UNITES. United Nations Information Technology Service.
UNV. United Nations Volunteers.
Geek Corps.

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