(!) UNDER CONSTRUCTION (!): We are redesigning this course in response to new ideas about the IT Program and its curriculum. In particular, we may be modifying the required readings based on student interests and new program requirements. So stay tuned! (You may not want to read the required readings too far in advance.)

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION / VENTURE PHILANTHROPY

August 27 & 30

schedule Mon: Solicit volunteers for CEOs / Establish IT ventures

Thurs: First weekly short essay due.

essay question In what ways is Kirsner’s article relevant for this course? (Think beyond the obvious.)

required reading Scott Kirsner

“Non-Profit Motive,” Wired, September 1999. (4p)

Course syllabus (study this closely).

Also skim through the P&E of IT Course Website to familiarize yourself with the “entrepreneurial simulation” exercise that runs throughout this course, and the structure of this course more generally.

webbing Webbing assignments are required and should be treated as part of your required readings. Having said this, you should be able to get what you need by spending no more than five (5) minutes per site, unless stated otherwise.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (website)
A philanthropic foundation established in a bold move, with $17 billion of their own money, after sustained complaints about the lack of philanthropic impulse among the nouveau riche of the New Economy. Prompts widespread interest in philanthropy among the digital elite. Emphasis is on general social needs, as opposed to IT-based solutions.

Social Venture Partners (website)

“Professionals looking for a way to invest their time, skills and resources in the Puget Sound community have joined to form Social Venture Partners. Building a dynamic connection between entrepreneurial energy and grassroots innovation, SVP links community professionals and non-profit organizations to make a hands-on difference.”

suggested Bruce Sievers (14p)

If Pigs had Wings: The Appeals and Limits of Venture Philanthropy

A Critique of the Venture Capital Philanthropy model.

Silicon Valley Community Foundation (website)

The vision of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation is to be a comprehensive center for philanthropy that inspires greater civic participation throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 2: STRUCTURING CYBERSPACE

September 6

(No class on Monday, Labor Day)

schedule Thurs: Second weekly short essay due.*

Thurs: Informal presentations by prospective CEOs

The required readings and weekly short essays must be completed by the first class meeting of each week. (Generally Monday. Only during the first two weeks are they due on Thursday.)

essay question In what ways does “code” structure cyberspace? What opportunities do we have to structure it differently?

Note: You are always welcome to pose your own question instead of the one we provide. The only requirement is that your essay must demonstrate that you did the required readings and any other readings for which you would like credit.

required reading Lessig, chapters 1-2 (p.1-28) and chapter 6 (p.83-94) (40p, total)

webbing “Lawrence Lessig,” Stanford Law School, A Short Biography

suggested Lessig, chapters 3-5 (50p)

Center for Internet and Society, Stanford University
“In the heart of the Silicon Valley, legal doctrine is emerging that will determine the course of rights and technological innovation for decades to come.”

Charles Mann
“Taming the Web,” Technology Review, September 2001. (7p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

An article describing the way in which the web has continued to change into a more regulable and regulated space, just as Lessig described it.

Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University

Batya Friedman Peter H. Khan, Daniel C. Howe

“Trust online” Communications of the ACM 43/12 (2000) (7p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

An article on the importance of creating a foundation of trust for online interactions and transactions.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 3: SOCIAL ADVOCACY AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

September 10 & 13

schedule Thurs: Mock IT jobs fair

Thurs: Signup for debates begins immediately after the Jobs Fair and closes on Sunday at 5pm (EST). Submit your preferences to akeraa@rpi.edu.

essay question How does technology contribute to social differentiation and “stratification” (the “haves” and “have-nots” in our society)?

required reading Lessig, Chapter 7 (18p)

Benton Foundation
“What’s at Stake 2: Defining the Public Interest in the Digital Age,” June 1997. (21p)

Read into at least one of the sections.

American Heritage Foundation
“What Digital Divide?” Press release, April 2003. (1p)

As a reminder, in this course, everyone is required to complete the required readings. You are also expected to do additional reading and research in conjunction with the team projects. Strong readers and those with aspirations for graduate studies in the humanities & social sciences should do more than the minimum 40 pages per week. One of the main contributions towards your reaching the course objectives will be how much you engage with, and “get into” the readings.

webbing Digital Divide Network (website)

A website/clearinghouse of resources, articles, and information for those concerned about the digital divide.

Changemakers.net (website)

A “Site for social entrepreneurship worldwide.”

suggested John Browning

“Universal Service (An Idea Whose Time is Past).” Wired, September 1994. (8p)

“All You Wanted to Know about Green WiFi,” Telecenter.org (DDN repost), October 2006.

Benton Foundation

“Bringing a Nation Online: The Importance of Federal Leadership” (July 2002).

Adam Thierer

“A ‘Digital Divide’ or a Deluge of Opportunity?” Heritage Foundation Executive Memorandum #646, February 2000.

See also the longer report by Thierer, “How Free Computers are Filling the Digital Divide,” April 2000, whose highlights are noted in the press release by the Heritage Foundation cited above.

Benton Foundation
“Losing Ground Bit by Bit: Low-Income Communities in the Information Age.” (31p)

Benton Foundation

“What’s Working: Advocacy on the Net?”

Examples of successful social advocacy projects on the net. Important source of ideas for your final projects.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 4: COMMUNITY NETWORKS AND JOBS IN THE NEW ECONOMY

September 17 & 20

schedule Thurs: RFP proposal presentation(s) on the digital divide

*Proposals submitted in response to RFPs are generally due on Sunday at 5pm, except as noted otherwise in the RFP announcement.

essay question Realistically, what need do community networks fulfill? What are their limintations?

required reading Gary Chapman and Lodis Rhodes

“Nurturing Neighborhood Nets,” Technology Review, October 1997. (7p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

webbing Plugged In. (East Palo Alto, CA)

Austin Free-Net (Austin, TX)

East Side House Settlement, Community Technology Services (New York, NY)

CTCNet

Community Technology Centers’ Network

suggested Jeremy Rifkin

“Vanishing Jobs,” Mother Jones, September/October 1995. (5p)

Toni Stone and CTC Net

CTC Start Up Manual

Teens and Technology Roundtable

Preparing Disadvantaged Youth for the Workforce of Tomorrow, 2003.

Women in Technology International

“Women in Technology International, founded in 1989, is an association of more than 6,000 members, 95 percent of whom are professional women working in technology organizations. WITI works to increase the number of women in executive roles, help women become more financially independent and technology-literate, and encourages young women to choose careers in science and technology.”

Morino Institute. (website)

An informational and philanthropic organization dedicated to assisting grassroots entrepreneurs and low-income youth groups in the Washington, DC area.

Tim Dickinson

“‘E’ is for E-Commerce”

Mother Jones, May/June 2000. (12p)

Classroom Advertising brings influx of IT for California students… but at an unseen cost? Is this the right or wrong way to provide access?

There are many programs and websites for fostering access and relevant content listed in the P&E of IT Course Manual additional resources list for this week.

WEEK 5: USER CENTERED DESIGN

September 24 & 27

schedule Thurs: Proposals on community technology centers

Thurs: Stakeholder analysis, due.*

*Guidelines for conducting the Stakeholder Analysis is provided in the P&E of IT Course Manual under the final advocacy project description.

essay question So why is it important for IT professionals to know about user-centered design? Or do you disagree, and if so why?

required reading Donald Norman, The Invisible Computer, 9 [on reserve]
(please check your email if the reserve readings are not posted yet)

Randy Trigg and Andrew Clement

“Participatory Design,” CPSR website.

Follow the links sufficiently to develop an understanding of how participatory design differs from the approach put forward by Donald Norman.

webbing MSH/UNICEF, “Stakeholder Analysis, What is It?”

Sonic Rim

A global design research firm, specializing in participatory design methodology.

IDEO

Well known technology and products design firm, based out of Silicon Valley. Known for usability design approaches.

Raissa Katz-Haas
“User-Centered Design and Web Development,”
An article put together by a member of the Society for Technical Communication usability special interest group. (No need to read this article in detail; skim is as you would a website.)

suggested Charles Mann

“Why Software is So Bad,” Technology Review, July/August 2002. (6p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

Jonathan Grudin and John Pruitt

“Personas, Participatory Design and Product Development,” Microsoft Research, online publications. (8p)

This is one indication of Microsoft’s response to the current critique of software. While acknowledging that this is only one of many things Microsoft may be doing, do you think this is an adequate response to the problems of software today? Focus on the first part of this article.

Donald Norman

The Invisible Computer, other chapters esp. 2, 4 & 8.

Claire Tristram

“The Next Computer Interface,” Technology Review, December 2001. (10p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

Rob Kling

“What is Social Informatics and Why Does it Matter?” D-Lib Magazine, January 1999. (22p)

A broad description of a research program called “social informatics” that incorporates many principles of user-centered IT design.

Batya Friedman,

“Value-sensitive design” Interactions Volume 3, Issue 6 Nov./Dec. 1996. (8p)

“Values emerge from the tools that we build and how we choose to use them. Yet, in most of the current practice in designing computer technology and the related infrastructure of cyberspace, little is said about values ..”

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 6: HEALTH AND SOCIETY

October 1 & 4

schedule Thurs: Proposal on user centered design

Thurs: Final Advocacy Project, Preliminary Proposal

essay question The Benton Foundation article is somewhat dated, and yet it offers one of the best syntheses available of issues surrounding IT and healthcare. As one possibility for the essay question for this week (and you’re always welcome to pose your own question instead), tell us what you think are the advantages and disadvantages are of an older but well-research article as compared to a more recent article you yourself have identified. Or if you feel you found the information necessary to do so, write an essay on how a specific aspect of the relationship between IT and healthcare has changed since the Benton Foundation article.

required reading The Benton Foundation

“Networking for Better Health: Healthcare in the Information Age.” (22p)

Mike Benigeri and Pierre Pluye, “Shortcomings of Health Information on the Internet,” Health Promotion International 18/4 (2003), 381-386. (6p) (distributed electronically)

Plus a more recent and/or popular article on the subject of IT, health and society that you yourself identify. (Totalling 12 pages, minimum).

advanced option If you are interested in reading a more challenging, academic article that offers a much more detailed insight into the IT design process as it relates to a medical information/diagnosis system, read the following article instead of the Benton Foundation report. This piece is an oft-cited article from the field of “medical anthropology.” (There may be sections of the article that are difficult to follow; if so, skim through these sections and proceed to the detailed case study description.) You should modify the essay question to suit this reading.

Diana Forsythe, “New Bottles, Old Wine: Hidden Cultural Assumptions in a Computerized Explanation System for Migraine Sufferers,” Medical Anthropology Quarterly, NS 10/4 (December 1996), 551-574 (24p)
(distributed electronically)

webbing New York Times, Women’s Health Section (website)

A popular site for current information on women’s health.

LexisNexus news search, via library website. Search on health and IT for relevant entries.

http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.rpi.edu/us/lnacademic

WebMD

suggested Sara Solovitch

“Citizen Scientists,” Wired, September 2001. (9p)

Laura Landro

“Health & Medicine (A Special Report): Living With Change” Wall Street Journal; New York; Oct 18, 1999. (6p)

“The Decision Is Yours: Doctors are starting to embrace information technology -- and it's changing their relationship with patients.”

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

Cancer Control and Population Sciences: Office of Cancer Survivorship

“The mission of the Office of Cancer Survivorship (OCS) is to enhance the quality and length of survival of all persons diagnosed with cancer and to minimize or stabilize adverse effects experienced during cancer survivorship. The Office of Cancer Survivorship conducts and supports research that both examines and addresses the long- and short-term physical, psychological, social, and economic effects of cancer and its treatment among pediatric and adult survivors of cancer and their families.”

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 7: ONLINE COMMUNITIES AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

October 9 & 11

(Tuesday October 9^th is on a Monday schedule)

schedule Tues: Field research / interview write ups are due
Thurs: Proposal on health, IT and society

essay question Do you think the Internet revolution other developments in information and communications technologies during the past 25 years has contributed to stronger cross cultural understanding and/or cultural diversity? Or has it contributed to the homogenization of culture? Does this depend on where you live, and who you are?

required reading Jonathan Weber

The Ever-Expanding, Profit-Maximizing, Cultural-Imperialist, Wonderful World of Disney,” Wired, February 2002. (8p)

Hamid Mowlana
“The Communications Paradox,” The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists July/August 1995. (10p).
Dated, but makes an important point. Think for yourself about what has happened in the intervening 10+ years, especially relation to the webbing assignments below.

webbing The Official Homepage of Church of Christ, Scientist

Brillo Magazine

The WELL, and then proceed to one of the ‘guest-readable’ conferences listed in the Vue conferences.

TownOnline

Radio Bridge Overseas

Global Voices Online

Alaska Native Knowledge Network (website)

An website and online community created by the Alaska Federation of Natives, which is designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. Includes its “Declaration of Indigenous Peoples” (2p)

The websites this week are designed to give you a sampling of the various multicultural / global / online community sites that have come to proliferate on the web. Again, spend five (5) minutes studying each site, and develop your own critical understanding of these sites.

suggested Sherry Turkle

“Virtuality and Its Discontents,” from Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 233-54. Reprinted in The American Prospect, December 1996.

G. Pascal Zachary

“Ghana’s Digital Dilemma,” Technology Review, July/August 2002 (8p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

Benjiman Barber

“Beyond Jihad vs. McWorld” The Nation January 21, 2002 (3p)

Barber re-visits his seminal article from the post 9/11 viewpoint.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 8: THE ENVIRONMENT

October 15 & 18

schedule Mon: Final advocacy project, first full draft of proposal
Thurs: Debate #1

essay question a) From what you can tell, has the combined effect of expanding IT been to improve or harm the environment? Does it affect different groups (or topics) in different ways?

OR

b) Write specifically about the pair of films. Does the media, and accessibility of video material via new technologies such as YouTube contribute to reasoned discourse about controversial issues such as Global Warming?

(OR pose a question yourself, this week or any other week.)

required reading Susan Stranahan

“The Clean Room’s Dirty Secret,” Mother Jones, March/April 2002. (6p)

Stephen Greene
”Technology Helps Small Environmental Group Get Big Results,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 11, 2001. (3p)

Film (required) Martin Durkin
The Great Global Warming Swindle
View at least the first 20 minutes of this documentary.

Tony Jones
Global Warming Swindle Debate (Australian Broadcast Corp.)
Part I, Part II
If you wish, see the other parts as well: Part 0, which introduces the ABC report, and then the panel debate that follows.

Webbing IT and Environment Initiative

“The IT and Environment Initiative is an international consortium engaging in research and dissemination activities to improve understanding and awareness of the effects of the Information Technology revolution on environmental issues.”

Environmental Defense Fund
Scorecard (website)

Enter the zip code for your home town and click, “Get Report.”

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

The Center for a New American Dream

Activist group promoting responsible and reduced levels of consumption as a means of preserving the environment.

Hudson Voice

This is the current version of a site called “Hudson Voice” that protested against the proposed PCB cleanup of the Hudson River. (The ‘broken link’ is intentional.)

suggested Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

“Fifth Annual Computer Report Card,” 2005. (20p)

A regular report by the SVTC on manufacturer’s progress in producing computers using and containing less toxic substance.

Florence Williams

“Prophet of Bloom,” Wired, February 2002. (5p)

Centre for Ecological Economics (website)

The Centre provides enterprise, government and non-government organizations with leading practice information on integrating environmental and sustainability requirements into strategy and policy.

Natural Resources Defense Council (website)

This and the following sites are but a few of the many environmental organization websites that exist.

Environmental Defense Fund (website)

WE ACT Website: Home Page

“West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT) was formed to address ongoing West Harlem community struggles around the poor management of the North River Sewage Treatment Plant. WE ACT evolved into an environmental justice organization committed to empowering the community to become a vocal, informed and proactive force that determines and implements its vision of what its environment can and should be.”

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 9: SOFTWARE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND REGULABILITY

October 22 & 25

schedule Thurs: Proposals on the environment

Thurs: Debate #2

essay question a) Do you agree with Lessig’s analysis?

OR

b) What do you feel are the major issues with intellectual property today? How does Lessig’s argument intersect, or not intersect with these issues?

required reading Lessig, chapter 10 (32p)

webbing Center for Advancement of Capitalism
”US vs. Microsoft,” (website)

A libertarian site criticizing the anti-trust policies of the United States. See also the center’s extensive list of essays pertaining to this case.

The Ayn Rand Institute,

“Antitrust Assault on Microsoft is Immoral,” (March 2002)

suggested Lessig, Chapters 8-9 (31p)

Lawrence Lessig
“May the Source Be With You,” Wired, December 2001. (3p)

Jeff Howe

“Licensed to Bill,” Wired, October 2001. (10p)

Eric Raymond

“The Cathedral and the Bazaar,” (online version)

An article, now book, that raised major waves among software developers and IT professionals. Argues that true creativity in software requires a form of loosely coordinated development that cannot take place within corporate settings like Microsoft.

Richard Barbrook,

“The High-Tech Gift Economy” First Monday, December 1998. (14p)

“Contrary to the purist vision of the New Left, anarcho-communism on the Net can only exist in a compromised form. Money-commodity and gift relations are not just in conflict with each other, but also co-exist in symbiosis. The 'New Economy' of cyberspace is an advanced form of social democracy.”

Openlaw DVD

Harvard Law School’s Forum on intellectual property.

MPAA, ‘Copyright Resources’

A list of links provided by the Motion Picture Association of America regarding copyright and its history.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 10: THE NEW ECONOMY, ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION AND PROTEST

October 29 & November 1

schedule Thurs: Debate #3

essay question a) Are Surowiecki and Pitroda’s attitudes about technology similar or different, and in what ways?

OR

b) Think back to the other readings, and the plenary sessions from this class (for example, the Wired Magazine article on Disney, and Hamid Mowlana’s article on the “Communications Paradox.”) What is the relationship between technology, economic globalization, and the new economy? How can we choose or shape information technology to contribute positively to future developments?

required reading James Surowiecki

“The New Economy Was a Myth, Right? Wrong.” Wired, July 2002. (5p)

Sam Pitroda

“Development, Democracy and the Village Telephone” Harvard Business Review, November-December 1993.

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

webbing CorpWatch

Globalization

The CATO Institute

“The Benefits of Globalization” (website)

Booksense

A site promoting and permitting ePurchases at independent booksellers.

suggested Po Bronson

”Life in the Bust Belt,” Wired, June 2003.

A brief article on the state of Silicon Valley after the IT downturn.

Dan Griswold

“Trading Tyranny for Freedom: How Open Markets Till the Soil for Democracy,” CATO Institute Trade Policy Analysis, January 2003. (1p)

Roberto Verzola

“Globalization: The Third Wave,” Corporate Watch, February 1998. (12p)

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 11: WORK IN THE NEW ECONOMY

November 5 & 8

schedule Mon: Final Advocacy Project, second full draft of proposal, due

Thurs: Proposals on economic globalization

Thurs: Debate #4

*Students who take an active part in preparing for this week’s debate may turn in a position paper on the following Monday, with prior approval from their section instructor.

essay question a) What differences do you see in the arguments presented by Pink, Friedman, and Drucker?

OR

b) How do you think the new economy will affect your own future career? And how should Rensselaer (and the IT Program if you’re an IT major) modify its courses in light of this reality? Or are we doing good?

required reading Daniel Pink

“The New Face of the Silicon Age,” Wired (February 2004)

Thomas Friedman

“The Quiet Crisis,” chapter 7 of The World is Flat, p.250-275. (26p) [on reserve]

Peter Drucker,

“The Next Workforce,” Economist (reproduced in the Drucker Archives) (3p)

webbing CIO Magazine,

“Outcsourcing,”

The Outsourcing Institute

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
”Fact Sheet 7: Workplace Privacy” (5p)

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

“Computers in the Workplace”

suggested John Gray,

“The World is Round,” New York Review of Books (11 August 2005)

Ashok Deo Bardhan and Cynthia Kroll

“The New Wave of Outsourcing,” (2 November 2003)

Walter Williams,

“Should We ‘Save Jobs’?” Capitalism Magazine (29 January 2005)

“The Rise of India,” NASSCOM (2004)

Gary Marx and Sanford Scherizen

“Monitoring on the Job: How to Protect Privacy as Well as Property,” Technology Review, November/December 1986. (7p)

This is an old article, but one with a good deal of foresight that is still quite relevant as workplace monitoring has come to attract broader public attention.

Richard Spinello,

“Case 5.3: The Topper Travel Agency,” in Ethical Aspects of Information Technology (Prentice Hall, 1995), 141-44. [on reserve] (4p)

Alliance@IBM

“Alliance@IBM is made up of career-minded IBM employees who are concerned about our future. ...”

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 12: MEDIA & DEMOCRACY

November 12 & 15

schedule Thurs: Debate #5

essay question a) Compare Lessig against the webbing assignments. What issues does Lessig fail to address?

OR

b) Have the changes in information technology in, say, the past 25 years strengthened or weakened our democratic institutions?

required reading Lessig, chapter 12 (p.233-261 & p.268-275). (37p)

webbing OnTheIssues.Org

A website that provides information about current political candidates, across a broad spectrum of issues. Purportedly non-partisan. Try the 2004 Presidency Quiz at this site.

National Conference for Media Reform, January 12-14, 2007

“On the shores of the Mississippi River…, media activists, policymakers, scholars, students, artists, and all kinds of concerned citizens gather[ed] to discuss the future of communications in America. [W]ill the strong – and growing – media reform movement be 2007’s most undercovered story?” If you wish, catch Bill Moyer’s opening plenary: at this link.

Center for Media and Democracy

The nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy strengthens participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda, and by promoting media literacy and citizen journalism, media "of, by and for the people."

League of Conservation Voters
“An organization for helping citizens to make informed voting decisions based on a candidate’s statement and track record with regards to the environment.”

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

“FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.”

suggested Mark Crispin Miller

“What’s Wrong With this Picture?” The Nation, December 20, 2001. (6p)

Mark Tapscott,

“Internet Revolution is Forcing Transparency,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, 11 November 2004. (1p)

James Gattuso,

“The Myth of Media Concentration: Why FCC’s Media Ownership Rules are Unnecessary,” Heritage Foundation WebMemo #284, May 2003. (3p)

Jeffrey Chester and Gary Larson

“A Twelve-Step Program for Media Democracy” The Nation, 23 July 2002. (2p)

A twelve-step program on how to foster a more democratic media. Updates earlier policy recommendations issued in the wake of the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996.

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 13: PRIVACY, FREE SPEECH & CIVIL SOCIETY

November 19

(No Class on Thanksgiving Day)

schedule Mon: Proposals for independent media and democracy
Mon: Final advocacy project, poster session & critiques

The RFP proposal presentations, if any, will take place in section following the poster session.

essay question a) In what ways does Lessig speak to issues raised by Putham?

OR

b) We no longer live in a time of social unrest, as represented by the Vietnam era protest movement, or by the Civil Rights or Women’s movements. Interpreting Putnam using Lessig (both chapters 11 & 12), what opportunities do we have for using technology to strengthen civic culture in the United States (or any other specific country)?

required reading Lessig, chapter 11 (p.200-222) (23p)

Robert Putnam

“Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” Journal of Democracy 6/1 (1995): 67-78. (9p)

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

webbing American Civil Liberties Union

“Privacy & Technology” and “Free Speech”

ACLU website on current issues pertaining to privacy and free speech.

EFF

“The USA PATRIOT Act”

Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition

Information resources on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 26 June 1997 ruling striking down the Communications Decency Act (CDA).

National Coalition Against Censorship

Another significant site that addresses issues of IT and censorship.

suggested Lessig, rest of chapter 11, chapters 13 (12p)

Laura Gurak and John Logie, “Internet Protests: from Text to Web,” in McCaughey and Ayers (eds), chapter 2. (21p)

Adam Penenberg

“The Surveillance Society,” Wired, December 2001. (6p)

Ivan Amato

“Big Brother Logs On,” Technology Review, September 2001

[Off campus access] [Troubleshooting]

See “Additional Resources” on the course website for other articles and websites.

WEEK 14: STRUCTURE OF CYBERSPACE II (GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES)

November 26 & 29

schedule Mon: Field research / interview revisions and confirmations, due.

Thurs: Debate #6

Thurs: Proposals for enhancing privacy and civil society

essay question a) What do you think are the most important points Lessig makes in the closing passages of his book?

OR

b) Lessig claims that he’s delivering a “dark message.” Do you agree with this? Do you agree with his views? Are there ways in which we can structure cyberspace in positive ways that are quite different from where he places his attention and concerns?

required reading Chapter 17 & 16. (22p)

webbing Amnesty International

Zapatistas in Cyberspace

suggested Lessig, chapters 14-15 & 18 (35p)

WEEK 15: CLOSING SESSION AND PRESENTATIONS

December 3 & 6

schedule Mon: Closing lecture

Mon: Self and Team Evaluation Form

Thurs: Final Advocacy Project, final presentations

Thurs: Final Advocacy Project, final draft, due

Thurs: CEO’s evaluation, due.

essay question There is no short essay due for this week. However, you are required to fill out the self and team evaluation form, which contains a set of essay questions designed to contribute to our understanding of how well you performed in relation to the course objectives. The first part of this evaluation is, in effect, an open-book exam, and you are encouraged to give the questions your careful attention.

required reading (no readings for this week)