This document provides an introduction to a course on cyberpolitics. It discusses the following key points: 1. The course will explore the relationship between cyberspace, politics, democracy and civil society using theories around network society, public sphere, and social movements. 2. Students will analyze internet culture and practices in the context of knowledge production and global information society. 3. Topics to be covered include internet governance, censorship, free software movements, and using new media for social mobilization. 4. Assessment will include quizzes, a group project, participation, and a final exam. The goal is interactive learning and discussion.

1. Cyberpolitics Week One: Introduction to the course (Sep 7)

2. Ms.Lam Oi Wan 林藹雲 www.inmediahk.net www.globalvoiceso nline.org [email_address] com Twitter & facebook: oiw an

3. Course description (note1): The course explores the relation between cyberspace and politics, in particular, the relation and the development of the Internet, democracy and civil society. The course examines how practices in the Internet generate a contesting terrain among dissident and state power, citizen and sub-citizen, new labour and global corporate by 1. employing theories around network society, public sphere, social movement and media studies; 2. by researching on or practicing online tools. Students will be guided to observe and analyze Internet culture and practices under the context of knowledge production of the global information society.

4. Theoretical Framework: 1. The development of Internet technology and network society - Castells' network society framework 2. Internet technology, public sphere and democracy - Habermas’ theory on public sphere 3. Beyond technological determinism - critical theory and political process 4. The virtual and the real - identity and subjectivity issue

5. Practices 1. Culture and economy of sharing vs knowledge monopoly 2. Copyrights, Copyleft and Creative Commons 3. Free software movement and open source community 4. Grassroots media 5. Social mobilization

6. Internet governance 1. Internet governance and censorship debate 2. Development of the Internet in China

7. Project topics: 1. Internet (self)censorship practice in Hong Kong forum A research on the moderation of information by webmaster. 2. Social network mobilization The students are to identify characters and factors that contribute to the success and failure of a social network mobilization. 3. New media culture and actors in Hong Kong Students have to observe major social gatherings and interview participants in order to sketch the culture of local new media peers. 4. Comparative study on Internet censorship against indecency Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Germany, Japan and the U.S 5. New media citizen reporting project The students have to reflect upon a citizen reporting experience.

8. Assessment scheme 1. Small Quiz - 30% M.C or short questions 2. Project presentation and report- 30% 3. Big Quiz - 20% 4. Participation and discussion - 20%

9. Weekly Schedule

10. New on this year - more stress on participation and interaction - reading and quiz - workshop - some technical skills and practices - project topics rather than free choices - open book class exam - powerpoint and guest :) - interactive class - please ask question, give suggestion and feedback (what do you want to learn?)

11. Cyber and cybernetics Greek prefix: Kuber MIT professor: Norbert Wiener

12. A note on politics

13. Cyberpolitics - Relation and interaction between techno-political space, actors and social-political structure

14. Internet History

15. 1958: Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)

16. 1964: Paul Baran and the Packet-switched network system

17. 1969: APRANET -the First LOGs: UCLA--Stanford Multics and Unix

18. 1970: Network Control Program (NCP) finalized 1972: First demonstration at an international conference on computer communication

19. 1973: Oil Crisis

20. Feb 1978: Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS) by Ward Christensen in Chicago.

21. 1978: the International Packet Switched Service (IPSS) established by UK based consortium (British post office and Telnet, etc) 1981: Networks grow from Europe, the U.S, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia 1983: TCP/IP replaced NCP 1985: National Science Foundation commissioned - 56Kb/S - 1.5Mb/S network 1988: Opening of the network to commercial interest - OS based on UNIX and Usernet

22. 1989: World Wide Web - Tim Berners-Lee 1991: CERN publicized first website

23. What do we learn from the history of Internet? 1. What are the forces behind the development? 2. Who are the main actors in shaping the Internet? 3. What changes does the new technology bring to the existing structure and the actors?

24. Next week: Prepare discussion for reading

25. An anthropological introduction to youtube by Michael Wesch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU