Syllabus
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Syllabus

Political Economy of Digital Media

Instructor: David Rheams

Office: N/A

Office hours: By Appointment

Email: davidc.rheams@utdallas.edu

Class Website Link

Lecture: Tuesday & Thursday 7:00p to 8:15p

Location: ATC 2.602

Department: ATEC

โš ๏ธCourse Policies

๐Ÿ“œ Course Description

This course investigates interrelations among digital media technologies, economic practices, governmental institutions, and sociopolitical processes. This semester, weโ€™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.

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Remember that youโ€™re an active participant in putting this class together. This isn't a class where I present information, and your job is to memorize it for future use. Instead, the goal of the class is to uncover ideas and present them in a new light so that we can recognize how economic forces shape people and communities. Students will be asked to help facilitate lectures and contribute to case studies throughout the semester. In addition, we will be working in groups during almost every class.

Technologies & Platforms

๐Ÿงฐ 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

๐Ÿ’กHelpful Writing Tools

I will mention these writing and organization tools during the semester. They all have a free option. Iโ€™ll add to this list as we go through the semester.

Writing Resources

๐Ÿ“š Readings

All readings are provided for you - no need to buy textbooks. I've provided links to all readings on the class website.

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Selected Texts

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Card View

The Internet Trap
From Counterculture to Cyberculture
Privacy is hard & 7 other myths
Algorithms and the Attention Economy
How Social Media became a Pink-Collar Job
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The Fight Against platform Capitalism
The Commodification of Virtual Community Content in Increasing Media Traffic

Media and Communication

2021

No

Tuti Widiastuti

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Net Neutrality: A Guide to (and History of) a Contested Idea
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Communicatative Capitalism: Circulation and the Foreclosure of Politics
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Cyberspaceโ€™s Architectural Constitution

1999

Lawrence Lessig

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INTERROGATING โ€œFREEโ€ FAN LABOR
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The Racial and Gendered Job Performances of Fashion Blogger Poses
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The socio-technical architecture of digital labor: Converting play into YouTube money
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Capital: A Critique of Political Economy
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Algorithms, the Attention Economy, and the Breast Cancer Narrative
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Money Code Space

๐Ÿ—“ Schedule

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Course Schedule

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Monthly Calendar

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Monthly Calendar

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December 2024
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๐Ÿ† Grading

Scale

A 90%-100% B 80%-89% C 70%-79% D 60%-69% F < 60%

๐Ÿ˜ข Plagiarism

Presenting someone elseโ€™s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words โ€“ is a serious academic offense with severe consequences. In short, don't do it.