Media Institutions

Catalog description

The course concentrates on the economic, political, and legal environment of U.S. mass media. Issues include examination of individual media industries, the economic structure of U.S. media markets, media law and regulation, media watchdogs, advocacy organizations, and media users' forms of collective action. The course's content is approached through an institutional analysis perspective, intended to facilitate students' understanding of institutions as dynamic points of confluence for organizations, norms, and individual agents. As part of the course's requirements, students conduct a research project exploring recent developments and/or decision-making processes within one of the major media institutions covered during the semester.