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TELECOMMUNICATION MEDIA FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Telecommunication 872
Prof. Bella Mody
Michigan State University
418 Comm Arts
This graduate course will introduce participants to conditions (external and domestic economic, political and cultural contingencies) under which electronic media can promote progress and reduce deprivation in health, family planning, nutrition, agriculture, education, the quality of the environment and the status of women and children for 4.5 million people who live in developing countries. For a list of regions and countries, see your UNDP text, p. 259.
Method:
A typical class session will consist of three parts: student presentations and critiques of the required readings, the instructor's presentation, and a video or guest presentation.
Requirements
1. Essential books:
The following are also available in the local bookstores.
A.UNDP. Human Development Report, 1999. NY: OUP, 1999.
B. Robin Mansell and Ute Wehn. Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable Development. NY: OUP, 1998.
C. Mody, B., Bauer, J.M. and Straubhaar, J. Telecommunications Politics. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.
The Mansell and Mody-Bauer-Straubhaar texts are on reserve in the Main Library for this course as also the ITU World Telecom Dev Report 1998. The UNDP book is at the Reference Desk because many courses use it.
2. Required Reading Packet:
A reading packet specially compiled for this course will be available on Oct. 1 at Budget Printing on Trowbridge Road in East Lansing (tel: 517-351-5060). Required readings from this packet are labled RP in this syllabus.
3. Recommended books for future reading:
Sussman, Gerald and John Lent (ed.) Transnational Communications: Wiring the Third World. Newbury Park, Sage, 1991.
Worsley, Peter. The Three Worlds. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press.
Kipligat, B.A. and M.C. M. Werner. Telecommunication and Development in Africa. Oxford, U.K.: IOS Press, 1994
Sussman G. and J.A. Lent. eds. Global Productions: Labor in the making of the Information Society. 1997.
McAnany, E. and Kent Wilkinson. Mass media and free trade. Austin: Univ of Texas Press, 1996.
Lee, Paul S.N. Telecom and Development in China. Creskill, NY: Hampton Press, 1997.
World Bank. World Development Report, 1994. New York: OxfordU Press.
Hobsbawm E. The age of extremes: a history of the world 1914-1991. NY: Pantheon Books.
Tehranian, M. Global Communication and World Politics: Domination, Development and Discourse. Boulder: Lynne Rienner. 1999.
Cammack, P. Third World Politics, Baltimore, Md: Johns
Hopkins U. Press, 1988.
Course participants must be familiar with searching data bases in the social sciences. Start with MAGIC in the main library that will give you access to the holdings of MSU and regional university libraries. You will find the journals indexes and the electronic data bases at www.lib.msu.edu/databases/. A special session has been arranged for us in the library during the first hour of class on Wed 9/22. 5. Mass media use:
Please read a daily newspaper with tolerable coverage of world events, e.g. the Detroit Free Press, the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times (www.nytimes.com), The San Jose Mercury (www.mercurycenter.com), the Wall Street Journal or the Los Angeles Times. National Public Radio's Morning Edition (6.45AM to 8.30AM) and All Things Considered (5-7PM) are worth listening to as is the BBC World Service at WUOM 91.7FM 9-10AM Mon-Fri or at (www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice).
Develop your personal list of websites specific to the content of this course. The following are starters: www.itu.int/indicators, www.comminit.com, www.worldbank.org/infodev, www.ispo.cec.be, www.unesco.org/courier.
Grades:
No INC or DF (Deferred) grades are possible except in strict accordance with university policy. LATE SUBMISSIONS OF ANY ASSIGNMENT WILL LOSE 5 PERCENTAGE POINTS PER DAY OF DELAY.
45% of your grade
Is based on a literature review-based research paper on how electronic media (in general, or a particular technology such as radio, WLL, GMPCS, formative evaluation) can contribute to progress in agriculture, health, education, nutrition, family planning, the status of children, the quality of the environment or the status of women in one of the following regions: Sub-saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and South Asia. Specify enabling and restraining contextual conditions and technological conditions and how you will factor them in to your plan. Follow either the MLA or APA stylebook consistently. The paper is due on the last day of class, no later than 4PM.
40 percent of your grade
Is based on 2 tests on all class content preceding it: a mid-term exam on Oct 13 and a final at the end of the term on Dec 8. They will BE BASED ON THE READINGS, LECTURES AND VIDEOS: there will be no cumulative exam.
15 percent of your grade
Is based on your class presentation and discussion of readings for the day. Please type your WEEKLY summary and comments on each assigned reading and hand it to me in class if you like: this is highly recommended for first term GRAD students and those whose first language is not English. If you are an off-campus participant in the course, please fax your summary and critique to my attention at 517-355-1292. Beginning with today, your participation orally and in writing is worth a point. Try and look for things to praise, specify the need for clarification, and then critique the author/SPEAKER. The "search and destroy" mode of participation is not welcome in this class.
Never give anybody the only copy of anything you have written. This includes your instructor: Save copies of papers you turn in!
We follow the MSU policy on academic policy specified in General Student Regs 1.0. Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else's ideas as your own: desist. If you plagiarize, you will receive severe grading penalties up to and including failing the course. Please let me know if you have any disabilities that constrain your ability to learn; please suggest what accomodations you would welcome so we can talk about it. The last day to drop this course with a 100% refund is Sep 23. The last day to drop this course with no refund and no grade reported is Oct. 19. You may drop this course after the middle of the semester only to correct verified errors of enrollment or because of a catastrophic event. Failing a test is not A CATASTROPHIC EVENT. If you will be absent from a test for a religious holiday, please let me know well in advance so we can make accomodations to suit you.
Reading Assignments
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
1 Sep Introduction to the course
8 Sep The quality of life for 4.5 million people in developing countries
UNDP, pp. 23, 127-146.
15 Sep The impact of global market expansion on human development
UNDP Ch. 1 pp. 25-56.
22 Sep Library Instruction Room
What can a nation-state do? UNDP Ch. 4
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY: INITIAL HOPES AND DISAPPOINTMENT
29 Sep The potential of comm tech
Mansell, Chs., 1, 5; UNDP Ch 2
6 Oct Early applications: limited effects
Simpson C. (RP)
Samariwa, R (RP)
13 Oct Early applications: to those that have, more was given
Rogers, E.M. (RP)
Hornik, R (RP)
MID-TERM ONE HOUR WRITTEN OPEN BOOK EXAM ON ALL MATERIAL COVERED INCLUSIVE OF OCT 13.
COMING DOWN TO EARTH (CONTEXTUAL AND OTHER CONTINGENCIES)
20 Oct The role of the state, intergovernmental organizations, and private capital
Stiglitz (RP)
Barrera (Mody-Bauer-Straubhaar text, Ch. 6)
Mody (Mody-Bauer-Straubhaar text Ch. 8)
Prahalad (RP)
Uchitelle (RP)
Video: America is No. 1 (first 30 mins. PBS)
APPLICATIONS
27 Oct Broadcasting
John L.Sherry (RP)
3 Nov Instructor out of town: to be rescheduled
Jobs, work, employment
UNDP HDR 1996 Ch. 4 (RP); Mansell Ch 12
10 Nov Least developed countries
Mansell chs. 6, 7
17 Nov Access
Mansell Ch. 8, ITU World Telecom Dev Report 1998 Executive Summary (RP), Mody (The Internet in the Other Three Quarters of the World RP)
24 Nov Agriculture
Hornik (pp. 87-90, 148-166) RP
Dec 1 Health
Hornik and McAnany (Fertility Change, RP)
Mohai, K.H. (Electronic Networking in Africa, RP)
UNDP, Ch 3
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
Dec 8 Mansell 11, 13; UNDP Ch. 5
ONE HOUR OPEN BOOK FINAL EXAM
Research paper due by 4PM
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