THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

Faculty of Information and Media Studies

MIT 246F: The Political Economy of Information

Course Description and Course Objectives:

In an era when the richest man in the world is neither an oil tycoon, a railway owner nor an arms dealer, but rather the head of a global computer empire, information assumes an obvious economic importance. This course introduces basic concepts of political economy and applies them to a concrete examination of media involved in the construction of the so-called 'information highway.' The aim is to provide students with the basic analytic tools to understand and evaluate the intersections of power and wealth within a global capitalism increasingly centered on the profitable exploitation of information.

Course Readings:

There are three set texts for the course, available from the university bookstore:

Matthew Fraser, Free-for-All: The Struggle for Dominance on the Digital Frontier (Toronto: Stoddart, 1999).

Robert Chodos, Rae Murphy & Eric Hamovitch, Lost in Cyberspace? Canada and the Information Revolution (Toronto: Lorimer, 1997).

Joanne Buckley. Fit to Print: The Canadian Student’s Guide to Essay Writing.

Evaluation:

There will be three components to your evaluation in this course, weighted as follows:

Midterm Exam #1 - October 5th, 1999 (worth 20%)
in-class, closed-book test requiring definition and discussion of key terms and concepts

Midterm Exam #2 - November 9th, 1999 (worth 20%)
in-class, closed-book test requiring definition and discussion of key terms and concepts

Term Assignment - set on October 7th, 199 and due December 7th, 1999 (worth 30%)

Final Exam - scheduled by the registrar (worth 30%)
closed-book exam with two parts: one with questions covering all of the course readings, films and lectures, and the other focusing on the readings, films, and lectures from November 9th to the end of the course

Term Assignment:

You will be asked:

1. to make a graphic representation (a map or diagram) showing the workings of certain aspects of the information economy.
2. provide a essay of between 1, 500 and 2,500 words explaining and commenting on your "map."

This is a test of both your analytical and design skills. The assignment will be set Oct 7 and is due in final lecture Dec 7. It will require substantial research in order to do well: so start work early. You will be given a short bibliography of resources to get started: other than this, you are on your own.

Late Assignments & Missed Tests:

The only acceptable reasons for late assignments or missed tests are:

1. Documented medical reasons: this means a letter from a medical doctor stating explicitly that you were physically unable to sit an exam or complete a university assignment on a specific date. It is not enough just to present a note saying that you visited a doctor or clinic.
2. Documented participation in an official UWO sporting activity: this requires a letter from your team coach stating that you were representing UWO in a sporting event against an external team, or were on tour at the time of a test. This excuse is not valid for late term assignments.
3. Documented attendance at the funeral of a relative or friend, or exceptional family crisis documented by a letter from UWO Student Services
4. Religious holidays, as per UWO calendar.

NOTE: Excuses for Final Exams must be processed through the office of the Dean of your home faculty.

Make up tests will be scheduled on Dec 9. There will be no alternative to the time and date specified by the instructor.

Late term assignments without documented excuses as specified above will have 2% of the total course mark deducted per day late, and will not be accepted more than 1 week late. The assignment will be considered received on the date stamped by the FIMS office, regardless of weekends, holidays etc. It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of assignments to protect against loss or theft. Plagiarism-the unacknowledged use of other people's ideas-is a serious offence, and will be dealt with according to the established UWO procedures detailed in the Academic calendar. If you are unclear as to what constitutes plagiarism, consult your instructor or TA.

Course Outline

Questions? email ajohnson@uwo.ca
This page was last updated on Sunday, October 10, 1999 at 09:04:14 AM