Internet and Democracy

March 27

Digital tools are seen as playing a major part in political activities and revolutions around the world from the Green Revolution in Iran to the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa. In this class, we'll explore the role of the Internet in political organizing, social movements and popular protests, and the potential impact of digital tools on governance.

Readings

• Anne-Marie Slaughter, A New Theory for the Foreign Policy Frontier: Collaborative Power

• Zeynep Tufekci, The #freemona Perfect Storm: Dissent and the Networked Public Sphere

• Alexanyan et al, Exploring Russian Cyberspace: Digitally-Mediated Collective Action and the Networked Public Sphere

Additional Resources

• Malcolm Gladwell, Why the revolution will not be tweeted.

• Etling, Kelly, Faris and Palfrey, Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere: Politics, Culture and Dissent

• Etling and Kelly, Mapping Iran's Online Public

• Faris, Etling, Madison and the Smart Mob: The Promise and Limitations of the Internet for Democracy

Class Discussion

March 27: Internet and Democracy Just Johnny 17:11, 15 February 2012 (UTC)