Three-quarters of your grade for this seminar will be based on your written work. The other quarter will be based on your participation in class discussions, including those that will take place via the seminar listserv.

There are two alternatives from which you can choose for submitting written work to satisfy seminar requirements. You can do (1) the first assignment below plus a major paper, or (2) you can do four short papers on topics listed below. Each of the short papers should be no more than 5-10 pages in length. A major paper should be more like 20-40 pages in length. Those who choose to do a major paper should consult with Professors Lyman and Samuelson about their topic, and should prepare a precis of its major points by March 16. Several possible paper topics are available.

What is information, and what gives it economic value? In answering the question, please comment upon the implications of the teachings of Bell, Schiller and Castells respectively. Given your tentative working definition of information, please evaluate one aspect or recommendation for the management of information property by the Clinton information policy represented in the Agenda for Action, White Paper, or the Framework for Global Electronic commerce.

What is the role of copyright in promoting information access in democratic civil society? What other policies besides copyright promote information access, and how do these policies intersect with copyright? You might also want to consider copyright education: What do you think of the recommendation of the White Paper? Whether you accept or reject its proposal, explain why. What factors make it hard to do copyright education in a democratic society? Who should pay for copyright education?

Would it be a good thing if technologies made copyright law obsolete or fundamentally changed its function? It has been said that "technology is society made durable," and classes #10, 11, 12 and 13 have investigated different aspects of technology as a form of social control. Concentrate upon one of these four issues in answering the question.