Digital Civil Society

A vibrant civil society is a core component of democratic life. 'Civil society' includes social movements, grassroots activism, philanthropists, unions, nonprofits, NGOs, charities, informal associational life, and cooperatives, among others. In this course, students interrogate how civil society is evolving in a world of pervasive digitization and data collection. The class takes a global perspective and historical approach. We will explore how civil society has played pivotal roles in developing digital technologies - as well as how these technologies shaped civil society in different ways across the world. We will analyze how communities develop strategies to mitigate digital harms and actively promote values, organizations, regulation, and design that support the equitable and emancipatory use of technology. Topics covered in the class include: tech workers unionizing, advocacy about digital ID, the human labor behind content moderation, and community-led efforts to address the digital divide. The course is global in scope (we will read authors and study cases from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa), taught by a multidisciplinary team (communication, STS, education, history), and is committed to a syllabus inclusive of the scholarship, knowledge, and voices of marginalized communities.