Media, Government and Social Change
PGMT 265
Media, Government and How Things Change in A Connected Society
Wednesdays, 7:10pm – 9:40pm
Brian Reich
617.417.9436
www.twitter.com/brianreich
www.facebook.com/brianreich
Office hours: Wednesday, 4:00pm – 6:00pm (Location TBD)
Course Description: This course will explore how technology and the internet have changed the way we get and share information as individuals, in networks and as a society – and what that means to the role that individuals, media, government and community play in the functioning of our society. The course will challenge students to apply that understanding of how individuals, media, government (as well as politics), and communities operate to develop strategies and solutions to real issues facing the United States and the world.
The Goals: The course is designed to give students an essential understanding of what drives change in our society, from an individual behavior, community, and social standpoint. Students will become knowledgeable about how government, the media, and other organizations engage individuals in today’s connected society, the challenges that new technology and new ways of getting and sharing information create, and how the role of individuals, the media, and government/organizations all change as a result. Lastly, the course is designed to allow students to apply their knowledge and understanding about how these forces impact media, government and how things change in society to develop new strategies and solutions to addressing serious challenges in our society. By the end of this course, students should be thinking differently about how to address serious issues in our society.
Pre-requisite. Students should feel comfortable communicating and finding information online – the level of knowledge should be sufficient for any professional in communications, political, or policy work. Knowledge, awareness, or interest in emerging trends in politics, government, community organizing, media, and/or digital communications are welcome.
Teaching and learning philosophy: This class is designed to teach students how to address complex problems in a highly connected society. We will be seeking to define, and refine, how organizations and individuals should pursue change in our society and the impact that technology and media have on that work. We will be addressing challenges that, in many cases, don’t have clearly outlined solutions. To be successful, you must be willing to think, collaborate, explore, and discuss ideas – with the professor and your classmates. You must be interested in solving problems, addressing serious issues, and having an impact.
The professor will provide facts and case studies, present ideas and concepts, and outline readings and other assignments. The professor will also facilitate and support an active discussion in the classroom and online, to support the learning process throughout the term.
Communication with professor: Students are encouraged to communicate regularly and actively with the professor, via email as well as during scheduled office hours. Students are invited to ask questions regarding class discussions, assignments, or materials. Students are also welcome to share ideas or materials, pose questions related to the broad issues addressed in the class, or just engage in conversation. NOTE: Information that has relevance to work being conducted by other students or that might contribute to the success of the overall class discussion, will be shared. If a student would like a conversation, question, or information to remain private, please indicate to the professor.
Student Expectations: The learning experience in a course like this one depends heavily on each student being prepared to actively participate in every class session. We are going to learn these issues and try to solve these problems together. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions, complete the assigned readings, pay attention to issues and happenings that relate to the class, and share ideas openly and regularly. Students are expected to complete all assignments on time. And, most importantly, students are expected to ask questions.
Classroom discussion: Students will be evaluated on the quantity as well as the quality of your contribution and insights to the class discussion. Quality comments a) contribute to moving the discussion forward, b) offer a different, unique and relevant perspective on the issue, c) build on comments of others, and d) demonstrate reflective thinking. Students are expected to listen and respect the opinions of their classmates, and the professor, but also challenge ideas and concepts that are raised. Students should also plan to review ideas shared by fellow students online, both in terms of articles and discussion papers.
Idea Sharing: Students are expected to share articles, blog posts, or other information with the class on a weekly basis. Students will be graded on the submission of information and the contribution that information (or accompanying comment that helps to provide context) provides to the class discussion. There is no limit to the number of articles or other information shared. A del.icio.us feed (or similar) will be available for students for this purpose.
Discussion papers: Students are required to write ten (10) discussion papers during the course of the semester. Students will also have an opportunity to write an additional paper for credit. Unless otherwise specified, the discussion paper should be a response to the readings for the week or the topics discussed in class. Papers should include some 1) analysis or evaluation of the readings or discussion (tear the ideas a part, give strengths or find problems/contradictions with the author’s arguments,), 2) an explanation of why you agree or disagree with the proposed strategy (challenge the views of the author, suggest an alternative perspective to that of a classmate), and 3) some attempt to apply the lessons or knowledge from the articles and discussion to the issues and challenges being discussed in class (propose your own solutions, suggest alternative ways to measure or interpret an issue). Each discussion paper should be between 450 and 650 words. Papers are due before the beginning of class each week. Students should email papers to the professor and post them online (as directed). A paper copy of the paper should be provided to the professor in class as well. An important part of your discussion paper will be references made to the assigned readings, or references to media coverage, blog posts, or other information that address the topics being discussed. These elements should be hyperlinked online and URLs included with the print copy.
Term Project: Students will be required to submit a major paper exploring the applications of the social theories and online trends discussed in class towards an issue of pressing concern in today’s culture. Students are expected to collect articles and books relating to the topic or issue of their term project (supplementing the assigned readings) beginning early in the term. If there is a shortage of written material about your topic, students should plan to conduct original research — do phone or email interviews with original sources for example. For the final paper, students will need to draw conclusions about the applications of the trends and theories on a particular issue or challenge. The final paper should be between 8,000 and 11,000 words. It should be a publication-quality paper. It should be copiously cited using APA format. Students are expected to submit a print copy of the final paper to the professor as well as an electronic copy. Papers may also be posted online (TBD).
There are four milestones associated with this term paper:
September 30: Student must select and present the issue or topic selected as the focus of their paper. Students should submit their issue or topic to the professor via email.
October 14: Students must submit an outline that shows the structure and focus of their paper and the plan for completing the research necessary for the paper.
November 11: Students must submit a draft version of the paper. The draft should be approximately half of the total term paper – roughly 5,000 words – and should focus on the historical and theoretical discussion in class (setting the stage for the specific strategic recommendations to address the issue or topic that will be found in the second half of the paper).
December 16: Final paper due
A list of suggested topics will be distributed along with additional guidelines for conducting the research and completing the project. Students will have an opportunity to present their term project ideas to the class for feedback and discussion.
Examples of possible topics for the term project:
Climate Change – Can you get an entire town to reduce its carbon footprint?
National Service – Can you compel people to give more of themselves?
Health – Can you help people lead healthier lives – eat better, exercise, etc?
Crisis – What should the management of the H1N1 flu pandemic look like?
Policy – How do you create better solutions to major social problems?
Government – How do you improve the functioning of our democracy?
Politics – How do you restore public faith in Congress, other elected officials?
Hunger – How do you change the way we feed people in this country?
Media – What does the future of journalism look like?
Grades Policy
Grades will be assigned based on the following guidelines (subject to change):
- Class participation: 25%
- Discussion Papers: 25%
- Idea Sharing: 10%
- Term Project: 40%
Students will be graded out of a possible 500 points for the term.
- Class participation will be measured on a weekly basis, as well as overall at the end of the term. Students can earn a total of 125 points during the semester — up to 10 points per week, for a total of 120 points, and an additional 5 points for their overall contribution to the class. Students will be graded on their contribution – everyone is expected to listen, share ideas, ask questions, challenge their classmates and the professor, etc and students will be graded accordingly.
- Discussion papers will be graded on a weekly basis, as well as given an overall grade at the end of the term. Students can earn a total of 125 points during the semester — 10 points per required assignment, 10 points for writing a bonus paper, and an additional 5 points for the overall quality and shape of work.
- Idea sharing will be measured on a per-item-submitted basis. Students can earn a total of 50 points (2 point per article, up to 25 articles during term) — 2 points for each article shared. One point will be awarded for the submission of the article and one point will be awarded if the article makes a reasonable contribution to the class discussion. If a student submits a duplicate of information provided by a classmate, they will not receive credit (so pay attention).
- The term project will be graded in three parts: 75 points for research, 75 points for argument/quality of writing, and 50 points for presentation (format, supporting materials, style). A student can earn a total of 200 points for their project.
CLASS OVERVIEW
PART I (of III). Theories of Media; Structures of Government; Drivers of Change.
Session I (September 2, 2009): Why are we here?
Discussion: The first class will focus on two things:
Class structure: An overview and discussion of the goals for the course, the format of the class discussion, graded assignments, expectations of the professor and students, and other details.
Introduction: How everything is changing – how people get and share information, what we see as valuable and how we spend our time. As a result, how we consume media, what we expect of our government, the role we play in our community or potential impact we have on our society – all are changing as well. What is happening and why is it important? Who are we and what expectations do we have?
Assignment: Students will conduct a personal media consumption study and provide analysis:
Part 1: Keep track of how you get and share information over an average 24-hours period. What tools do you use? What information do you consume? How satisfying is the media experience?
Part 2: Tell your personal media story, describing your exposure to media from childhood to today. What did you watch and read – and why? When and how much media did you consume – and why? How important was/is media in your life? Do you create media – why? What are your current media preferences – what do you watch and read and listen to — and why?
Session II (September 9, 2009): Putting media, government, and change in context.
Discussion: What do we mean when we talk about media, government, and social change – and why are we talking about them in this class? What are the origins of these groups, and how do they exist today? What must we understand about their history to properly address the challenges of today, and into the future?
Assignment: What issues relating to media, governance, and social change are most important? Is progress being made? What challenges must still be addressed? Pick three, rank them, and explain.
Readings:
Article: Personal Mediated Communication and the Concept of Community in Theory and Practice by James E. Katz (http://www.scribd.com/doc/269973/community-online-love-rice)
This chapter reviews theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of community, explores how personal mediated communication may be affecting the creation, processes, and fates of communities, and considers how the power of mediated communication technologies might alter traditional theories of communities.
Book: Information and American Democracy: Technology in the Evolution of Political Power by Bruce Bimber (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
A comprehensive evaluation of the internet in American Democracy including an overview of how past developments in American history offer important lessons for understanding how the internet is affecting politics today.
Book: Mass Media In A Changing World by George Rodman (2006)
The story of where the media came from, why they do what they do, and why those actions cause controversies.
Session III (September 16, 2009): How do people learn, make decisions, and take action?
Discussion: What is known about how people learn? Why do people form communities? What role does technology play in learning or community building – and how might that knowledge help when trying to understand how to create change? Have learning and community building changed because of technology? What still remains the same?
Assignment: Identify and discuss a community movement, a grassroots effort – and why it was successful, or where it fell short.
Option A: Identify a successful community or movement and analyze a) how success was measured or defined, b) what led to the creation of the movement, and c) what success can be attributed to.
Option B: Identify a community or movement that you think has not been success and analyze a) how you define failure, b) what is still needed for this effort to be considered successful, or this issue to be fully addressed, and c) what failure can be attributed to.
Readings:
Article: How We Learn by Alison Gopnik (New York Times, January 16, 2005)
When we talk about learning, we really mean two quite different things, the process of discovery and of mastering what one discovers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/education/edlife/EDSCIENCE.html
Video: Howard Rheingold on Collaboration (TED Talk)
Howard Rheingold talks about the coming world of collaboration, participatory media and collective action — and how Wikipedia is really an outgrowth of our natural human instinct to work as a group.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
Book: The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, by Mancur Olson. Pages 1-52. Available via Google Books.
Olson investigates the economic incentives and disincentives for group formation, especially political and trade organizations. His conclusion is that individuals are led to act in a self-interested manner that interferes with any desire to work toward a collective good.
Book: The Evolution of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod (Chapter 1, Chapter 7, Chapter 8). Available via Google Books.
The Evolution of Cooperation provides valuable insights into the age-old question of whether unforced cooperation is ever possible. This classic book explores how cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking egoists-whether superpowers, businesses, or individuals-when there is no central authority to police their actions. The problem of cooperation is central to many different fields.
Session IV (September 23, 2009): How do we change minds?
Discussion: By knowing how people think, we can design choice environments that make it easier for people to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their society. What must we understand? How can we apply that knowledge?
Assignment: What do people say is important to them when making choices? What do you think is really important? Analyze how people choose what to buy, who to vote for (and similar) and what role media, organizations, and other outside forces have on that. Identify three, rank them, and explain.
Readings:
Book: Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sustein
Nudge lays out the groundwork for the science of choice architecture in investing, insurance, health care delivery, and other areas and argues that choices must be structured to make it more likely that a decision maker will select what is considered the most beneficial option, without impairing the ability to decision makers to select other options.
Book: Persuasion and Social Movements by Charles J. Stewart, Craig Allen Smith and Robert E. Denton Jr.
This book provides a solid foundation for understanding how people have collectively shaped society and where future efforts may lead.
Book: Politics and Communication in America: Campaigns, Media, and Governing in the 21st Century by Robert E. Denton, Jr. and Jim A. Kuypers
An overview of how communication provides the basis of social cohesion, issue discussion, and legislative enactment — core features of political activity and governing in the United States.
Case Studies:
- The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use
This monograph summarizes what we have learned about the ability of the media to encourage and discourage tobacco use.
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/19/monograph19.html
- Mega Churches: Willow Creek Community Church (A, B, and C) by Leonard Schlesinger and James Mellado
Describes the historic evolution and current positioning of a Christian church, which focuses on the attraction of “unchurched” individuals. Describes the church’s strategic service vision and its current growth and leadership problems.
PART II (of III). How Everything Is Changing
Session V (October 7, 2009): Why Media Rules! And What You Are Doing Isn’t Working Anymore
Discussion: Technology (and the Internet) has become an essential part of everyday life and changed the way we relate to information, and each other. Audiences are more connected, diverse, and sophisticated than ever before. We now have greater interest in, and control over, our information consumption and experience. These changes drive adoption and usage of new media — resulting in different newspaper reading, television watching and radio listening habits, as well as new communications models, shifts in how people shop and engage brands, support charitable organizations, volunteerism and the expectations they hold for how organizations will act (read: transparency). What does it all mean?
Assignment: How do the various ways that different audiences and communities get and share information impact how an issue is understood or a movement created? How are today’s methods for educating, engaging, and mobilizing these audiences differ from previous generations? Compare two audiences/communities.
Readings:
Book: Media Rules!: Mastering Today’s Technology To Connect With And Keep Your Audience by Brian Reich and Dan Solomon
This book provides you with a framework for understanding this dynamic world and offers guidance on how to create new models to better serve your audience and harness the full potential that technology provides.
Book: Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics by Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais
The authors argue that the prospect of Millennials using their numbers, values, commitments, and sociopolitical networking to effect change and demand new political leadership must not be underestimated.
Book: Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser
This book explores the legal and social ramifications of the Internet with regard to the generation of “Digital Natives” born after 1980.
Article: The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy
Thompson describes the experience of using Facebook and Twitter and explores several theories about the impact of continuous sharing of daily details, the incessant online contact – what scientist are calling “ambient awareness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?_r=1
Article: “What are we doing on-line,” by John Barlow, Sven Birkerts, Kevin Kelly, Mark Slouka Harper’s (1995)
Although considerable attention has been directed to the superficial aspects of the on-line world–its entertainment value, its investment opportunities, its possible abuse by child pornographers and drug runners–little has been said about how this tool we are shaping is, in turn, shaping us.
Session VI (October 14, 2009): Why Communities and Networks Matter, And How They Can/Should Be Used to Get Things Done.
Discussion: Engaging people requires more than education – organizations today must listen, introduce themselves and issues, educate the audience, as well as engage and inspire their audience. People feel empowered when they recognize that they can make systematic changes. How is collective action created and mobilized – offline and online? How can we apply technology to address society’s most compelling social problems? What role can (or must) community play? How much impact can be expected?
Assignment: Identify of community – one you are a part of – and talk about your membership. Why did you join? What do you get out of the community? What motivates you to act on behalf of the community?
Readings:
Article: Social Technology And Democracy by danah boyd.
As we consider how technology can be used to engage people in democracy, it is important to encourage diverse groups to connect and affect one another without overwhelming individuals. People must be able to find personal significance in the process. To be successful, technology must support people in negotiating their identity, relationships and community as part of the political process.
http://www.danah.org/papers/ExtremeDemocracy.pdf
Article: How Online Social Networks Benefit Organizations by Lisa Kimball
This article gives the arguments why online social networking is a key part of management strategy for most organizations, thus bringing a sustainable competitive advantage to the company. However, some of the statements rest on dubious assumptions so I am looking forward to discuss this article with you.
http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/osn.pdf
Article: “Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web,” by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li (MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2008)
People are connecting with one another in increasing numbers, thanks to blogs, social networking sites like MySpace and countless communities across the web. Some companies are learning to turn this growing groundswell to their advantage.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13408144/Harnessing-the-Power-of-the-OhSoSocial-Web
Book: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
Blogs, wikis and other Web 2.0 accoutrements are revolutionizing the social order — the web is changing our world, creating a culture in which more people than ever can participate, share and collaborate, ideas and information.
Book: Who Governs in an Interconnected World? By Helen McCarthy, Paul Miller, Paul Skidmore, eds,
Networks are the most important organisational form of our time, but are often mis-used and misunderstood. In this collection of essays, leading thinkers show how we can unlock their full potential.
http://www.demos.co.uk/files/networklogic.pdf
Article: Network Capital: an Expression of Social Capital in a Network Society by Manuel Acevedo
This article deals with an emerging type of social capital which is labeled as ‘network capital’. It is formed from collaborative practices emerging from e-enabled human networks. It is proposed that network capital is a specific type of social capital in the Network Society, and that it holds significant value for the advancement of human development around the world.
http://ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/viewPDFInterstitial/267/350
Session VIII (October 21, 2009): The New Media
Discussion: Digital technologies have fundamentally altered the nature and function of media in our society, reinventing age-old practices of public communication and at times circumventing traditional media and challenging its privileged role as gatekeepers of news and entertainment. Further, with the growth of the Internet and common access to technology, it is increasingly difficult to clearly mark the boundaries between professional journalists and anyone with the means to spread information about what they see, hear, or think.
Assignment: Critique and deconstruct multiple examples of a single media source. Review a series of issues or episodes from a magazine, news broadcast, website, etc. For example, look at 3 issues of Time Magazine or The Atlantic Monthly or 3 broadcasts of NBC News or Marketplace on NPR, 3 editions of the Seattle Times or the New York Times. Consider what impact the media has on your understanding of an issue. Were you aware of the issues raised in the media before you found it? Did you learn anything new, or form a different opinion because of what you read/watched/listened to? Did you share it with a friend or neighbor – if yes, why, and how? How did production techniques or distribution channels shape your perception?
Readings:
Article: Word of Mouse by Rory O’Connor
We live in a media-saturated era, one in which news and information from a wide range of sources is readily available to most Americans for the first time in history. This unparalleled information access, although empowering, is also disruptive and presents its own unique set of issues and challenges, both to journalists and to society as a whole.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rory-oconnor/word-of-mouse_b_166325.html
Article: Jessica Clark and Paul Aufderheide, “Public Media 2.0: Dynamic, Engaged Publics”
Public broadcasting, newspapers, magazines, and network newscasts have all played a central role in our democracy, informing citizens and guiding public conversation. But the top-down dissemination technologies that supported them are being supplanted by an open, many-to-many networked media environment. What platforms, standards, and practices will replace or transform legacy public media?
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/public_media_2_0_dynamic_engaged_publics/
Article: Principles for a New Media Literacy by Dan Gillmor
The article proposes rethinking, or at least reapplying, some older cultural norms in modern ways.
http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/12/27/principles-for-a-new-media-literacy
Article: News and Information As Digital Media Come of Age by Persephone Miel
The transformation of the media world is well underway, facilitated by the spread of digital tools. A myriad of innovative new media organizations have sprung up to take advantage of the opportunities that stem from low-cost distribution networks. Meanwhile the economic base of many of the large media companies continues to erode. Despite the demonstrated success of many new media enterprises, the euphoria over the rise of participatory media has been tempered by concerns over the quality and credibility of online media, the possible fragmentation of audiences, a decline in editorial standards and the persistent challenge of effectively reporting the news.
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Overview_MR.pdf
Article: We Media by Shayne Bowman
How Audiences of the future will shape how we get information
http://www.mediacenter.org/pages/mc/research/we_media/
Session IX (October 28, 2009): The New Politics
Discussion: Some believe the Internet changes everything; new communities are formed, more information is available, and greater transparency is unavoidable. Others see the Internet as changing little at all—governments continue to use military force and economic influence to assert control and in the end these forces will prevail. Actually, both are occurring.
Assignment: Critique and deconstruct a political issue or campaign. Identify a major political campaign effort currently underway. Review the media coverage, campaign materials, broader presentation of the issue, and tactics. Is it working? Is it compelling to you (assuming you are the audience)? What works? What doesn’t? What needs to change?
Readings:
Book: Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press by Eric Boehlert
An insider’s look at how blogging and instant access media is changing politics today.
Article: “How Obama Really Did It” by David Talbot (MIT Technology Review, September/October 2008)
The social-networking strategy that took an obscure senator to the doors of the White House
Article: How the internet Put Barack Obama In The White House by Colin Delany
Barack Obama elected president in 2008? Inconceivable without the internet — and that’s not just a web-guy’s brag.
http://techpresident.com/node/6489
Article: How Obama Killed Election Day and Became The Next President by Pete Snyder (AdAge)
The simple fact is that Obama and his campaign chiefs understood two of the most significant (but little talked about) changes of this campaign cycle – and used it to delivery victory.
http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=132250
Article: Campaigns in A Web 2.0 World by David Carr and Brian Stelter
Not since 1960, when John F. Kennedy won in part because of the increasingly popular medium of television, has changing technology had such an impact on the political campaigns and the organizations covering them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/business/media/03media.html
Article: Propelled by the Internet, Barack Obama Wins by Sarah Lai Stirland
Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States because of his campaign’s command of the Internet as a fund-raising and organizing tool.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/11/propelled-by-in/
Book: Civic Life Online by Lance Bennett. Available on Google Books.
Young people today have grown up living substantial portions of their lives online, seeking entertainment, social relationships, and a place to express themselves. It is clear that participation in online communities is important for many young people, but less clear how this translates into civic or political engagement. This volume examines the relationship of online action and real-world politics.
Session X (November 4, 2009): The New Social Change
Discussion: Technology and the internet have been a source of entertainment, information, and communication since the Web became available to the American public in 1994 – but today, we are beginning to measure real growth and discover new directions for the Internet as a comprehensive tool that can change the world.
Assignment: Critique and deconstruct a social change effort or campaign. Identify a major social change effort currently underway. Review the media coverage, campaign materials, broader presentation of the issue, and tactics. Is it working? Is it compelling to you (assuming you are the audience)? What works? What doesn’t? What needs to change?
Readings:
Article: Advancing Social Entrepreneurship by Andrew Wolk
This report includes findings about the link between social entrepreneurship and government, specific case examples, and five recommended roles for government leaders seeking to unleash the power of innovation and entrepreneurship in social problem solving. It also outlines 13 specific recommendations and models that help illustrate how such partnerships can be carried out.
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/AdvSocEntrp%20FINAL.pdf
Study: Volunteering in America (Corporation for National and Community Service)
As the nation continues to face an economic crisis, volunteers may be needed more now than ever. Many nonprofits are facing the challenge of increased demand for services at the same time they face the problem of diminished resources. In response, many are turning more to volunteers who can provide vital support to help them continue to meet growing needs. New research shows that despite all the additional stresses of a difficult economy, volunteers are still serving. Full study available via www.volunteeringinamerica.gov
Session XI (November 11, 2009): The New Government
Discussion: Is government getting the job done? If not, what needs to change? How does transparency uproot the traditional practices of government? How do you create an open government? And once you have an open government, how do you make sure you are actually getting something accomplished?
Assignment: Critique and deconstruct a government program or legislative effort. Identify a major government initiative currently underway. Review the media coverage, campaign materials, broader presentation of the issue, and tactics. Is it working? Is it compelling to you (assuming you are the audience)? What works? What doesn’t? What needs to change?
Readings:
Article: “Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneur Developing Solutions to Social Problems, A Report to the President” by Andrew Wolk
This chapter introduces city, state, and federal government officials to social entrepreneurship.
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/sbe_07_ch06.pdf
Article: The First We President by Brian Reich
For President Obama, We Media is about using technology to establish lines of communication and intelligence gathering, not just with the world’s leaders and influencers but with ordinary citizens too. With access to ideas, knowledge and insight from everywhere, the president can open and reinvent the process of government itself.
http://wemedia.s3.amazonaws.com/papers/tp/ifocos_wm_wepresident.pdf
Book: Rebooting America
The Personal Democracy Forum presents an anthology of forty-four essays brimming with the hopes of reenergizing, reorganizing, and reorienting our government for the Internet Age. How would completely reorganizing our system of representation work? Is it possible to redesign our government with open doors and see-through walls? How can we leverage the exponential power of many-to-many deliberation for the common good?
http://rebooting.personaldemocracy.com/files/Rebooting_America.pdf
Article: Digital Media, Democracy and Diversity by Ernest Wilson
This essay on debates about democracy and media describes the communities of practice of each communication medium and their respective definitions of the relationship between media and democracy.
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Digital%20Media_MR.pdf
PART III (of III): Pulling It All Together
Session XII (November 18, 2009): Getting Things Done (or not as the case may be)
Discussion: Can we bring about meaningful, measurable change? What does real change look like? How is it measured? Who needs to be involved? Are all the movements, campaigns, online and offline efforts that generate attention and action making a difference?
Assignment: What are the largest issues facing our society still – and what are the desired goals/outcomes for addressing them? Rank the top three and compare your view of why these issues are most important to how those issues are addressed in the media, by government, and by groups/organizations organizing campaigns.
Readings:
Article: Why Isn’t the Brain Green by Jon Gertner (New York Times Sunday Magazine)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/magazine/19Science-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine
Article: Revolution, Facebook Style by Samantha Shapiro (New York Times Sunday Magazine)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/magazine/25bloggers-t.html
Article: Habermas Heritage: the future of the public sphere in the network society,by Pieter Broder (First Monday, volume 10, number 9)
The notion of the public sphere is not a static one, but subject to change. This article explores how the theoretical concept of the public sphere is being used to work out viable options for a digital future and models for positive change.
http://131.193.153.231/www/issues/issue10_9/boeder/index.html
Article: “The Daily We: Is the Internet really a blessing for democracy?” By Cass R. Sunstein (Boston Review, October 20, 2003)
What if all this access to information that digital networks afford has an unintended side-effect of amplifying polarization? What if the proliferation of sources of news, opinion, pseudo-news, rumor, and propaganda means that we each now have the power to pay attention only to the people we agree with? http://www.bostonreview.net/BR26.3/sunstein.html
Article: The Practical Republic: Social Skills and the Progress of Citizenship by Phil Agre
Whether you are a person in power, a person trying to put someone in power, a person trying to influence those in power, or a powerless person trying to make your way in society, your effectiveness depends on your ability to communicate.
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/republic.html
Article: Champions of Participation – America Speaks
Federal managers and staff from 23 different agencies and offices across the federal government recommended that the President’s Open Government Directive create a new government-wide structure that will transform how the government involves the American people in key decision making. http://www.americaspeaks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=888
Session XIII (December 2, 2009): Discuss Term Projects
Discussion: Students will present their term project ideas and the class will discuss.
Assignment: None
Readings: None