Telecommunications Ethics

Catalog description

Drawing on normative theory and political philosophy, this course explores problems in ethics and social responsibility in telecommunications. COMM 486 Telecommunications Ethics (3) In this course the instructor and students work together to consider and analyze ethical issues in contemporary telecommunications practice. Using the tools of ethical and political philosophy, students will discuss current cases in often long-standing problem areas such as truth, privacy and content control. The intention is that all involved will develop a greater sensitivity to the ethical dilemmas confronting telecommunication professionals and a greater ability to evaluate media performance. The course also strives to help students gain a deeper insight into their own ethical principles and become more keenly aware of the foundations and professional implications of those principles. In the first few weeks of the semester, students will review the major ethical theories and theorists. They will discuss the nature and types of normative analysis, including the major systems of ethical thought, the process of ethical reasoning and the meta-ethical problems of definition and justification. They will also explore the foundations of political philosophy as they relate to the role of telecommunications industries in democratic society. Related topics will include the nature and history of professional norms and values, the development of ethical codes within specific industries and existing organizational processes for the applications of those standards (the clearance process). In the remainder of the semester, students will discuss case studies involving various ethical dilemmas in professional practice across all segments of the relevant industries including, broadcasting, cable, telephony and the Internet. Special attention will be given to contemporary problems in areas such as social networking and Internet search companies.Topics will include: content control in entertainment and advertising, including issues involving race, gender and age; freedom of expression; privacy; intellectual property; international and cross-cultural issues; truth and anonymity; system access and power; questions of civic engagement; image ethics in a digital age; and broader philosophical questions about the inherent social nature of telecommunications technology.There are, of course, no 'correct' answers in these cases; stress is placed on the process of analysis. Students will be evaluated on their ability to articulate their assumptions and formulate coherent ethical rationales based on those assumptions.Comm 180 is a prerequisite for his course.