Culture, Law, and Politics of Information Policy

Catalog description

This course will address a wide range of information policy issues and their relationship to governance, government, and governmentality. While focused primarily on American political culture, it will include some international comparisons, particularly in areas such as privacy (both government surveillance and consumer), anti-trust, and regulatory compliance. We will also discuss information security, intellectual property, algorithmic fairness, (dis)misinformation, and, with emphasis, content moderation of social media platforms. Course outcomes will include familiarity with law and policy of the internet; a foundational understanding the market, social, legal, and technical dynamics that shape information policy; and, finally, how those dynamics affect the U.S. political landscape.