Internet, Politics and Society

3 units

This course examines how the internet is transforming the way people around the world participate in politics. We will look at specific controversies in online politics such as the Wikileaks scandal, Iran's Twitter revolution, social media in the Arab uprisings, and the Great Firewall of China, as well as investigate broader questions of how people obtain knowledge, communicate, and mobilize in the digital age. Students will think critically about the internet as a communicative medium and analyze how it is employed in different cultural contexts. Topics to be covered include: national and transnational political movements; state secrets and political transparency; dictatorship and revolution; media and censorship; activism and mobilization; memory and knowledge; and digital personhood. Students will write brief responses to weekly readings and complete an original research project on digital politics.