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COMPARATIVE
AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION
TC 877
Prof. Bella Mody
Michigan State University
418 Comm Arts
This graduate course will examine the global expansion of telecommunications and audio-visual entertainment firms as a site of struggle between opposing forces: globalization and fragmentation; capital and labor, the state and the market. We will draw on both political economy and cultural studies literature.
Telecommunication is creating a global mall, not a global village. This course presents an understanding of this process embedded in the history, economics, politics and culture of different nations.
Course Format:
My conception of education is "drawing out" insights from learners in response to a menu of stimulating readings and systematic lectures the teacher provides. Education consists of two equally important parts: teaching (my responsibility), and learning (your responsibility): you will get out of the course only as much as you put in. A rule of thumb is to plan twice as much out-of-class class preparation time as in-class time.
There are fewer days than there are important issues: I had no days left to include sessions on war and propoganda, or on changes in the balance of power between the Bretton Woods agencies (World Bank, IMF) and specialized agencies of the UN such as the UNESCO and ITU in the era of of globally expanding private capital. I encourage you to do papers on topics such as these.
The course is divided into an opening section on the nature of the global expansion of capital, followed by sessions on national and then local reactions to international capital. The closing session will examine the local and the the national, in the context of the global. We will speculate on implications through out the course.
Each student is required to do all the readings before class, and submit a typed (dbl-spaced) summary of any one assigned chapter in class. Every class session will consist of two parts: first, group analysis of the readings, and then my presentations. Students will be randomly assigned to discussion groups on particular readings. Each class participant will take turns verbally presenting the group's summary and critique of the assigned chapter. In the second part of each class session, I will share my thoughts with you on the topic for the day, and present illustrative videos.
Grading:
Term paper: 40% of your grade is based on a term paper that documents
your independent research work on a topic relevant to this course.
Examples:
a. Preparing for telecommunication competition: a comparison of two countries with different approaches, e.g. the U.S. and Japan
b. Competition in the satellite launch industry
c. Plotting the diffusion of privatization of ownership among national telecommunication sectors, using the Ev Rogers model
d. Unemployment implications of privatization of telecommunications: Europe versus Japan (or the U.S.)
Do a complete literature search on the topic you choose through keyword and subject searches on MAGIC and the INTERNET.
Some of the international trade press is available on the WWW. (e.g. www.emap.com/cwi/)
Check out links from Florida International University's site: http://www.fiu.edu/~escotet/index.html.
A complete outline of a paper designed for publication in Telecommunication Policy or Journalism Quarterly (or an equivalent international journal you specify) is due no later than July 14. The outline must contain the following sections: what the paper will demonstrate (research objective), how the paper will be organised to do this (organizational plan of sections of the paper listing subheadings), and an annotated bibliography of atleast 15 works published in the last 5 years. You will receive feedback on your outline on July 21. The final paper is due on August 6, 3 weeks later. Double-spaced typed papers should not be longer than 15 pages, excluding References. The format of the paper will follow the style of the journal to which you propose to submit the paper for publication. Papers will not be accepted without an approved outline; delays in submission of either the Outline or the Final paper will result in a loss of 5 points per day from the 4- points this paper can earn you. Incompletes and Deferreds are granted in strict accordance with university regulations.
Reading
12% of your grade is based on your summary: Each accepted summary willl earn you 1% of your grade. Acceptable summaries will be no more than 3 pages long. An acceptable summary begins with the full citation, as specified in the list of books in the syllabus. The summary must be accurate in terms of content and form. By form, I mean sentence construction and spelling. Write in clear vigorous prose: use verbs rather than the noun equivalent; use active rather than passive voice. An acceptable summary is also self-contained: do not use abbreviations, acronyms or quotes: paraphrase what the author says. Use separate paragraphs and headings to make separate points. Conclude with your evaluation and critique.
Final exam:40% of your grade is based on a take-home exam distributed on August 6 and due back on August 13 in class. The exam will address all the readings and class material, including videos, and lectures. You have a week to outline the answers and type them up neatly. One week is not enough time to do the readings, if you have been neglecting to do them weekly. Needless to say, exam questions will be comparative and analytical, rather than merely asking you to summarise Prof. X's chapter. An example is attached.
Never give anybody the only copy of anything you have written. This includes this instructor: save copies of all your summaries and exams in case of fires and earthquakes...
Required Reading
1. The following required texts are available in all 3 book stores. The books are also on overnight and 2-hour reserve in the Assigned Readings section of the Main Library:
a. Benjamin Barber. Jihad Vs. McWorld. NY: Ballantine Books Random House, 1996.
b. Richard Barnet and John Cavanagh. Global Dreams. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1994.
c. Bella Mody, Johannes M. Bauer, and Joseph Straubhaar. eds. Telecommunications Politics. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.
d. Gershon, Richard. The transnational media corporation. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996.
e. Drake, W. J. ed. The New Information Infrastructure: strategies for U.S. Policy. NY: Twentieth Century Fund, 1995.
f. Nordenstreng, Kaarle and Herbert I Schiller. Beyond National Sovereignty: International Communication in the 1990s. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1993.
Reference books in the basement of the Main Library that you should know about include the following:
Chris Cook. Facts on File World Political Almanac, 1995. Social Science Ref, Ground floor West.
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1996.
ITU. World Telecommunications Development Report, 1995, 1997. Government documents, MSU Library (ITU W927td 1995 and 1997).
UN Publications. World Economic and Social Survey 1996. (ST/ESA w927. In Government Documents.
Asian Communication Handbook. 1993. Government documents.
Required Assignments
30 Jun Introductions
GLOBALIZATION
2 Jul The globalization of corporate economic power
Barnet text, pp. 13-22
Barber, Chs. 1, 3
Nordenstreng, Ch. 3
7 Jul No class: Library reserach to develop term paper proposal
9 Jul Globalization of cultural industries
Gershon, Ch. 1, 8Barber, Chs. 6, 7
(Use www.corpwatch.org to monitor the activities of particular transnational businesses you want to study further).
Video: Brazil or Mexico (Wall Street J. )
14 Jul Globalization of cultural industries
Barnet text, Part I pp. 23-160, Gershon ch. 9, 10
Video: India (Wall Street J.)
16 JulGlobalization of cultural industries, contd.
Barber Ch. 9, Gershon Chs. 11, 12
Video: Who is Afraid of Rupert Murdoch?
21 JulGlobal marketing and advertising
Barnet text, Pt. 2 pp. 184-207 only, Gershon Chs. 3, 4
Video: Promoting smoking in China
23 JulEffects of the globalization of audiovisual cultural media and media products
Gershon Ch. 2, 7
Nordenstreng, 6, 8, 9
Video: Distress Signals
28 JulGlobalization of telecommunications firms
Mody and others, Ch.3-5
Barber Ch. 5
Nordenstreng, Ch 11
Drake, Ch. 3, 7, 9
Video: World Bank
30 Jul Globalization of telecommunications: effects on banking commerce and finance
Barnett text, Pt. 4 pp. 359-417
Mansell, Ch. 4
Drake, Ch. 1
Nordenstreng, Ch. 10
Video: The Global Assembly Line
4 Aug Globalization of telecoms: impacts on labor versus transnational capital
Barnett text, Pt. 3 pp. 257-357, Gershon ch. 5,
Mansell Ch. 10
Video: The global assembly line
NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS AND LOCAL INITIATIVES
6 AugWhither the nation-state?
Barber, Ch. 10, 12
Mody, Ch. 8
Term paper due; collect take-home final exam questions
11 Aug The local
Barber text, Ch. 11, 14
Video: Big Sounds from Small People
THE LOCAL and NATIONAL IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT
13 Aug Barber Ch. 15, 19
Nordenstreng, Ch. 17
Drake, Ch. 8
Video: Consuming Hunger Pt. 2 (CASID)
HAND IN FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAM
THE LOCAL AND THE GLOBAL
18 Apr Barber Ch. 15, 19
Video:
tc 477 Burnettt Ch. 6
EXCLUSION, INEQUALITY & UNEMPLOYMENT ALONGSIDE GREATER CORPORATE PROFITS, REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH AND THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
25 Apr Barber, Chs, 16, 17, 18
TERM PAPER DUE IN CLASS; PICK UP TAKE-HOME EXAM
tc 477: Burnett Ch. 8
28 AprTake-home exam due at 10 AM
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