THIS IS A GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSE. Undergraduates should not enroll in this course.
THIS IS NOT A SKILLS COURSE. It is a theory course.
This course requires multiple reading assignments every week. Most readings come from scholarly journals and will be provided via UF Course Reserves. There are 12 writing assignments in this course. The student's grade depends on the ability to think critically about the assigned readings and to write clearly, correctly and well. Active participation in class discussions also contributes to the student's final grade.
Description: This course examines the relationships between communication technologies and democracy, not only in the United States but elsewhere as well. Topics include privacy, encryption, hactivism, freedom of speech, protest movements, copyright and digital piracy.
New communication technologies, such as the Internet, will not automatically lead to or improve democracy, but they do contribute to changes in the society as a whole. We will examine how changes related to communication media might enhance or curtail so-called democratic freedoms, with a particular emphasis on the relationships among the press, the public, and the government in a democracy. Please note that the press includes TV, Internet, and other media. NGOs (nonprofits) also play a role in communication in today's democracies.
This is not a course in political communication.
Graduate students from outside the College of Journalism and Communications are welcome to enroll in this course.