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Internet and Society: Technologies and Politics of Control

LSTU E–120 - Harvard Extension School - Spring 2011 - 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...

Course Information: Overview of Assignments Class Participation Grading Statement on Plagiarism Course FAQ

Assignments & Projects: Assignments Final Project Class introduction

Resources: Recorded class videos Powerpoint Slides from Class How to edit a wiki

External: Upcoming Events In the news

People: Staff Contact Info List of User Profiles

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

• Live Quicktime stream during class (open this URL in Quicktime Player):
  
  • rtsp://harmony.law.harvard.edu/ptc.sdp
    
  • The best option is generally to copy this URL into QuickTime Player
  • You can also watch via http (http://harmony.law.harvard.edu/ptc.sdp). This is typically not as clear.

• Question Tool (pick "InternetSociety2010") Direct URL

• You may also IM to Colin/Rob/Tim/Seth directly via gtalk (or jabber): lstu.e120@gmail.com

Participating Asynchronously

• You can add your thoughts to the Question Tool even after class is over; we will leave up the discussions from class for the entire week following. Direct URL
• Online Office Hours with the TAs TBD

Feedback:

You can comment on the course here

Syllabus at a glance:

Jan 26	Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction
Feb 2	Frameworks For Studying The Web
Feb 9	New Economic Models	(Assignment 1 due)
Feb 16	Peer Production and Collaboration
Feb 23	Collective Action and Decision-making	(Assignment 2 due)
Mar 2	New and Old Media, Participation, and Information
Mar 9	Regulating Speech Online
Mar 23	Internet Infrastructure and Regulation	(Assignment 3 due)
Mar 30	Copyright in Cyberspace
Apr 6	Digital Natives and Internet Culture
Apr 13	Control and Code: Privacy Online
Apr 20	Internet and Democracy
Apr 27	Internet and Democracy: The Sequel
May 4	New Opportunities for Education
May 11	Final Project due (no class)