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Politics of the Internet: Governance, Policy-making and Democracy
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:24:20
Abstract
This course aims to provide students with a general introduction to the salient issues surrounding the relationship between the Internet and Politics. It is structured around two broad questions. Firstly, how has politics affected the evolution of the internet both in the past and in the present? And secondly, how does the internet affect traditional forms of political activity and mobilisation?
Objective
At the end of the course students will be expected a) to have a basic familiarity with the Internet’s underlying technology and b) to have an in-depth understanding of the most salient political and policy issues at stake. One of the primary learning objectives will be to introduce students to a wider range of inter-disciplinary literature in order to achieve a better theoretical and empirical understanding of the interactions between technology and politics. Thus, although the course will draw heavily on the discipline of political science, students will also be exposed to a variety of paradigms in the social sciences including: law, sociology, economics , history, technology studies, international relations. Finally, seminars will be structured so as to facilitate in class-discussion with a view to encouraging students to critically reflect on the issues and articulate well-grounded arguments.
Content
This course aims to provide students with a general introduction to some of the most salient issues surrounding the relationship between the Internet and Politics. It is structured around two broad but interrelated questions. Firstly, how has politics affected the evolution of the internet both in the past and in the present? And secondly, how does the internet affect traditional forms of political activity and mobilisation? To this end the course will focus on three substantive domains: 1) the governance of the internet's technological architecture; 2) the internet's impact on a number of policy domains (e.g. copyright, privacy, surveillance and security, digital divide, etc.) and 3) the use of the internet as a potential tool for enhancing participation and democratic governance. The course is open to students from a variety of backgrounds and does not presuppose any particular technical knowledge. PART I: THEORIES AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMES Week 1 Introduction Week 2 Theorizing Institutional Change and the Information Society PART II: GOVERNANCE OF THE INTERNET Week 3 The Evolution and Politicization of the Internet Week 4 Governance Dilemmas: The International Politics of the Internet PART III: INTERNET AND POLICY-MAKING Week 5 Internet Access and Digital Divide Week 6 Data Privacy and Government Surveillance of Cyberspace: The Politics of Protecting Personal Data Week 7 The Copyright Challenge Week 8 Internet Criminality: Illegal Content, Hackers, and Cyber Warfare PART IV: INTERNET AND DEMOCRACY Week 9 Theoretical Approaches to e-Democracy: Models of e-Democracy Week 10 New Social Movements and the Internet Week 11 Political Parties and the Internet Week 12 The Internet and New Modes of Political Participation Week 13 Applied Research/Case Studies Week 14 Final Grades
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Every two years
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Politics of the Internet: Governance, Policy-making and Democracy
**Course at Uni Zurich**
Place: KOL E 21
|
|
2 h weekly |