Political Economy of Digital Media
Instructor:
Office: N/A
Office hours: By Appointment
Email: davidc.rheams@utdallas.edu
Class Website Link
📜 Course Description
This course investigates interrelations among digital media technologies, economic practices, governmental institutions, and sociopolitical processes. This semester, we’ll examine global industries and supply-chains for digital technologies, labor, and leisure in digital culture, environmental and economic impacts of digital technologies, as well as emerging economies and artificial intelligence.
Technologies & Platforms
- Class website: This website will have your schedule, lectures, instructions, reading materials, and everything else you need. If you're reading this, then you're in the right place.
- MS Teams: We will use MS Teams as the place for you to meet during lab, have class discussions, and talk to me! It's not perfect, but it will serve our purposes.
- eLearning: We'll use eLearning to turn in your assignments and any other class materials for a grade. However, this website is the source of truth for all dates and activities. So if you want to know when something is due, check here first.
- Miro: We'll use Miro for brainstorming activities. While I prefer actual sticky notes, whiteboards, and anything else likely to make a mess - this digital equivalent will have to work for now.
- Hypothes. Is: This is an online annotation tool we will use as a group. It allows us to set up groups to see each other’s comments, questions, and critiques on the weekly readings.
🧰 What You'll Get Out of This Class
After taking this course, you should be able to recognize the forces behind digital economies. You will also gain a foundation in systems thinking that allows you to view complex systems in their entirety.
- Understand a range of topics at the intersection of political economy and digital media
- Situate political and economic analysis of digital media phenomena in their respective historical and geographic contexts
- Advance proficiencies in critical thinking, research, and writing
- Incorporate insights from existing scholarship into their research and creative practice
💡Helpful Writing Tools
I will mention these writing and organization tools during the semester. They all have a free option. I’ll add to this list as we go through the semester.
Writing Resources
📚 Readings
All readings are provided for you - no need to buy textbooks. I've provided links to all readings on the class website.
🗓 Schedule
🏆 Grading
Breakdown
Scale
A 90%-100% B 80%-89% C 70%-79% D 60%-69% F < 60%
😢 Plagiarism
Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with severe consequences. In short, don't do it.