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Internet and Society: Technologies and Politics of Control

LSTU E–120 - Harvard Extension School - Spring 2012 - Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 pm EST

Berkman Center for Internet and Society - 23 Everett Street - Conference room, 2nd floor

This course examines current legal, political, social, and technical struggles for control of the global Internet—and the content and relationships it conveys. The course focuses on the interaction of new technologies and services with emerging models of production, innovation, communication, learning, and civic engagement—looking at both the US and international contexts. Prerequisites: willingness to experiment with new technologies and to participate in class discussions, whether virtually or in person. (4 credits) continued...

Syllabus at a glance

Jan 24	Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction
Jan 31	Paradigms for Studying the Internet
Feb 7	Regulating Speech Online	(Assignment 1 due)
Feb 14	New Economic Models
Feb 21	Peer Production and Collaboration	(Assignment 2 due)
Feb 28	Copyright in Cyberspace
Mar 6	New and Old Media, Participation, and Information
Mar 13	No class - Spring Break
Mar 20	Collective Action and Decision-making	(Assignment 3 due)
Mar 27	Internet and Democracy
Apr 3	Control and Code: Privacy Online
Apr 10	Internet and Democracy: The Sequel	(Assignment 4 due)
Apr 17	Internet Infrastructure and Regulation
Apr 24	The Wikileaks Case
May 1	Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare
May 8	Final Project due (no class)

Course Information: Class Participation Grading Statement on Plagiarism

Assignments & Projects: Assignments Complete List of Assigned Readings Final Project

Resources: Recorded class videos Powerpoint Slides from Class How to edit a wiki Extension School Writing Center

External: Upcoming Events In the news

People: Staff Contact Info List of User Profiles

Participating During Class (Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 pm EST)

• Attend in person at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St., Second Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138 (directions)

You can use Adobe Connect to participate during class time. Visit our Adobe Connect site and log in as guest.

We recommend that, if you would like to speak during class, you use a combination headphone/microphone to participate. Alternatively, you may use headphones along with your computer's built-in mic. As a last resort, you can use your computer's built-in mic without headphones, but please be aware that this may cause audio issues for both you and the class as a whole.

Note: When you log in to Adobe Connect, you will log in as a guest. Please use your full name or a pseudonym that will allow us to identify who you are so we can give you credit for your class participation.

• If you have any trouble running Adobe Connect, please go to the support page on Adobe Connect's site or click on the "Help" button in the upper right corner of the Connect window.

Participating Asynchronously

• The recorded videotapes of the class produced by Harvard Extension School are available here. Videos are typically available 1-2 days after class.

Contact Information

• All questions, comments, etc. should be sent to: is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu
  • There are no set office hours; feel free to send an email, and the TAs will respond to it as soon as they can.
• If you need to contact an instructor or TA individually, please use their personal contact info located on the Staff Contact Info page.

Office Hours

Andy and Rebekah are available the week of 2/27 to discuss final project topics. Please email is2013@cyber.law.harvard.edu to sign up for a 15-minute slot.

Rebekah

• Tuesday, February 28, 7:30-9:00pm ET (after class): in person at the Berkman Center or online via Skype
• Thursday, March 1, 8:00-9:30am ET: in person at Simons Coffee Shop or online via Skype

Andy

• Tuesday, February 28, 9-11am ET: in person at the Berkman Center or online via Skype (please email first so I can reserve a room)
• Thursday, March 1, 3-6pm ET: in person at the Berkman Center or online via Skype (see above)

Class Feedback

We'd love to hear your thoughts on how class is going! Please fill out this anonymous poll to let us know what you think.