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| COMU0030-1 | Digital industries and information society
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| Duration : | 30h Th |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Geoffrey Geuens |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Course contents :
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| Located at the crossroads of economic sociology of ICT industries and industrials, political economy of communication and criticism of imaginaries associated with digital networks, the course aims to study - in various aspects and approaches - the so-called "information society".
From this perspective, three phenomena - inextricably linked - will be subject to discussion and investigation : 1 the "new" American ICT Security Complex 2° the political and symbolic construction of the ICT market in Europe 3° the global leaders in the social networks industry(Facebook, Twitter, etc..) and, more generally, in the sector of information technology. |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| 1) An effort will be made to make students more familiar with the resources and methods of a model of complex analysis that belongs both to the sociology of major business leaders and the political economy of the « New Media ». This approach will combine an analysis of the capitalistic structure of the most powerful European and North American multinationals that operate in a variety of sub-sectors of TIC industries (hardware, software, telecommunications, semi-conductors, consumer electronics, etc.), with a more sociological study of the executive structure of these companies and the interactions of the executive personnel at a certain level of society. The sample constructed in this way will be doubly empirical in its procedure, and without exhausting the problematic under consideration will sketch the main lines of interpretation in relation to the « digital revolution ».
2) We will also examine certain public policies for which the « New Media » and the TIC appear to be the chosen banner-bearers - whether these singular developments are celebrated by some in the name of « dynamism », « effectiveness » or « modernization of administration » or are perceived on the contrary as potential menaces (mercantilization of culture, weakening of the State, « planetary surveillance »). The deregulation of telecommunications in Europe and the United States, the recent history of « the European information society » and the development of newly invented forms of control (camera surveillance, technological security systems, etc.) will also come in for critical reflection as regards the relations between digital networks, state power and society. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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| None |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| Practical introduction to research in the field of economic sociology of digital industries, and particularly ICT companies. |
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| This course will be held 30 hours, the first semester, in the form of weekly sessions of two hours. It will be on Wednesday from 9 to 11 am, the local A1/2/E2 (Auditorium Petit Physique)
In addition, students will necessarily attend the first day of the international symposium entitled "From industrial to social networks. the networking industry to social networks. Cultural history, political economy and society of the digital age" (University of Liège-Maastricht University) to be held the 20 October 2011 at ULG (Room Theatre). The practical modalities of this participation will be outlined to students at the beginning of the course. |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| Recommended readings :
"La construction politique du marché des TIC" (Chap. V), in Geoffrey Geuens, Les vieilles élites de la nouvelle économie, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 2011. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| The oral examination will try to test the theoretical knowledge acquired by the student and the capacity of students to adopt a critical standpoint concerning the material that has been reviewed in class. The material over which students will be examined includes :
1° theoretical lectures by the teacher, including information communicated through PowerPoint slide shows and school cases that have been the object of detailed analysis ;
2° theoretical lectures by the students, presenting results of their collective research about biggest global companies in the sector of social networks and ICT innovations ;
2° theoretical lectures by the lecturers attending the first day of the international symposium entitled "From industrial to social networks. the networking industry to social networks. Cultural history, political economy and society of the digital age" (University of Liège-Maastricht University) to be held the 20 October 2011 at ULG (Room Theatre). |
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Organizational remarks :
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Contacts :
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| Instructor : Geoffrey Geuens, Département des « Arts et Sciences de la Communication », Place du 20-Août, 7, 4000 Liège (Bldg. A1, 4th floor). Tel. : 04 366 32 78. Fax : 04 366 51 84.
E-mail : Geoffrey.Geuens@ulg.ac.be Geoffrey Geuens will meet students in his office every Tuesday morning (9-11am) and Wednesday morning (11-12am).
Secretary : Anne-Marie D'Acchille, Département des « Arts et Sciences de la Communication », Place du 20-Août, 7, 4000 Liège (Bldg. A1, 4th floor). Tel. : 04 366 32 79. Fax : 04 366 51 84.
E-mail : AM.DAcchille@ulg.ac.be |
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