Rey Koslowski Political Science 368

Associate ProfessorTTH 10:15-11:35 AM

Political ScienceHUM 24

University at AlbanyOffice Hours:

201 Milne HallT 11:35–1:30in HUM 16

T: 518-442-5314(and by appt.)

Information Technology and World Politics

Preliminary Syllabus

This upper-level undergraduate course provides a broad overview of the information revolution and its impact on global politics. We will examine previous episodes of transformative changes in communications to place contemporary changes in a broader historical context, examine the development ofnew information technologies and consider theoretical explorations of the relationship between information technologies and world politics. The bulk of the course, however, will examine the practical impact of the information revolution on state sovereignty, democratization, international political economy, national security,diplomacy, and international organization with a particular emphasis on the information technologies used to run government agencies and other public sector organizations.

Prerequisites:

There are no course prerequisites for this class, however, POS 102 Introduction to Comparative and International Politics is recommended. Students who have not studied international relations may consult with the instructor for some additional background for some additional background readings.

There are no technical prerequisitesother than a willingness to learn new skills and devote the necessary time and energy to do so. Students are expected to have internet access through UAlbany or an alternative internet service provider. Students will need to learn Microsoft basic features of web authoring tools if they have not already done so. The primary object of the course, however, is not technical training. Rather, it is to help students to become better end users of information technology and to understand its wider economic and political consequences.

Texts (available at the UAlbany Bookstore):

Andrew Chadwick,Internet Politics: States, Citizens, and New Communication Technologies (OxfordUniversity Press, New York and Oxford, 2006).

Thomas Freidman, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007).

Gregory G. Curtin, Michael H. Sommer and Veronica Vis-Sommer, eds. The World of E-Government (Hawthorn Press, 2003).

Course Requirements and Grading:

Mid-term Examabout 30%

Presidential candidate website evaluationabout 10%

e-government website evaluationabout 10%

Final Examabout 40%

Class participation (including quizzes) about 10%

Late assignments will be penalized. Students must properly reference allsources, including assigned readings, in allwritten assignments. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated.

Schedule of classes, readings and assignments:

Introduction

1/24 Course overview

Part I Information Revolutions

1/29Communications revolutions, the “global village”and the “flat world”

“Johannes Gutenberg,” Wikipedia

“Marshall McLuhan” Wikipedia

“Global village” Wikipedia

Friedman, Ch. 1 (pp. 3-50).

1/31The PC revolution

Friedman, “Flattener #1: 11/9/89 (pp. 51-60).

Screening of “The Triumph of the Nerds: an irreverent history of the PC industry”

Transcript of the documentary can be found at:

2/4The Internet and the World Wide Web

Chadwick, chs. 1, 3

Friedman, “Flatteners #2, #3 (pp. 60-93).

2/7Open-source movement, online collaboration

Friedman, “Flattener#4: Uploading” (pp. 93 -126), “Flattener #9: Informing” (pp. 176-185)

Kevin Kelly, “We are the web” Wired, 13.08 August 2005

Lab: Research using the web

2/12Globalization

Friedman, “Flattener # 5: Outsourcing; Flattener #6: Offshoring; Flattener #7 Supply-Chaining;Flattener #8 Insourcing (pp. 126-175);” Flattener #10 The Steroids” (pp. 185-199).

Friedman, Chs. 3, 4 (pp. 200-259)

Alan S., Blinder, “Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution?”Foreign Affairs, Mar/Apr2006,

2/14 Nanotechnology

Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, Ch. 1

Ralph Merkle,A brief introduction to the core concepts of molecular nanotechnology

“Small wonders,”“Downsizing,” and “Apply here,” in Economist Jan. 1, 2005

“Nanoelectronics: A new type of computer memory,”Economist, May 8, 2003

Steve Hamm, “IBM's Chip Breakthrough Businessweek,” May 3, 2007.


“Introduction”College of Nanoscale Science and Engineeringof the Universityat Albany

2/21Conceptual issues

Chadwick ch. 2

Lab: Demonstration of web authoring tools.

Assignment: Students build their own website.

2/26 Ethical questions

Bill Joy, "Why the future doesn't need us" Wired April 2000

“Fear and loathing” and “Handle with care,”Economist; Jan. 1, 2005

Friedman, Ch. 14 (pp. 515-530).

Part II The Information Revolution, Democracy and the State

2/28The Global Digital Divide

Assignment due: submit website URL

Chadwick ch. 4

Allen L. Hammond, “Digitally Empowered Development,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2001

Charles Kenny “Development’s False Divide,” Foreign Policy Jan/Feb 2003

3/4Interest Groups and Social Movements

Chadwick, Ch 6

Friedman,Chs. 12-13 (pp. 477-514).

3/6Democratic Participation, Parties, Candidates, and Elections

ChadwickCh. 5, 7

Matthew R. Kerbel and Joel David Bloom,“Blog for America and Civic Involvement,” Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Oct. 2005 (10:3-27).

Assignment due: Presidential candidate website evaluation

3/11Global economic competition among states

Friedman, Ch. 5-8 (pp. 263-403)

3/13Mid-term Exam

Part III E-government

3/18e-government: Basic concepts and cross-national comparisons

Chadwick, ch. 7

Vivienne Jupp, “Realizing the Vision of E-Government,” in Curtin et. al. pp. 129-146.

3/20E-government country studies

Michelle d’Auray, “The Dual Challenge of Integration and Inclusion: Canada’s Experience with Government Online, Curtin et. al. pp. 31-49.

Patricia McGinis, “Creating a Blueprint for E-Government,” Curtin et. al. pp. 51-64

Lim Siew Siew and Low Yin Leng, “E-Government in Action: Singapore Case Study,” in Curtin, et. al. pp. 19-30.

Brendan Boyle and David Nicholson, “E-Government in New Zealand,” Curtin et. al. pp. 89-106.

Gerd Wittkemper and Ralf Kliendiek, “BundOnline 2005-The E-Government Initiative of the German Federal Administration, Curtin, et. al. 107-128.

4/1e-Government, regional integration and emerging issues

Erkki Liikanen, “eGovernment: An EU Perspective,” in Curtin et. al. pp. 65-88

Robert D. Atkinson and Andrew Leigh, “Customer-Oriented E-Government: Can We Ever Get There? in Curtin et. al. pp. 159-181.

Karin Geiselhart, Mary Griffiths and Bronwen FitzGerald, “What Lies Beyond Service Delivery – An Australian Perspective, in Curtin et. al. pp. 213-233

Assignment due:e-government website evaluation

Part IV International Security

4/3Revolution in Military affairs

Admiral William A. Owens, “Revolutionizing Warfare” Blueprint: Ideas for a New Century, Winter 2000

Donald Rumsfeld, “Transforming the Military” Foreign Affairs 81:3 (May-June 2002), 20-32.

4/8 Information Warfare

James Adams, “Virtual Defense,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2001, 98-112

Matt Bishop and Emily O. Goldman, The Strategy and Tactics ofInformation Warfare,” Contemporary Security Policy 24, (1) (Apr. 2003),pp. 113-139.

4/10 Cyberterrorism andInformation Security

Friedman, Ch 11 (pp. 533-579).

White House, National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, February 2003, (Read executive summary) available in pdf at:

Evan F., Kohlmann, “The Real Online Terrorist Threat,” Foreign Affairs, Sep/Oct2006.

Ryan Singel, “NSA Must Examine All Internet Traffic to Prevent Cyber Nine-Eleven, Top Spy Says,”Wired January 15, 2008

4/15Homeland security, surveillance and civil liberties

Chadwick, ch. 11

National Strategy for Homeland Security July 2002.

Read: “Executive Summary”.

Rey Koslowski, "Immigration Reforms and Border Security Technologies" in Border Battles: The U.S. Immigration Debates," The Social Science Research Council, July 31, 2006.

Ryan Singel “New Real I.D. Rules To Shut Down Nation's Airports in May?” Wired Jan. 11, 2008.

Part V International Cooperation and Global Governance

4/17Complex interdependence in the information age

Chadwick, Ch. 9

R. Keohane & J. Nye, "Power and Interdependence in the Information Age," Foreign Affairs Sept. 1998.

4/22Internet Governance, Media Ownership and Intellectual Property

Chadwick, Chs. 10, 12

4/24e-Diplomacy

Grant Green, “Enhancing the Department of State's Information Technology,” Remarks at Conference on Information Technology and the Practice of Diplomacy, Sponsored by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
Washington, DC, April 20, 2001

Wilson P. Dizard III, ”State creates E-Diplomacy Office to coordinate user needs with IT, Government Computing News, Sept 9, 2002; Vol. 21 No. 27

Joe Johnson, “WiringState: A Progress Report” Foreign Service Journal, December 2005

Ben Bain, “Chat room diplomacy,” Federal Computer Week, Sept. 3, 2007.

4/29Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and IT enabled global networks

Jessica Mathews, “Power Shift,” Foreign Affairs,Jan/Feb. 1997.

Ken Rutherford, The Landmine Campaign and NGOs: The Role of Communications Technologies

Daniel W. Drezner, Henry Farrell, “Web of Influence,” Foreign Policy, Nov./Dec 2004

5/1Prospects for conflict resolution and global governance

Friedman, Chs. 16-17 (pp. 580-635).

5/6 Summary

1