TVRA 7713 Media and Communication History and Regulation (Reile): Home

Professor: Dr. Wiebke Reile
Office Hours: By appointment only.
Online Meetings: Skype, FaceTime available in the evening. By appointment.
Email: wreile@hawaii.edu or Wiebke.Reile@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Class: Mondays, 6:30-9:15

• August 27, Tuesday: Start of Fall Term - Classes begin
• September 2, Monday: College Closed, Last day to add a course, Last day to drop for 75% tuition refund
• September 5, Thursday: Classes follow Monday schedule
• September 9, Monday: Last day to drop for 50% tuition refund
• September 30 & 31, Monday-Tuesday: No classes scheduled
• October 8 & 9, Tuesday-Wednesday: No classes scheduled
• October 14, Monday: College Closed
• October 16, Wednesday: Classes follow Monday schedule
• November 5, Tuesday: Last day to withdraw from a course with a grade of W
• November 28 & 29, Thursday-Friday: College Closed
• December 14 & 20, Saturday-Friday: Final Examinations
• December 20, Friday: End of Fall Term

• All course materials for this course will be provided to students for FREE.
• There is no textbook to purchase.
• All readings and assignments will be available on this very site you are on, the TVRA 7713 OER web site or provided to students in class.
• Readings need to be done before class as we will be talking about them in class.

This course uses Open Educational Resources (OERs)  “Open Educational Resources are teaching and learning materials you may use without charge." OER’s reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license, such as a Creative Commons license, that permits their no-cost use, reuse, adaptation, and sharing.

The department seeks to maintain an eye toward the evolution of communications law in the United States, but to also provide students with a thorough understanding of very present-day cases and controversies that students are likely to face in virtually any career in media related fields. Students will be exposed to a vast array of media topics, from the history, adoption and interpretation of the First Amendment, right up to the most recent judicial opinions, statutory enactments and regulatory controversies impacting defamation law; invasion of privacy; the regulation of obscenity; copyright and other areas of intellectual property; and the regulation of advertising; among other media centric topics. The department endeavors to provide students with the most practical preparation on matters affecting speech and all other forms of contemporary expression for future use in, among others, the print, film, television, music, art, advertising and digital media fields (Brooklyn College, 2018).

In-depth industrial and cultural historical overview of the development of electronic mass communication. Historical and legal approaches and methods.

Prerequisite or corequisite: Television and Radio 7701X [701X]; or permission of the deputy chairperson.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will learn all the core principles Media Law and Communication Policy.
2. Students will be able to critically analyze current governmental policies on media law cases.
3. Students will understand their legal obligations within the contemporary media world.
4. Students will be able to analyze issues and controversies from ethical, legal and social perspectives in their professional practices.

Larger Objectives:

1. Where does U.S. media law come from, and how does it get made?
2. What are theoretical and practical approaches to addressing media law issues?
3. How and why have media law and policy evolved from the past to the present, and what does that mean for concepts of individual freedom, democratic politics and the media?

Please share your experiences using this OER by taking this anonymous Zero Textbook Cost (OER) student experience survey.