LIS5411 - Introduction to Information Policy
Welcome to the Course!
This front page - in Canvas - is the primary source of material for this course; everything you need for the course will be available here. Many links go through http://jrm4.com (including a mirror of this page for backup and emergency purposes),
The course will be administered through Zoom. The link will be available within an hour or so of the first class.
There will be groupwork during most classtimes, but not the first day. Usually I don't like to do readings for the first day either, but because the Summer is shorter, there are a few. No big pressure though, there are no deliverables for these as of yet.
Contacting me should be done through regular email, at jmarks@fsu.edu
Note: I'm also a big fan of Discord (link for my thoughts and information on it, if unfamiliar) It is not required, but I will make my semi-private (non-profit) Discord server available to you all, with a channel dedicated to this class. You may use this for class-wide discussions, as well as a meeting point if you'd like to use Discord instead of the Zoom rooms.
Invite: https://discord.gg/MjwV5Ews
Feel free to peruse the older readings (available at the jrm4.com mirror of the site if you can't see them here, check to the side or below if you're on your phone once you've clicked through - - https://jrm4.com/FSU_Courses/LIS5411.html Though, note, the readings and course arc may change drastically, given that the real world of information and tech policy has some *very* interesting upcoming matters to deal with.
Week 1
If you need the refresher-- Journal:2021:01:03:Basic-Civics
Intro to Info Policy
On Econ
https://acroll.substack.com/p/what-comes-after-the-attention-economy
On Law
Transcendental Nonsense
The Law of the Horse
Telecom
http://som.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/471/hout/telecomHistory/
https://www.construction-physics.com/p/building-the-bell-system
Week 3 - Internet Regulation
https://jrm4.com/slides/LIS-5411_Telecom_And_Internet.html
The History of the Internet in a Nutshell
The Internet: Computer Network Hierarchy | HowStuffWorks
How big telecom smothers city run broadband
Rural America Is Building Its Own Internet Because No One Else Will
Nationalize the Internet: Why the Fight for Net Neutrality Is Just the Start
The coronavirus crisis proves internet should be a public utility
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/03/nx-s1-5247840/net-neutrality-fcc-struck
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/07/federal-consumer-protection-is-dead-the-fate-of-net-neutrality-warned-you-it-was-coming/
Backlinks: Home FSU Courses