As the current course description is almost as unwieldy and obtuse as the title, I thought I’d try to provide a clearer description and a bit of an argument for the course’s usefulness, particularly for anyone interested in new media and the operations of virtually any form of media or information system/network, and their role and impact in society.

What the course is about is how technology and economics help shape media/info systems and their operations within society.  It’s not an economics course per se, or a technology course – it’s about what’s happening with/to media and information systems and industries today, and what’s likely to happen in the future.  Much of that change is being driven by the development and diffusion of new (digital) technologies, and the way those technologies are impacting the cost of creating and distributing content (information) to people.  Thus the “technology and economics” in the title.

Also, these changes are impacting more than traditional media (broadcasting, newspapers, magazines, books, movies, etc.) – they are contributing to the continuing development of new media and a wide variety of information networks and systems (largely based around the Internet), and are impacting on virtually all of the disciplines within the College (advertising, public relations, libraries, organizational and corporate communication, online interpersonal communication, science and technical information networks, international communication, etc), not just Journalism.

As a graduate seminar, the precise topics are open to students’ interest.  We’ll start by looking at what makes information (including media content) unlike most other economic goods, and how the rise of the Internet (driven by digital technologies and networks) and related technologies has drastically changed the economics of information creation and distribution.  This will provide a basis for examining how past, current, and foreseeable technological advances and economic factors are reshaping the media & information environment.  After that, we’ll apply these perspectives to look at more specific aspects (and I’ll try to accommodate specific student interests in that coverage).

For interested Master’s and Doctoral students, there will be an opportunity to work on research papers and potential book chapters, either solely, with others, or in collaboration with the instructor.

This is the first time this course has been offered in several years, and due to scheduling issues, it might be another 2-3 years before it is offered again.  If you have an interest in online communication applications, new media, or how traditional media are evolving in response to technological and economic forces, or how these might shape the social impact of media and information, this is your chance!

If you have any questions about the course and potential topic areas, please feel free to contact me at [log in to unmask], or drop by my office in 333 Comm (inside the Journalism offices) mornings.