Hi all
Below is the syllabus and ongoing reading list for the class Information and Technology for Socio-political Change.
I will update it as we go along. The link to the Class Wiki is here
Syllabus
Information and Technology for Socio-Political Change
Tuesdays 6:30-9:00 pm EST
Class Schedule
- 19 January Introductions and introduction to Analyst Toolkit
- 26 January Case Study #1: Iran and censorship (Mr. Ahmad Azadi)
- 2 February Case Studies #2: Sri Lanka and human rights reporting (Mr. Sanjana Hattotuwa), Toolkit: Political analysis tools
- 9 February Case Studies #3: Large scale social software (Mr. Fabrizio Damiani), #4: USA/Open Government/Sunshine (Ms. Beth Noveck), Toolkit: Media analysis tools
- 16 February Case Study #5: Rwanda and justice projects (Ms. Cindy Jeffers), #6: Economic development/bad aid (Mr. Ed Rees), Toolkit: Project Management tools
- 23 February Class canceled
- 2 March Midpoint Assessment: Summary of issues and final projects begin
- 9 March Midpoint continues
- 16 March No class: Spring Recess
- 23 March Toolkit: Process diagrams and Information Architecture, and Part 2: USA and Open Government
- 30 March Individual dynamics for change, student presentations
- 6 April Guest Ethan Zuckerman on blogging and mobile applications in the developing world, and Group dynamics for change, student presentations
- 13 April RESCHEDULED CLASS room 447, 9:30-12: Morning session: BRUNCH, Haiti Case Study, Bad Actors dynamics for change, student presentations
- 13 April Evening session: Dynamics of Revolutions
- 20 April Final Presentations
- 27 April Final Presentations
Guests participants
- Sanjana Hattotuwa, Sri Lanka. Senior advisor, ICT4Peace Foundation. Senior Researcher, Centre for Policy Alternatives. Activist and blogger for "Groundviews."
- Beth Noveck, USA. United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Open Government. Leads President Obama's Open Government Initiative.
- Edward Rees, Canada and Timor-Leste. Senior Advisor, Peace Dividend Trust.
- Cindy Jeffers, Scotland. Interaction Designer and researcher, Distance Lab Forres. Focused on post-conflict justice systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Ahmad Azadi, Iran; Communications strategist and new media advisor to Iranian Green Movement. Focused on Iranian media and communications history.
- Fabrizio Damiani UN/DPKO. Focused on knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- Ethan Zuckerman, Research Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard Law. Research initiatives include Global Voices project, the Global Attention Gap, Blogging in the developing World, and Digital Democracy.
Requirements:
You will be asked to select one case study to follow through the semester, and will be given readings. Outside speakers will be invited to present issues for the case studies, and a few have offered to correspond further. You will present your case study findings on a regular basis during the second half of the semester.
You will be expected to integrate your findings into your final assignment: one prototype for potential or actual implementation. This class is about understanding a user scenario. Your challenge would be to make the case for which technologies are useful means to specific positive ends, and to prove it through with a testable prototype.
Your final grade will be based on attendance, class participation and the ability to prove your solution fits the problem you define.
Reading List
26 Jan Class: Case Study Iran and Freedom of speech/censorship
2 February Class: Sri Lanka and Human Rights Reporting
Current situation (freedom of expression, elections, human rights)
During war
Current work (Investigative journalism other media do not engage in out of fear)
Issues and culture
Ideas for projects
Reference: Current work of the speaker, Mr. Hattotuwa
Toolbox: Social Dynamics, Stakeholders, and Root Cause Analysis
9 February Class: Institutional Social Software and Knowledge Mgmt at UN, Timor and economic development/unintended consequences of aid
Institutional Social Software at UN and UNDP
Timor and local economic development/unintended consequences of helping
Other Timor projects, history, background
Aid and unintended consequences:
Toolbox: Positioning Analysis, Quickie Communications Planning
16 February Class: USA/Open Government/Sunshine, Rwanda and technology for traditional justice and reconciliation
USA: Open government, Part 1
General Issues of Access, Filtering, Transparency
- Chapters 2 & 3 of "Access Denied: the practice and policy of Global Internet Filtering" By Ronald Deibert
Rwanda
Toolbox: Control-Impact, Project Triangle, House of Quality
23 February Class: Class Cancelled
2 March Class: Midpoint review
- Midpoint assignment: Present your idea(s) for a final project in 5 minutes. You should have a draft problem statement, goal statement and should describe the type of project you want to pursue. As your problem statement should be a social or political problem, you will take this issue on as your case study for the rest of the semester, tracking developments, news and related projects. You will hereafter be required to update the class twice before the end of the semester on your issue and your project.
- You will also be responsible for contributing to the class wiki now and on an ongoing basis.
9 March Class: Midpoint continue
23 March Class: Toolbox: Information Architecture, Process diagrams, USA/Open government part 2
30 March Class: updates on Student projects, Individual Dynamics for Social Change
Suggested but not required:
- An Introduction of Game Theory. Martin Osborne.
6 April Class: Ethan Zuckerman and mobile development in developing countries, Group Dynamics for Social Change
Guest Ethan Zuckerman on blogging and mobile applications in the developing world
Social Group Dynamics
- Class Handout
- Small Worlds. Duncan Watts. Chapters 1 and 8.
- The Strategy of Conflict. Thomas Schelling. Chapter 4.
- Machiavellian Conflict; Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans. Eds. Richard Byrne and Andrew Whiten. Chapter 8.
- Introduction to Physical Anthropology. Robert Jurmain, Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan, Russell L. Ciochon.
Suggested but not required:
- The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making. Scott Plous.
- Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. John Seely Brown, Alan Collins, Paul Duguid. Educational Researcher. 1989.
- Perception of Risk. P. Slovic. 1987.
- Rating the Risks. Slovic, Fischhoff, Lichtenstein. 1979.
- The Evolution of Cooperation. R. Axelrod. 1984
- The Strategy of Conflict. Thomas Schelling. P. 90.
- Metropolitan Segregation. M. Grodzins.
- Feiring et al. 1984.
- The Evolution of Reciprocity in Sizable Groups. Boyd and Richerson.
- The Evolution of Indirect Reciprocity. Boyd and Richerson.
- The Small World Problem. Stanley Milgram.
- Bias towards over affiliation: Omar and Edelman 1975. Sluckin and Smith 1977. Pickert and Wall 1981.
13 April Class MORNING: Haiti, Student updates, Bad Actor Dynamics
Haiti
Background
What did Christina do there?
Bad and Good Actor Dynamics
- Constructive Conflicts. Louis Kriesberg. Chapters 3, 6, 7.
- Personal privacy and public diplomacy In a special edition recorded live at the Science Museum's Dana Centre, Aleks Krotoski is joined by coder Austin Heap and Christina Zaba of NO2ID to talk about privacy, surveillance and online censorship
- Somalia's text message insurgency
- The Prince. Niccolò Machiavelli.
- The Golden Triangle of Group Dynamics
- Stir it Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy. Rinku Sen. Chapter 2, and review all the "worksheets" throughout the book.
- Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals. Saul Alinsky. Chapters entitled "Of Means and Ends", "A Word about Words," and "The Education of an Organizer."
- Critical Mass: How one thing leads to another. Philip Ball. Chapters 3, 6, 7, 12, 13.
- Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. John Sternman. Chapter 1.
- The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations. James Surowiecki.
- Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. Charles Mackay.
Suggested but not required:
13 April Class EVENING: Dynamics of Revolutions
Revolutions
Suggested but not required:
- A Life In Peace And War. Brian Urquhart.
- Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World. Samantha Power.
- Weavers of Revolution: The Yarur Workers and Chile's Road to Socialism. Peter Winn.
- The House of the Spirits. Isabel Allende.
- Les Miserables. Victor Hugo.
20 April Class: Final Presentations
27 April Class: Final Presentations
