About this Class

On this page: Class Policies; Grading Scale; Class Requirements; Class Structure; Instructor and Office Hours; Class Description;

 Class Policies

Class Attendance. You are expected to attend all class meetings and to be on time for class. Attendance will be taken at randomly selected class meetings and factored into your grade (see "participation" above). As attendance is taken at the beginning of class, if you arrive after roll is taken (late) this is counted as an absence.

Late work and examinations. You are responsible for planning ahead and taking whatever steps are necessary to allow you (1) to be available to take the exams on the scheduled dates and times and to (2) turn in assignments on the specified due dates. Late work will not be accepted except in documented cases of illness or emergency (see below). Computer problems are not acceptable as an excuse for late work: if an assignment requires use of the Internet or unfamiliar software, allow enough time to get help if you have problems.

Academic Integrity. All assignments must be your own work. The University has very strict and explicit policies prohibiting plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and facilitating these acts. Penalties for violations are severe, such as an automatic failing grade in the course. These rules will be strictly enforced.

Extended illness or family emergency. If an extended illness or family emergency makes it impossible for a student to attend to their responsibilities, they must contact the Dean of Students, who will notify the student's instructors. The instructor will then make any necessary accommodations after receiving notice from the Dean.

Students with disabilities. In consultation with Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services, all reasonable and necessary adjustments will be made to accommodate students with disabilities. To insure that disability-related concerns are properly addressed, students with disabilities who require assistance to participate in this class are asked to consult with the instructor as soon as this need is apparent.

 Grading Scale

Your final grade for this course will be determined as follows.

Undergraduate Students participation: 15% assignments: 15% (graded pass/fail) midterm examination: 20% final examination: 50%

Graduate Students* participation: 15% assignments: 15% (graded pass/fail) research paper proposal: 10% research paper: 60%

Participation includes (1) attendance and (2) the quality & quantity of contribution in discussion and in-class exercises.

Letter grades will be calculated using the following scale.

 Class Requirements

1. Careful listening to, close reading of, and critical reflection upon course lectures, discussions, and readings. To derive maximum value from course meetings, finish the day's assigned readings before arriving.

2. Thoughtful, informed participation during class meetings, in-class exercises, and online on your blog.

3. Either,

(a) Undergraduate students must complete an open-book, take-home midterm (approximately 5 pages in length) and final examination (approximately 10 pages) testing mastery of critical-analytical skills, key concepts and principles, central arguments, and salient factual materials covered in the course.

OR,

(b) Graduate students must complete a research paper (approximately 15 pages in length) developing a central argument salient to the course and of interest to them, to be chosen in consultation with the instructor. Undergraduate students may write a research paper in place of a midterm and final with the consent of the instructor.

 Class Structure

The course consists of two meetings each week that are a combination of lecture and discussion. The class meetings supplement but do not duplicate the readings; readings supplement but do not duplicate the class meetings. Some of the course content is available only from class meetings and students are responsible for attending them. Starting week 3, each week class members will electronically submit a brief writing assignment, graded pass/fail (e.g., this might be an answer to a discussion question about a reading.)

The course is organized around a series of case studies of current topics in new media law & policy. Although most of the material will be based on the US, some international comparisons will also be used.

 Instructor and Office Hours

Professor Christian Sandvig
Office: 133 Lincoln Hall
Office Hours: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and by appointment
Office Telephone: 333-0141 (use only during office hours)
Messages: 333-2683
Mailbox: 244 Lincoln Hall
Email: csandvig@uiuc.edu

 Class Description

As listed in Undergraduate Courses Offered:

Communication law and policy research has been memorably described as research that helps us to imagine alternative ways of organizing and structuring society's communication systems (Pool, 1974). We will imagine these alternatives by considering the newest communication technologies as the places where alternative structures are the most uncertain, and change is the most likely. Our case studies change each time the course is offered. This semester, the course will emphasize case studies that involve the spectrum, peer-to-peer architecture, wireless Internet, hacking / computer activism / not-for-profit reverse engineering, or combinations of these.

This course will (1) provide analytic skills that allow students to understand and critically engage with current law and policy debates about the structure of communication media, (2) provide an understanding of how some of the newest "new media" industries and technologies function and are regulated--this may be useful for those who wish to work in these industries or study them, and (3) prepare students interested in future graduate study or law school. No previous coursework in this area or technical knowledge is required. The course will be structured as a series of case studies culminating in a seminar paper or project whose topic may be chosen by the student. This interdisciplinary seminar will employ scholarship and perspectives from communication, law, anthropology, sociology, history, geography, library science, and documentary photography.

Students from any area are welcome.

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Last modified: Monday September 25, 2006.
Comments to csandvig@uiuc.edu.