SI 532: Digital Government I:
Information Technology and Democratic Politics

School of Information, University of Michigan
Winter 2007 (First Half)

Instructor: Steven Jackson

OVERVIEW:

This 1.5 credit course is the first in a two-part sequence exploring contemporary practices, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of information technology and democratic governance.  Whereas the second course focuses on challenges and innovations in democratic administration, this first course focuses on theories and practices of democratic politics – and the shifting role of information technologies in shaping, transforming, and understanding these.  The first half of the course seeks to ground contemporary discussions around IT and politics in various flavors of democratic, political, and social theory.  The second half builds on this foundation to explore ways in which information and information technologies have come to support, constrain, and otherwise inflect a range of contemporary democratic practices.

REQUIREMENTS:

Short paper -- 40%
Project sketch / concept piece -- 40%
Seminar participation -- 20%

General seminar participation: This is intended as a serious (albeit large) graduate research seminar, and all the usual expectations apply: come thoroughly prepared and ready to discuss, and treat your colleagues in a respectful and appropriate manner.  While I will lecture from time to time, the quality of this, like any seminar experience, will depend largely on the work of you and your colleagues.  While there is no formal requirement for this, I’d encourage you to devote some time to serious note-taking during and after reading.

Syllabus (PDF download)