Beyond cyberutopia: Internet, society and politics

Seminar: Sozialwissenschaften-Einführung

Block, Ort: AM k12, Veranstaltungsbeginn: 07.05.2015, 6 ECTS

The Internet represents not only the greatest vehicle of information production and distribution, but it has also become a fundamental tool in political, social and economic processes. It is ubiquitous in modern life, and it has been largely portrayed as a motor for social change, heralded as a means to make our societies more democratic and economically prosperous. Going beyond cyberutopia and technological determinism, this introductory course seeks to open the black box that is the Internet to examine the impact of new information technologies on our societies. Addressing themes such as the impact of the Internet on political participation, be it institutional or in the context of social movements, we will critically assess the major issues our societies face in the digital age.

Literatur: Yochai Benkler (2006). The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. Lawrence Lessig (2006). Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0.
Rebecca MacKinnon (2012). Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle For Internet Freedom.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen: A sophisticated level of English is required.

Hinweise zur Veranstaltung: Students are expected to do all assigned readings and to participate actively in class. They are also required to submit a paper on the subject in English in consultation with the lecturer. Die der Lehrveranstaltung zugrundeliegenden Texte sind im Lehrplan (Moodle) angegeben. / You can find the relevant texts in the sylabus on Moodle.

Hinweise zum Blockseminar:
Block 1: 7.5.-8.5.2015, 11-18 Uhr, in AM k12