 |
TELECOMMUNICATION STUDIES GROUPat the Annenberg School for Communication |
|
|
TELECOMMUNICATION STUDIES GROUPat the Annenberg School for Communication |
|
Description
The Telecommunication Studies Group is a federation of faculty and researchers at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California whose research focuses on telecommunication technology. This research seeks to understand how societal, economic, social, management, technological, and policy factors shape telecommunication, information, and media technologies, and their implications.
The empirical research and various studies of the Telecommunication Studies Group at the Annenberg School sometimes question conventional views and frequently take a broad, critical, and strategic perspective of telecommunication. The times demand the development of an independent, distinguished group to encourage analysis that can be a valuable asset to government and industry, as well as the public at large.
The core faculty affiliated with the Telecommunication Studies Group are multidisciplinary with expertise in such areas as political science, economics, law, engineering, business, and international relations, united in a common interest in explorations of the trends, business, and effects of telecommunication technology. The research thrust of the Telecommunication Studies Group is matched by complimentary academic programs of the Annenberg School at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Background
Telecommunication is a major component of the communication industry. Telecommunication conducted over wired and wireless facilities links every home and business in the United States with each other and with counterparts around the globe. The technology of telecommunication increasingly involves broadband networks based on optical fiber with ever increasing capacity and controlled by programmable computers offering considerable flexibility in features. Wireless technology enables people to stay in touch wherever and whenever they desire over great geographic areas.
Advances in telecommunication and information technologies -- like the Internet and the World Wide Web -- are blurring the boundaries between traditional media and between communication industry segments. The continued trend toward a common digital representation for all kinds of signals is resulting in a convergence across many different applications. The prospects for interactivity in media that formerly were passive is creating new business opportunities. Shifts in communication policy and legislation have resulted in a major and continued restructuring of the telecommunication industry with national and global implications.
Decades ago, telecommunication was viewed as solely the telephone industry. Today, telecommunication is an exciting area of study, involving fast moving and sophisticated technologies of the telephone, television, radio, computers, the Internet, and more. Plotting a strategic course through the telecommunication landscape while it undergoes revolutionary change involves a multidisciplinary approach, as represented by the research agenda of the Telecommunication Studies Group.
Core Annenberg Faculty
The following is a list of the Annenberg School faculty with a core involvement in the mission and research of the Telecommunication Studies Group. Additional biographical information about them is available at the School's Web site and at various home pages for each faculty member.
Geoffrey Cowan, J.D. -- Professor and Dean
* media law
* content regulationWilliam H. Dutton, Ph.D. -- Professor
* social and political issues
* cross-national, comparative studyA. Michael Noll, Ph.D -- Professor
* teaches technology literacy along with strategic & critical analysis
* policy and business implications of telecom technologyTitus Levi, Ph.D. -- Assistant Professor
* technology adoption
* concentration and competition in radio and popular music industries
Jointly Appointed Faculty
The following Annenberg faculty at USC are involved in the mission of the Telecommunications Studies Group, but have their primary academic appointment at a different academic unit at USC.
Jonathan D. Aronson, Ph.D -- Professor
* primary appointment in International Relations Department
* political economy of worldwide information trade
Affiliated Scholars and Researchers
Michael Botein, L.L.D.
* Professor, New York Law School
* Director, Communications Media CenterEli Noam, Ph.D. (Economics), J.D.
* Professor, Columbia University Business School
* Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Selected Recent Publications by Core Faculty
BOOKS:
Dutton, William H. (Editor), Information and Communication Technologies -- Visions and Realities, Oxford University Press (Oxford, UK), 1996.
Dutton, William H., Society on the Line: Information Politics in the Digital Age, Oxford University Press (Oxford, UK), 1999.
Kubicek, Herbert, William Dutton, and Robin Williams (Editors), The Social Shaping of Information Superhighways: European and American Roads to the Information Society, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.
Noll, A. Michael, Highway of Dreams: A Critical Appraisal of the Communication Superhighway, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Mahwah, NJ), 1997.
Noll, A. Michael, Introduction to Telephones and Telephone Systems (Third Edition), Artech House, Inc. (Norwood, MA), 1999.
POLICY AND PRACTITIONER-ORIENTED PUBLICATIONS (INCLUDING TRADE MAGAZINE AND OPINION PIECES):
Dutton, W. H. and others, "The Galaxy IV Pager Blackout" Analysis
Noll, A. Michael, "Cyberphones: Coming Soon to a Terminal Near You?", Telecommunications, Vol. 33, No. 3, March 1999, p. 18.
Noll, A. Michael, "Conspicuous (Lack Of) Consumption," tele.com, Vol. 4, No. 3, February 8, 1999, p. 70.
Noll, A. Michael, "The Myth of Partial Privatization," tele.com, Vol. 4, No., March 8, 1999, p. 94.
ACADEMIC ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS:
Dutton, William H., "The Ecology of Games and Its Enemies," Communication Theory, Vol. 5, No. 4, November 1995, pp. 379-392.
Dutton, William H., "The Web of Technology and People: Challenges for Economic and Social Research," Prometheus, Vol. 17, No. 1, 1999, pp. 5-20.
Noll, A. Michael, "The Digital Mystique: A Review of Digital Technology and its Application to Television," in Darcy Gerbarg (Ed.), The Economics, Technology and Content of Digital TV, Kluwer Academic Publishers (Boston), 1999, pp. 61-72.
Noll, A. Michael, "The Evolution of Television Technology," in Darcy Gerbarg (Ed.), The Economics, Technology and Content of Digital TV, Kluwer Academic Publishers (Boston), 1999, pp. 3-17.
Academic Programs
Students interested in telecommunication policy, management, and effects can study at the Annenberg School's various academic programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. For example, students admitted to the Annenberg School^s M. A. in Communication Management can choose a concentration in Telecommunication Management or in Information and Communication Technologies. Students interested in a social-science approach to telecommunication research and theory can study at the Annenberg School's doctoral program.
Public Activities
The Telecommunication Studies Group sponsors studies and research colloquia centered on research topics of interest to the academic community, with opportunities for students to attend and participate.
Public seminars are also sponsored to illuminate various policy and other issues in telecommunication, particularly with a business, industry, or public policy focus. Events are sometimes sponsored jointly with other affiliated research groups.
Web Site and other Activities
Various research papers and other materials, including links, are available at the Web site for the Telecommunication Studies Group at the Annenberg School. Annenberg faculty affiliated with the Telecommunication Studies Group are involved in the editorship of various professional journals. In particular, Prof. Dutton is Editor of Information Communication & Society and Prometheus.
For further information, call or write:
Professor William H. Dutton
Annenberg School for Communication
University of Southern California
University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281 USA
E-mail (wdutton@usc.edu)or
Professor A. Michael Noll
Annenberg School for Communication
University of Southern California
University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281 USA
Phone (213) 740-0926
last updated: June 6, 1999