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Violence Against Women on the Internet

Welcome to the Berkman Center for Internet & Society BOLD site for "Violence Against Women on the Internet". Participation is free and open to the public, registration is required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The series will launch April 16, 2002, and the live portion of the series will run for six weeks.

In this series, we will explore the various ways in which violence against women is facilitated through the use of the Internet, as well as ways in which the Internet may be used as a site of resistance to such violence. Violence against women is a critical social problem that affects all of us in some way. Whether we have directly experienced abuse, know a friend who has been victimized, or have been confronted with the myriad other forms such violence take, it impacts how we view the world and shapes our experiences and opportunities.

The development of the Internet has had a profound effect on violence against women. It has facilitated the dissemination of child pornography, the commodification of women's bodies, and stalking. On the other hand, the Internet can be used to organize and unite people interested in social and political change. The goals of this cybercourse are twofold - to become more aware of the forms that violence against women can take on the Internet and to use the Internet to develop a community that can respond to these issues and take action.

Over a six -week period, Diane L. Rosenfeld, a Fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society of Harvard Law School, assisted by a team of six Teaching Fellows will organize an interactive exploration of some of the most important topics on this critical issue.

Participation in this series will be asynchronous, meaning that participants will be able to log in any time of day during the series. A new module will be posted every week, followed by case studies and discussion. No previous knowledge on the subject of violence against women is required. You may select the level of involvement that works best for you, based on you expected commitment and level of participation in the discussion groups. (Please see the registration page for more information).

This BOLD series is designed to facilitate on-going discussion and enable students to create their own dialogues and tell their own stories. In that spirit, we welcome comments, criticism, and suggestions concerning how the lectures and discussions might be organized better. You can e-mail us at BOLD@cyber.law.harvard.edu, and there is an area on the discussion board for feedback.