Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
2 Researcher, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
In this article, we have investigated the evolutionary effect of communication on the formation of theories of New Media Studies. Assuming that changes in one social institution can affect other social institutions, we hypothesized that communication, as a social institution, can affect the law. This article seeks to assess whether there is a significant relationship between changes in communication and the discipline of law in contemporary Iran. In other words, we have tried to answer this question: “Does the evolution of communication affect the transition to the new discipline of law? This study’s main hypothesis is that advances in information and communication technologies have posed a number of challenges and legal issues that have also affected the discipline of communication law. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the discipline of communication law in the world's one-ranked universities and adaption and benefit of its findings in the curriculum of the Iranian higher education system. Since Allameh Tabataba'i University is the birthplace of this educational field, it can also be a place for its growth to review in terms of criteria of efficiency and being up-to-date and with a local-global approach. The universities selected for this study are the universities in Ivy League, Harvard University, and the universities in Oxbridge, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge.
Design/Methodology/Approach:
This article analyzes the evolution of communication and its effects on the discipline of law with an emphasis on New Media Studies. In other words, it is the first step in an attempt to discuss Communication Science and Communication law.
This study goes beyond the traditional classification of Public Law in the areas of Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Financial Law, and Labor Law and can be described as Communication Law.
The method of data collection in this research is the library, and the data obtained have been studied by descriptive and explanatory methods with an interdisciplinary approach. Interdisciplinary studies are currently a hot topic in legal academia; therefore, we should distinguish four types in the sociological approach to law: disciplinary, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary studies. I think public law and sociology are strongly interconnected but we can speak about the possibility of multidisciplinary in law. In this study, we argue that Communication Law as a multidisciplinary field of studies affected the theory of law. The study of communication law and Communication Science rests on the belief that legal rules and decisions must be understood in context. Communication Law is not autonomous, standing outside of the social world, but is deeply embedded within society.
In our paper, we illustrate how different methods can be used in researching law and legal phenomena, and how methodological issues and debates in sociology are relevant to the study of law.
Therefore, the article can be classified under interdisciplinary studies of law and communication. This article is a library study in terms of data collection method, and descriptive-explanatory-prescriptive in terms of research method.
Findings
The findings of this study imply that both groups of the studied faculties presented their educational content in an innovative way. But in general, American universities offer more specialized education and newer courses, and practical experience is more important to students. The main focus is primarily on training professional and competent lawyers in the field of communication law as a challenging and lucrative field, and training researchers and policymakers in this field is the second priority. The curriculum of American law schools is more flexible and diverse than English law schools. In the curriculum of some colleges, staying away from pure specialization and teaching multidisciplinary content is significant.
The results of this study indicate that awareness is the right of any user and the duty of all media service providers. “Authority “is mentioned in the philosophy of rights and media rights and being aware of choices and their effects is required to exercise authority. The “right to know “should be considered in providing all social media and media service providers’ “terms of use”.
Originality/Value:
This study is one of the first attempts to address the role of Communication change in the formation of law in contemporary Iran. It has tried to provide a basis for understanding.
Keywords