{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.025183630640083946, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.48639455782313, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The media industries

Course Description This course offers a critical survey of key issues and debates concerning the political economy of U.S. media organizations and their practices. We will explore the historical, regulatory, and economic contexts of their operations, highlighting contemporary issues of media convergence, conglomeration, ownership, regulation, and policy. The course content will focus on major sectors of media, such as print journalism, film, broadcasting, music, and digital technologies. It will consider the contemporary moment of industry practices (production, distribution, labor, technological innovation) and how these intersect with political, social, and cultural issues. The course will also cover the historical roots that give rise to the interests and arguments involved in media policy and the shifting political landscape influenced by media consolidation. Why take this class? The media industries are pervasive forces in contemporary life. Industry economics and policy-making have important consequences for how news and entertainment function within the systems of commerce, governance, and social life. A critical evaluation of the workings of the media industries allows us to assess their value to the public interest and participatory democracy. Students interested in communication and media studies will develop proficiency in understanding critical perspectives on the media industries, as well as industry-generated documents in order to conduct research and to assess research claims and findings. Students will work individually and in groups on several research exercises, as well as in groups for a final research project on one sector of the media industry. On-line Resources: Blackboard: Additional reading will be posted on BB. (If you print these out, please do so with a double­ sided printer.) All written assignments will be uploaded onto BB.