Postgraduate Course: Technologies of Civic Participation (STIS11003)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course introduces students to the concepts of civil society and explores the relationship between the civil sphere and the technologies of the digital age. According to Bruce Sievers, civil society is the sphere in which privatized visions of the public good play out to shape the social agenda. While digital tools may help civil society flourish, many of todays digital infrastructures are controlled by commercial companies or governments that do not have civic interests in mind. In this context, how can we foster civil society and democratic participation justly and ethically through digital media? Conversely, how might civil society design digital technologies that reflect and drive civic agendas? |
| Course description |
This course will examine the social, political, and economic aspects of digital technologies. We will explore concepts such the commons, privacy, anonymity, and freedom of speech and protest in both democratic and more authoritarian contexts. We will also look at how these civic concepts drive the designs of new technologies to fulfil civic and activist goals. The course consists of three interwoven themes:
1. The interconnected, dynamic relationship between civil society and technology
2. The social, economic, political, and technical dimensions of digital technologies
3. How civil society actors can design technologies to better reflect civic values
Over five weeks, students will be guided with insights from recorded lectures, readings and online synchronous discussion. Students will have the possibility to explore and develop case study materials with different approaches (citizen sensing, collaborative journalism, platform co-operativism, digital witnessing, privacy activism, and many others) that facilitate civic values and societal critique. The course also includes delivery of a hands-on tutorial on use of one social media data analytics software (no prior technical knowledge required).
This course provides delegates with skills to (1) compare and interpret different visions and strategies regarding how technologies may support civic participation;
(2) reflect critically on uses and designs of technologies of civic participation; and (3) engage with new practices emerging around tracing activist movements and social media data streams.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the historical context and theoretical underpinnings of a wide range of STS and social science research focused on digital technologies, civil society and social movements.
- Critically apply theoretical and empirical material from STS and social science research to contemporary social issues relating to civic technologies.
- Communicate through empirically grounded and theoretically informed written work, discussions and presentations, their understanding of digital technologies, activism and social movements.
- Undertake and critically analyse a data scraping exercise that captures internet data streams.
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Reading List
Tilly and Tarrow (2015) Contentious Politics. Oxford University Press. [access e-book through library]
Bennett and Segerberg, The Logic of Connective Action in Digital Media and the Personalization of Contentious Politics , pp. 19 - 54 [access e-book through library]
Tufekci Z. . Introduction AND Ch 1. A Networked Public. Twitter and Tear Gas: the Power and Fragility of Networked Protest / Zeynep Tufekci. Yale University Press; 2017. [access e-book through library]
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will develop key theoretical knowledge and critical understanding through readings, discussion, case study analysis and written weekly reflections on core texts (SCQF characteristic 1 & 2).
Students will gain cognitive skills by conducting desktop research on one case study, analysed in relation to the course literature and themes (SCQF characteristic 2).
Students will develop communication skills by interacting with academic staff and their peers and by delivering a final presentation to the course organiser (SCQF characteristic 3 & 4)
Students will gain autonomy and accountability by writing weekly reflections and a final paper (SCQF characteristics 3& 4).
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Morgan Currie
Tel: (0131 6)50 6394
Email: morgan.currie@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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