Assignment 2: Policy memo (1000 words)
Using one of the case studies from our class, write a policy memo that suggests a descriptive, evaluative, and prescriptive approach to responsibly leveraging the potential (and remediating the harms) of media technology.
Due: October 16 before class
→ Submit to Canvas
Memos are an increasingly important component to changing the landscape of science and technology policy. In our class thus far, we have learned a lot about different aspects of media and technology, which includes creating a constructive, alternative approach to the harms of these technologies. Using one of the case studies from our class (e.g., monetization of data), write a policy memo that suggests a descriptive, evaluative, and prescriptive approach to responsibly leveraging the potential (and remediating the harms) of media technology. (If you would like to explore a different case study that we haven’t yet covered in class, communicate with me about what you would like that case to be.) Your choice of client is open-ended: it could be to a regulatory or executive body (e.g., the FTC), it could be to a corporate entity (e.g., the board of Google), or a civil society organization (e.g., the Red Cross). In the background / evidence section where you synthesize the existing literature, you must include at least 2 sources from 2023 or later. Use this guide from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy as a template (make sure to use your own name instead of ID number and write an informative subject line). Here are some sample policy memo topics or questions that you could explore:
How should the Office of Science and Technology Policy advise the President on the proliferation of generative AI?
What should Facebook do about the trauma that content moderators experience while working on the platform?
What legal protections should children have if their likeness is used for online content creation?
How should the ACLU approach the problem of increasing monetization of personal data in the healthcare industry?
I will be strict about the 1000 word limit here; for other assignments, the word count is a guideline that you can exceed (i.e., you must write at least that many words). However, for Assignment 2, you can write at most 1000 words.
You can find sample “A” policy memos from last year here.
Please name your file