PSCI 210(S) Cyberpolitics 1999 (and Beyond): The Politics of the Internet (Offered 1998-99 only)

The internet has been described as the latest in a line of technological advances with the potential to fundamentally alter political and social life. It has already substantially eroded the barriers of time and space in communication, making it possible for residents in remote rural villages and the most densely packed cities around the world to share pictures and sounds with each other or to become students in a world-wide virtual classroom with the click of a mouse. With this new technology comes a host of issues that we will examine: freedom of expression, exacerbation of economic inequalities, conflicting cultures, and the accumulation of personal data by governments and corporations. This course will also consider how a range of political actors have actually used the internet, and whether the democratic dreams proposed by its practitioners can be realized. We will place all of this in historical context by looking at whether and how other technological revolutions such as the printing press, radio and television have shaped politics and the human experience. Requirements: class participation, two papers and a take-home final. No prerequisites. Open to first-year students with advanced placement credit in American politics. American Politics Subfield

Hour: G. RICHARDSON