Postgraduate Course: Communications Law (LAWS11300)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This module covers the regulation of communications networks and services, focusing particularly on the Internet and its most current challenges (e.g. privacy, net neutrality, search engines) taking into account a range of different perspectives from the liberalisation of telecommunications over the course of the 20th century to the rise of communication rights in the information society.
The course will be organised along two main directions: we will first focus on over-arching, cross-cutting questions of these days, such as policy and regulatory rationales of communications law and the interplay between national and supra-national decision-making institutions, and then move on to cover a number of specific themes among the most widely discussed within both the academic and practitioner fields such as price control, social and universal service obligation, separation and new entry, technological neutrality (e.g. between wired and wireless), cross-border agreements, and consumer protection.
The course will privilege a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach exploring perspectives on the communications industries from other disciplines (particularly the relationship between law and innovation and between communication technologies and society) and the interaction between communications law and other forms of regulation (e.g. competition, media, trade).
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| Course description |
1. Communications law: rationales, development, challenges
2. Why regulate the Internet? An infrastructure for free speech
3. Why regulate the Internet? Liberalisation, competition and industry efficiency
4. Who regulates the Internet? Global governance of communications networks and its challenges
5. Who regulates the Internet? The regulatory design of the communications industry at European and national level
6. Authorisation, licensing and access today
7. Universal service and consumers' rights
8. Net neutrality
9. Network integrity, cybersecurity and online crimes
10. Privacy, data protection and the right to be forgotten
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
| Additional Costs | Students must have regular and reliable access to the Internet. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
156 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay of up to 4,000 words (60%); one individual assignment (20%); contribution to weekly online discussions throughout the semester (20%).
Requirements for all module assessments will be outlined to students within the individual modules at the start of each semester. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the legal issues arising in the communications industry (including user/consumer perspectives)
- Appreciate the limits on administrative action in the UK and elsewhere
- Engage in debate as to the type of regulatory measures appropriate for different forms of communication
- Comprehend the role of international law (hard and soft) for this field
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Reading List
| A list of key module readings will be available in advance of the module. Detailed reading lists are then available each week. |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://edin.ac/1wVRoOm |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
This course is taught by online distance learning |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This course is taught by online distance learning |
| Keywords | Internet,free speech,telecommunications,competition |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paolo Cavaliere
Tel: (0131 6)51 5137
Email: Paolo.Cavaliere@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Clare Polson
Tel: (0131 6)51 4411
Email: Clare.Polson@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 18 January 2016 4:19 am
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