SPRU – SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY RESEARCH Information & Communication Technology Policy and Strategy (812N1) 15 credits; M level Term 2 2017 MSc Option Module for SPRU and Informatics Other University of Sussex PG and RD Students Welcome Convenor: Prof Ed Steinmueller, SPRU e-mail: [email protected] Meeting Times: Lecture: Please find on Sussex Direct Seminar: Please find on Sussex Direct Appointment: I do not hold regularly scheduled office hours, but I am available for appointments as needed or desired – best arranged by e-mail. Introduction: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) influence virtually every aspect of human affairs and some claim that 'information' and 'knowledge' are the most important determinants of economic growth. The Internet has stimulated both deep and shallow thoughts as to what kinds of social, political and economic interactions are possible in societies which are increasingly shaped by new, high speed and complex modes of communication and collaboration. High-profile policy initiatives have created a climate of optimism about the potential of ICT to create wealth and to enhance the quality of life. Many argue that ICTs offer unique new tools for supporting social and cultural development for all of the world’s peoples. Access to and use of these technologies is, however, not universal making it important to consider issues of exclusion and to find ways of improving capacities to make use of these technologies in different national and cultural contexts. The potential contributions of ICT are large, but realising this potential is far from straightforward as the spectacular bursting of the dot.com bubble at the beginning of the century demonstrated. For over half a century, ICT vendors have been selling ‘solutions.’ Nonetheless, many of the problems meant to be ‘solved’ still exist. The impacts and influences of ICT are difficult to evaluate and they challenge existing systems of measurement. A central reason for these difficulties is that ICTs are disruptive – they alter market, social and organisational relationships. The economic features of information challenge existing understandings of the production and consumption. Innovation in ICTs creates tensions between established companies and new entrants, opening opportunities that are both constructive (consider open source software) and destructive (consider pornography) for society. In this module, we examine the evolution of ICT goods and services, including their use as productivity improving tools within organisations and as bridges between social groups. Our central themes are defined by the social and economic factors promoting and constraining the realisation of the opportunities that ICTs can provide. We consider how ICTs are used as tools for wealth creation and for meeting other human purposes as well as how they can be 'governed' to mitigate negative potentials. The module assumes no prior specialist knowledge of ICTs (although such knowledge is welcome). After the first week’s introduction and reflection on technology (Lecture 1), the module is structured around two main themes – first, the nature of ICT industries including (Lectures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and second, the social consequences of the technology for the individual (Lecture 7) and for society (Lectures 8, 9, 10 and 11). Lecture 12 provides a summary of the course. The central aim of the module is to build an understanding of why, despite enormous progress and change, positive expectations about these technologies often exceed achievements and how improvements might be made in organisations and societies in their use. Module objectives: The aims of the module are: * to examine how technical and non-technical elements interact in the design and implementation of ICT networks and services; * to provide an overview of social science perspectives on the social, economic, and political factors that influence the evolution of ICT networks and services; * to explore the environments in which ICT networks and services are applied, and to examine the impacts of ICT on innovation processes and organisational practices in the economy as a whole. The learning objectives of the module are: * to reinforce existing and develop new understandings of the basic technological concepts and vocabulary of ICT to build the skills needed to engage productively in debates regarding the significance of ICT in different economic, managerial, social and political contexts; * to help participants build a cognitive map of the institutional environments in which ICT networks and services are developed and applied; * to equip participants with basic conceptual and analytical tools that are useful for systematically exploring the special features of ICT innovation processes and market structures; * to assist students with a specific interest in social science research on ICTs to formulate coherent research agendas in this area, and to assist non-specialists in formulating mastering strategic and business analysis tools of relevance for addressing ICT-related issues. These basic learning objectives are summarised in the module’s formal learning outcomes 1. Relate specific advances in information and communication technology to the pertinent social and economic issues related to the take up and use of such a technology. 2. Employ literature from the social sciences in achieving learning outcome 1. Method, Organisation and Assessment The module is designed to encourage interaction between students with more extensive backgrounds in ICT and related areas and students with little or no prior experience in these areas. The emphasis will be on generating a 'collective learning process' that bridges gaps between the knowledge domains of technologists and social scientists, and of ICT specialists and non-specialists. Where possible, students will be encouraged to exchange knowledge and disciplinary perspectives in an ICT context that may have been gained in other subject areas. The method is to convene a series of weekly lectures for which core readings are provided and which everyone is expected to read. The seminars are based on a collection of activities, some of which have seminar readings and discussion questions, while others are based upon preparing for and participating in specific discussions and presentations. It is very important that you consider before the seminar what you will need to know before you arrive in order that we can make best use of seminar time. The seminars are designed to provide practical knowledge and tools related to the management and use of ICTs which are relevant to future professional roles. To take full advantage of the module, additional reading is highly recommended and a number of references are included for each of the lectures (all of which are annotated to help in identifying those of most interest to a particular student). In addition, the convenor is willing to assist individual students develop reading programmes supporting any specific ICT-related interests that they may have. The assessment is an essay on a topic from a list provided by the convenor which aims to evaluate achievement in mastering the learning objectives. For students that have a deeper background or who have special interest the convenor is willing to discuss an individual choice of topic and to suggest methods and readings that will be relevant to completing such a customised essay. It is important that you designate what essay you intend to complete before the end of the module. Because many Informatics students have not written a research essay in the social sciences, considerable attention will be devoted to describing what is involved. The essay assessment is not only to demonstrate your achievement of the learning objectives, but also to be of postgraduate quality with regard to English expression and in the use of evidence and citation. It is very important that you avoid plagiarism in your work – further guidance will be provided about this during the module. The deadline for the essay is given on Sussex Direct. The Seminars There is a seminar for this module. While the lectures aim to provide the theoretical and empirical background to understanding of ICT developments, the seminars are meant to support the building of skills related to discussing ICT issues and making innovations in ICTs. (See seminar guide at the end of this outline). Course Outline and Structure: Overview The over-arching theme of the module is an investigation of the potentials and shortcomings of ICTs for achieving human purposes. The potentials as well as the shortcomings of ICTs are influenced by technical, social, economic, and institutional considerations. Focussing on the tension between potential and shortcomings, i.e. between hopes and disappointments, provides a means for developing a critical perspective on ICT developments. Locations: Lecture locations and times can be found on Sussex Direct Seminar locations and times can be found on Sussex Direct 30 January Lecture 1: The Waves of Change 6 February Lecture 2: Physical networks: Technology and Economics 13 February Lecture 3: Markets in Cyberspace 20 February Lecture 4: Regulation and Promotion 27 February Lecture 5: Ownership on the Digital Frontier 6 March: Lecture 6: Cyberspace and Cybercultures 13 March Lecture 7: The User: Intermediation, Augmentation and Exclusion 20 March Lecture 8: Information, Networks and Knowledge and Lecture and Social Media 27 March Lecture 9: Communities and Organisations 3 April Lecture 10: Information Societies: A Global Perspective 24 April Lecture 11 Looking Towards the Future and Module Summary Detailed Module Outline and Readings Notes on readings: The majority of the readings are available online directly or through the Sussex electronic library (journals). A few books marked with an * should be available in the Main Library). Lecture 1: Introduction: The Waves of Change We will introduce the structure of the module and the reasons for structuring the module in this way. The class will continue with the first lecture… This lecture has two purposes: the first is to examine a series of major trends in hardware and software development such as Moore’s law and the growth in modular platforms and architectures. These trends have been powerfully shaped by expectations about the rate and direction of technical progress that shape the direction and the focus of research efforts. This class introduces the idea of ‘technological determinism’ and then explores how this ‘supply driven’ view of ICT. It is popular to associate progress with the spread (also called the ‘take up’ or ‘diffusion’) of ICTs. A key problem with linking progress to the ‘take up’ of ICTs is that predictions about the effects of ICTs on productivity, growth and employment have systematically been wrong throughout the history of the industry – there must be ‘something else’ going on. The second purpose of this class is to introduce this ‘something else.’ The ‘something else’ has to do with the disruptive effects of these technologies on existing patterns of organisation, work practices of individuals and groups, and social relationships between people. Disruption has both positive and negative implications – it enables new types of activities in every aspect of human endeavour and it also requires substantial costs of change and adaptation. A basic level understanding of this ‘something else’ involves grasping the ideas of adaptation and resistance. Adaptation encompasses the processes of change at individual, group, and organisational levels that involve learning and related cognitive change at the level of the individual as well as changes in the process and structure of groups and organisations. These adaptations are not necessarily welcomed and often provoke resistance – attempts to subvert, deflect or ‘domesticate’ new technologies by those affected by them. By examining processes of adaptation and resistance we can identify what we need to understand in order to take better decisions and make better strategy. Core Reading: Lecture for Lecture 1 [C1] W.E. Steinmueller (2007), ‘Economic of Information and Communication Technologies: Building Blocks and Implications” in R. Mansell, C. A. Avgerou, D. Quah and R. Silverstone (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Information and Communication Technologies, Oxford University Press, pp. 196-219. [On Study Direct] This overview identifies some of the economic implications of the ICT revolution [C2] J. Wajcman (2008) “Life in the fast lane? Towards a sociology of technology and time,” The British Journal of Sociology 2008 Volume 59 Issue 1, pp. 59-77 Wajcman considers the pace of life which is powerfully influenced by ICTs. Resource Readings for Lecture 1 [R1] W. Orlikowski and C. S. Iacono (2001), ‘Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the "IT" in IT Research: A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact,’ Information Systems Research, INFORMS, Vol. 12, No. 2, June, pp. 121-134. A call for considering the ‘technical’ in socio-technical research that illustrates some of the problems of sociological studies. [R2] Mollick, E. (2006). "Establishing Moore's Law." Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE 28(3): 62-75. An effort to delve deeper into the sources of Moore’s Law and what has sustained its operation over a prolonged time. *[R3] Brooks Jr, FP (1995) ‘The Mythical Man-Month’ Chapter 2, ‘The Surgical Team’ Chapter 3, and ‘The Mythical Man-Month after Twenty Years’ Chapter 19 in The Mythical Man-Month, Reading MA: Addison Wesley, pp. 13-26, 28-37 and 252-289. [QE1550 Bro] Brooks led IBM’s software design team for IBM’s System 360 mainframe computer and this is the most influential work on managing software development yet written. *[R4] Cusumano, MA and Selby, RW (1996) Competing with Products and Standards: Pioneer and Orchestrate Evolving Mass Markets, Chapter 3 and ‘Developing and Shipping Products’ Chapter 5 in Microsoft Secrets, London, HarperCollins Business, pp. 127-185 and pp. 261-326. Examines how Microsoft and other large companies are able to translate insurgent into incumbent advantage by absorbing market segments. [HR33120 USA (Cus)] Resource Videos for Lecture 1 Integrated Circuits: The Foundation of Modern Society (10:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UberD_Pc-O8 An example of the techno-optimist and techno-determinist perspective which makes the claim that the modern world is largely the consequence of the invention of the integrated circuit. 45nm -- Biggest Change to Transistor in 40 Years (8:41) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhvU0EktyI0 A look at how the technology needed to sustain Moore’s law involves major innovations, in this case entirely new materials for the fabrication of integrated circuit transistors. Video Animation: Mark Bohr Gets Small: 22nm Explained (4:19) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIkMaQJSyP8 Mark Bohr, a senior fellow at Intel, demonstrates the scale involved in the current generation of 22 nanometre devices which required the first 3D transistor architecture. Cloud 2.0 Clients and Connectivity – Technology and Challenges (33:30) http://isscc.org/media/2014/plenary/Ming-Kai_Tsai/NewStandardPlayer.html?plugin=HTML5&mimetype=video%2Fmp4 Ming-Kai Tsai, Chairman and CEO, MediaTek, Hsinchu, Taiwan provides a recent overview (2014) of the road ahead to increase connectivity to the rest of the world. Mr. Tsai is also a techno-optimist/determinist. He speaks a bit slowly and you can increase the playback speed to 1.4x and still understand him. Lecture 2 Physical networks: Technology and Economics ICTs are part of an increasingly integrated global network whose construction requires the establishment of standards that supports communication between people and machines. Standards-making processes are the first of several examples of the 'governance' of the ICT industry to be considered and the strategic issues surrounding 'network externalities' will be developed under this heading. Core Readings for Lecture 2 *[C1] Shapiro C and Varian, H (1999) Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Harvard Business School, Chapters 1, 5,6 and 7. These readings from Shapiro and Varian offer an accessible and concentrated introduction to the basic strategic business issues underlying 'insurgent' strategies for taking advantage of the relation between the microcosm and connectivity. [C2] P. A. David and W. E. Steinmueller, Standards, trade and competition in the emerging Global Information Infrastructure Environment, Telecommunications Policy, Vol. 20, No. 10 pp. 817-830, 1996 This was written not long after the commercialisation of the Internet and is useful example of how prediction can be pretty good and still not quite accurate. Resource Readings for Lecture 2 *[R1] Cusumano, MA and Yoffie, DB (1998) ‘Competing on Internet Time’ Chapter 6 in Competing on Internet Time: Lessons from NETSCAPE and its Battle with Microsoft, New York: The Free Press, pp. 298-328. This emphasises the issues of timing in ICT business strategy. [HR33120 USA (Cus)] Resource Videos for Lecture 2 Network economics and 'net neutrality' regulation by Adam Thierer (6:54) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ibJkDlSpU A basic lecture on the meaning of ‘net neutrality’ presenting arguments for and against in a US context. Although cast as ‘neutral,’ Mr. Thierer appears to accept the idea that abolishing network neutrality is necessary for investment. What is Net Neutrality and why is it important? (9:14) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCUg5A-ZAw0 This is a more directly polemical video in support of net neutrality. Lecture 3 The Information Society: A Social and Economic Construct Optimistic views about the use of ICTs including those coming from technological determinism promise the advent of an Information Society. We begin by considering this idea from a historical perspective – in what sense might we define an Information Society that allows this concept to parallel similar characterisations of economic eras – e.g. Agrarian Society or Industrial Society? And how does this idea compare to the concept of a Post-Industrial Society, Bell (1976) or the Zero Marginal Cost Society Rifkin (2014)? The Information Society includes both claims about social and economic activities and purposes. Its social dimensions suggest benefits stemming from a universal access to human knowledge represented as online information (an idea which we will discuss more deeply later in the term). In economic terms, the Information Society raises hopes for growth in economies and employment. Economists are encouraging about the economic properties of information. As an input, information is expansible, allowing it to be reproduced without diminishing its amount. The dot.com boom was based on the premise that major cost savings could be achieved through ‘disintermediation’ – the shortening of value chains from the producer to the consumer. In some cases, this premise was supported while in many others it has not. The new international division of labour is Internet powered – outsourcing of production and, increasingly, many other kinds of business activities is supported by the Internet. All of these changes are disruptive of existing patterns of economic organisation – is the Internet really producing gains or is it just changing the list of winners and losers? Core Readings for Lecture 3 [C1] Daniel Bell (1976), The Coming of the Post-industrial Society, New York: Basic Books. A summary of key points with a particular attention to the political dimension of the post-industrial society is available at https://www.os3.nl/_media/2011-2012/daniel_bell_-_the_coming_of_post-industrial_society.pdf Soon to be 40 years old, Bell’s work is both an intellectual precursor to ideas about the Information Society and a more far-reaching commentary on the changes accompanying the rising dominance of service industries in countries that were once the centres of Industrial Society. [C2] Jeremy Rifkin , The Zero Marginal Cost Society, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. A useful interview providing a summary of Rifkin’s argument is in IEEE Explore and accessible at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=true&arnumber=6882922 Rifkin’s book synthesises a variety of related developments including open source software, peer to peer file sharing and collaborative production to imagine new ways to organise economic life. Resource Readings for Lecture 3 *[R1] Freeman, C. and L Soete (1994) The Biggest Technological Juggernaut that Every Rolled: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its Employment Effects Chapter 3 in Work for All or Mass Unemployment? Computerised Technical Change into the 21st Century, London: Pinter Publishers, pp. 39-66 This is an introduction to the 'impact' of ICTs on the workforce and workplace. (07G FRE) *[R2] Lyon, D (1988) “Introduction: the roots of the information society idea” Chapter 1, pp1-21, in Lyon, D The Information Society: Issues and Illusions, Oxford: Polity Press. (HE 100 Lyo) Examines the origins of the information society idea. *[R3] Webster, F (1995) “Information and the Idea of an Information Society”, Chapter 2, pp. 6-29, in Theories of the Information Society, London: Routledge (HE 100 Web) A more sceptical perspective on the origin and use of information society terminology   Resource Video for Lecture 3 Jeremy Rifkin on the Fall of Capitalism and the Internet of Things (10:28) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xOK2aJ-0Js A short lecture by Rifkin on the zero marginal cost society concept and its implications. Lecture 4 Regulation and Promotion The aim of regulation and promotion policies is to achieve the widest possible use of Internet technologies while preventing or mitigating negative developments such as the creation of monopoly power, the dissemination of unwanted and harmful content, or the use of the Internet to support criminal activities. Telecommunication regulation has historically aimed at ‘universal service’ based upon the principle that access to telecommunication is a basic feature of modern life and therefore one that should be accessible by all. This ethical principle is one of several that impel government and industry to consider regulation. There are, however, many different ways of implementing regulation. For example, most countries until relatively recently provided telecommunication service through a ‘public enterprise’ owned by the state – and there were significant differences in the priorities and operations of these state-owned companies. At present, many countries have elected to ‘deregulate’ and ‘privatise’ telecommunication network operations. The premise is that by privatising companies and licensing them to operate telecommunication network services a competitive market will be formed whose price and terms of service will be an improvement over the state-owned and provided telecommunication service. We will examine key features of these liberalisation policies as they have played out in Europe and examine proposals for further steps. Once regulatory rules are established for the telecommunication network infrastructure, other issues such as content and e-commerce regulation has to be implemented to prevent abuses. During this lecture we will examine the main areas of action undertaken so far and some of the issues in going further towards the goal of a safe and secure Internet. Finally, we will examine how some countries are adopting specific policies aimed at promoting the growth of Internet services and use. Core Readings for Lecture 4 [C1] Prüfer, J. E. (2007). "Dark clouds over the Internet?" Telecommunications Policy 31(3-4): 144-154. Available at http://www.wiwi.uni-frankfurt.de/profs/walz/pdf/papers/Pruefer-Jahn_-_Dark_Clouds.pdf . This article is a bit over-simplified, but outlines some of the important issues facing internet development. [C2] UN/ITU (2010). Report of the World Summit on the Information Society Stocktaking 2010: Tracking Progress. Geneva, International Telecommunication Union Version 1.2, 77 p. Available at http://groups.itu.int/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ecY3JFUoRoA%3D&tabid=740 This is a principal document for considering the ‘promotion’ viewpoint considered in the lecture. Resource Readings for Lecture 4 [R1] Phil Weiser. 2009. "The Future of Internet Regulation" ExpressO Available at: http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=phil_weiser Weiser is Dean of the University of Colorado Law School and has published extensively on Internet issues. This is an example of how legal scholars write. [R2] Zhang, L. L. (2006). "Behind the 'Great Firewall': Decoding China's Internet Media Policies from the Inside." Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media 12(3): 271-291. Examining the evolution of Internet regulation in China [R3] Mueller, M. (1993), "Universal service in telephone history: a reconstruction," Telecommunications Policy, Vol. 17, 5, July, pp. 352-369. This is a practical instance of the contest for control in the case of the telephone. [R4] Levy, D. A. L. (1997) "The regulation of digital conditional access systems: A case study in European policy making." Telecommunications Policy, Vol. 21, No. 7, pp. 661-676. This is a practical instance of the contest for control in the case of 'set top' boxes and the related digital services to the home. Resource Video for Lecture 4 Keynote Session with Eric Schmidt (38:20) http://fora.tv/2013/11/22/Keynote_Session_with_Eric_Schmidt A keynote interview with Eric Schmidt indicating some of the consequences of rapid extension of connectivity in terms of the ‘power of networks’ Lecture 5: Ownership on the Digital Frontier Guest Lecturer: Dr. Puay Tang, Senior Research Fellow, SPRU As noted in last week’s lecture, information has the unique property that it can be transferred from one person to another without diminishing the amount that remains to be transferred. Economics tells us that the appropriate price for a good is the additional (marginal) cost required to produce it. But for information this additional cost is insignificant and on the Internet anyone can become an information publisher. Under these conditions, who will invest in new information, how will those producing information be paid? The approach we use today is to extend the existing system of copyright protection to the Internet – publishers are given the exclusive right to reproduce information for new users. Using this approach has widespread consequences. People who share music with their friends can be taken to law. Developing countries that might have had access to a wealth of scientific and technical knowledge need to pay for access. Lecturers are discouraged from providing their lecture notes on the Internet lest they be ‘appropriated’ by others without payment to either the lecturer or the university. We will examine the arguments surrounding intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the technologies and institutions employed to enforce IPRs. The existing system has a considerable variety of technological and institutional solutions and we will examine how these are changing over time and what some of the emerging new forms and understanding of IPRs, such as Creative Commons, are all about. Core Readings for Lecture 5 [C1] Mansell, R and Steinmueller, WE (2011) ‘Copyright Infringement Online: The Case of the Digital Economy Act Judicial Review in the United Kingdom,’ Conference Paper, Communication Technology and Policy Section, International Assocations for Media and Communication Research Conference, 1327 July 2-111. Available at http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/36433 Professor Mansell and my consideration of the problems associated with the implementation of the DEA [C2] Liebowitz, S. J. (2006). "File Sharing: Creative Destruction or Just Plain Destruction?" Journal of Law and Economics XLIX(April): 1-28. (Also available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=646943 or doi:10.2139/ssrn.646943 .) Professor Leibowitz’s view in opposition. Resource Readings for Lecture 5 [R1] Johns, A (2006) ‘Intellectual Property and the Nature of Science’ Cultural Studies 20: 2, pp145-164. IPR implications for science. [R2] UNDP (2001) Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development Oxford University Press, New York. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2001 IPR implications for developing countries. [R3] Wade, RH (2003) ‘What strategies are viable for developing countries today? The World Trade Organization and the shrinking of “development space”’ Review of International Political Economy 10:4 November 2003: 621–644 IPR implications for developing countries. [R4] World Bank (2001) ‘ Intellectual property: balancing incentives with competitive access’ in Global Economic Prospects. World Bank, Washington, DC, Chapter 5, pp. 129–150. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGEP2002/Resources/05--Ch5--128-151.pdf IPR implications for developing countries. Lecture 6 Cyberspace and Cybercultures The first three lectures provide a foundation for thinking about the relationships between new technologies such as the personal computer and the Internet, individual human beings and human beings in social groups. Over the past 25 years, a distinctive ‘online’ culture has begun to evolve which not only translates past forms of human interaction into a new context, but also opens up new opportunities for interconnecting people and organisations. Most prominently, it is often claimed that the Internet is responsible for the ‘death of distance’ – every place is not far. A closer look, however, suggests that the digital divides we identified as well as the social networks considered in earlier lectures create new patterns of proximity and distance. Given the tools for self-expression and self-publication, users of the Internet have created a vast variety of ‘social spaces,’ many of which have distinctive cultures – defining values, norms, and standards in ways that may support or deviate from those of the cultures from which participants are drawn. These ‘cybercultures’ are not only a distinctive feature of the new ICTs, they also provide a foundation for new forms of collective action and affiliation. They also offer new way for individuals to explore and define their own identities in ways that may enrich human life. There is, however, a dark side to cyberculture – the same technology that enables many positive developments also is used to organise child pornography clubs and other activities that most people find abhorrent. The issue of how, if at all, the Internet should be ‘regulated’ is receiving increased attention by policymakers. Core Readings for Lecture 6 [C1] Haraway, D. (2000), ‘A Cyborg Manifesto” in D. Bell and B. M. Kennedy,” The Cyberculture Reader, Routledge, pp. 291-324. Available at https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjIxfCHzufRAhVhCMAKHax5BekQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.georgetown.edu%2Firvinem%2Ftheory%2FHaraway-CyborgManifesto-1.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFp-mAiGj9tTkGsEisZyewwvHtIZQ&sig2=PyaUkVWV2mPjUSgpxHxR7Q&bvm=bv.145822982,d.d24&cad=rja A influential essay on the human dimension of technology which is developed from a gender perspective, but is relevant to all. [C2] A. Vande Moere, H. Neuckermans & A. Heylighen, An Architectural Approach to Cyberspace Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwjWzLn70OfRAhWmJ8AKHcUlCB0QFggoMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfoscape.org%2Fpublications%2Fvrsearch.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEC840WxP2z2x88atpaNmCybMOVUQ&sig2=lKSy1pFg4GjQADlf4nbdvA&cad=rja A somewhat theoretical exploration of concepts of cyberspace. Resource Readings for Lecture 6 *[R1] Mitchell, WJ (1996) ‘Recombinant Architecture’ Chapter 4 in City of Bits: Space, Place and the Infobahn, MIT Press, pp. 46-105. (08B12 MIT) [Q1395 Mit] This is a mind-expanding examination of the parallels between physical and virtual architecture, highly recommended. [R2] Weber, S. (2000) ‘The Political Economy of Open Source Software’, E-conomy Project, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy Available at http://brie.berkeley.edu/publications/wp140.pdf Weber is one of the most capable scholars examining the open source community. [R3] A. Escobar, D. Hess, I. Licha, W. Sibley, M. Strathern and J. Sutz, Welcome to Cyberia: Notes on the Anthropology of Cyberculture [and Comments and Reply], Current Anthropology, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jun., 1994), pp. 211-231 A critical study of the role of new technologies in development.   Resource Videos for Lecture 6 Cyberculture - what is it really? (4:54) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln0WBFGLTc8 A montage of science fiction film clips organised under headings that offer partial answer to the question, but also leave much unsaid (as indicated at the end of the video) Fred Turner - Keynote: From Counter-culture to Cyberculture (42:22) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Py_P1_cHUE&list=TLbh_R-P07mF9GPnthE11agAy2EnUk-bHA A long but worthwhile lecture explaining the American origins of cyberculture, tracing it from the count-culture to the or neoliberalism and including a more detailed history of The Well for a German audience. Lecture 7 The User: Intermediation, Augmentation and Exclusion The first week’s lecture introduced the ‘supply push’ perspective and it corollary, the significance of diffusion in creating gaps, exclusions, and shortfalls in the expected benefits from ICTS. A key problem with this perspective is that predictions about the effects of ICTs on productivity, growth and employment have systematically been wrong throughout the history of the industry. In addition to the confusion about what is actually happening with the Information Society, the problems of adapting major social institutions such intellectual property to the new capabilities provided by ICTS and the complexities of governing technical change, it is necessary to consider the users of these technologies. How do ICTs affect existing patterns of organisation, work practices of individuals and groups, and social relationships between people? These effects are often spoken of as ‘disruption.’ Disruption has both positive and negative implications – it enables new types of activities in every aspect of human endeavour and it also requires substantial costs of change and adaptation. A basic level understanding of disruption involves the ideas of adaptation and resistance. Adaptation encompasses the processes of change at individual, group, and organisational levels that involve learning and related cognitive change at the level of the individual as well as changes in the process and structure of groups and organisations. These adaptations are not necessarily welcomed and often provoke resistance – attempts to subvert, deflect or ‘domesticate’ new technologies by those affected by them. Core Readings: Lecture 7 [C1] Yoram Eshet-Alkalai (2004), Digital Literacy: A Conceptual Framework for Survival Skills in the Digital Era, Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1),93-106, available at http://www.openu.ac.il/Personal_sites/download/Digital-literacy2004-JEMH.pdf An outline of the skills that comprise digital literacy. As most authors in this area, Eshet-Alkalai stresses the importance of cognitive skills related to building understanding. [C2] Selwyn, N (2004) ‘Reconsidering Political and Popular Understandings of the Digital Divide’ New Media & Society 6(3), pp. 341-62. This is an examination of the digital divide concept which is central in the lecture. Resource Readings Lecture 7 [R1] Rheingold, H (2000) ‘Visionaries and Convergences: The Accidental History of the Net’ Chapter 3 in The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier (revised edition), MIT Press, pp. 57-107. Available at http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/3.html. (Q1395 Rhe) In the growing literature on the history of the Internet (e.g. Where Wizards Stay Up Late), this is a concise and clear explanation. *[R2] Preece, J, Rogers, Y, and Sharp, H (2002) “The Process of Interaction Design” Chapter 6, pp 165-200, in Preece, J, Rogers, Y, and Sharp, H Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction, John Wiley & Sons. (QE 1860 PRE) Both practical and theoretically insightful, this is a useful examination of what technology designers can do to improve user’s experiences with technology. *[R3] Sherry Turkle (1995), Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet, Chapter 9, ‘Virtuality and its Discontents,’ New York: Touchstone, pp. 233-54. This can now be considered a ‘classic’ statement of a series of issues that have become recurrent – re-introducing the concept of the ‘panopticon’ in a modern context. Resource Video for Lecture 7 TEDxWarwick - Doug Belshaw - The Essential Elements of Digital Literacies (17:29) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78 A very good presentation introducing digital literacies as plural, memes, and the importance of ‘remix’ culture. Lecture 8 Information, Networks and Knowledge and Social Media One of the key promises of the Information Society is a betterment of human lives through a global distribution of knowledge. For example, it is a common view among techno-optimists that Internet access will allow everyone to receive a world class education. Such views are based upon the idea that information and knowledge are the same thing – it is possible to transfer knowledge by providing someone with information. However, is this idea accurate for understanding of how knowledge is acquired – i.e. how the process of learning operates? For most people, it is probably not because, for them, learning has an interactive component. It requires other people for roles like providing feedback on expressions of the knowledge that is being learned or mentorship which flexibly adapts to the learner’s needs by providing alternative ways to conceive of what is being learned or by providing illustrative examples suitable for the learner. While this suggests that there may be limits to the use of information in the transfer of knowledge, it is not the end of the story. This is because the Internet is not only a powerful tool for publishing information, it is also a powerful communication device for establishing interpersonal interactions. We will examine the specific case of MOOCs (massive open online modules) to illustrate the potential and limitations of online knowledge transfer. Web 2.0 of what has come to be called social media has evolved from the ‘prosumer’ use of the Internet (users as BOTH PROducers and conSUMERs) in which the dominant issues centred on the skills and knowledge necessary to publish information to create an audience. More recently, social media can more precisely be described as a new form of social communication in which both persistent forms of publication (e.g. blogs) and ephemeral communications (e.g. tweets) co-exist creating a stream of information. This ‘stream’ is actually vast and it has structure defined by people’s social relationships which formed into networks through ‘following,’ ‘friending’ and other forms of linkage. Because of its currency, its ‘now-ness’ social media parallels and amplifies individual lived experience. However, like other features of the Internet it has hazards – compromises in privacy, the problems arising from persistence (or memory) of what are intended to be ephemeral communications, and the transposition of social context (so that what one says ‘appropriately’ in one context may not be seen as appropriate in another context). Core Readings: Lecture 8 [C1] D. Clow (2013), ‘MOOCs and the Funnel of Participation,’ Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (ACM), pp. 185-189 This paper attempts to create a framework for understanding the relationship between participation and learning processes as a tool for managing MOOCs. It offers some insight into the limits of MOOCs but falls a bit short of providing a complete framework for understanding. [C2] Steinmueller, WE (2000) ‘Will New Information and Communication Technologies Improve the “Codification” of Knowledge?’, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol 9: 2, 361-37. This is a (seemingly) straightforward account of the potential of ICTs for knowledge codification and management. [C3] San Murugesan (2007), ‘Understanding Web 2.0,’ IT Pro, July/August, pp. 34-41, available at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4287373 Illustrating just how fast social media is moving, this article already seems out of date. Nonetheless, it usefully capture the initial optimism vs. scepticism about social networking and provides a useful starting point for understanding the distinction between ‘publication’ (its central focus) and social communication more generally (which has become one the two major engines of social networking). [C4] Keith Hampton, Lauren Sessions Goulet, Lee Rainie and Kristen Purcell (2011), ‘Social networking sites and our lives,’ Pew Internet and American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/06/16/social-networking-sites-and-our-lives/ Just four years later than the previous reading [C3], the shift toward social networking sites becomes dominant in attempts to understand the role of Web 2.0 Resource Readings for Lecture 8 [R1] Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena, Andrew Alexandar Adams, Shirley Ann Williams (2013), MOOCs: ‘A systematic study of the published literature 2008-2012’, The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 14(3), pp. 203-227. By ‘systematic study’ the authors mean tabulating article searches from various sources. This is more as a useful starting point for search for relatively recent articles than it is as a scholarly contribution for interpreting or understanding MOOCs. [R2] A blog on social media with a business focus, http://www.socialmedia.biz/ Lasica (note all the ‘featured article are by him) and his colleagues are at the journalistic end of the web log or blogging community and this is a thoughtful resource for examining this community without being overwhelmed. Lecture 9 Communities and Organisations Last week’s lecture introduced the idea that ICTs are intermediating technologies – they connect people within organisations and society in a variety of ways. At one extreme people may be seen as audience, customers, and functionaries who use ICTs for entertainment, shopping, and performing their work. At the other extreme, these technologies provide new ways for people to communicate with each other and to work together to realise mutual interests and purposes. These possibilities arise because the new ICTs, and the Internet in particular, has vastly increased the number of ways that people can interact and the number of people with which one can interact. In other words, the Internet both translates the old mass media and structures of control and authority and also enables new structures of interaction, exchange, and affiliation. The rise of ‘virtual communities’ is a central example of the realisation of these latter possibilities. Considering the operation of several different types of virtual communities provides a way to think about how ICTs are used that have a number of implications for how they are used in more traditional types of organisations such as business or government. Traditional types of organisations contain many of the same structures of affiliation, interaction and interdependency that one may find in virtual communities and the Internet offers exciting opportunities for rethinking how many different human activities can be organised and executed. Core Reading for Lecture 9 [C1] Rheingold, H (2000) The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier, MIT Press, Inroduction (pp. xv-xxxii), Chapter 1 (pp. 1-24) and Chapter 11 pp. 323-91 Available at http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/ Rheingold is the originator of the term 'virtual community' and an important analyst of the potentials and problems of human interaction using computer mediated communication. Resource Readings for Lecture 9 [R1] Yochai Benkler (2006), The Wealth of Networks, New Haven (CN): Yale University Press, Introduction and Part One, pp. 1-132. Available at http://www.benkler.org/Benkler_Wealth_Of_Networks.pdf Benkler is an advocate for expanding the ‘commons’ in all of its forms, from open source software to other forms of peer production [R2] Pfeil, U., Zaphiris, P., and Ang, C. S. (2006). Cultural differences in collaborative authoring of Wikipedia. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(1), article 5. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue1/pfeil.html This research article illustrates one approach to conducting research on online collaboration. *[R3] Kim, AJ (2000) ‘Etiquette, Rules to Live By’ Chapter 6 in Community Building on the Web: Secret Strategies for Successful Online Communities, Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, pp. 201-231. (SPRU RES) This is from a 'how to' book on creating virtual communities and provides an excellent illustration of the practical issues of governance. Resource Videos The Online Community-A New Paradigm: Mark Wills at TEDxSanLuisObispo (14:33) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhOUNsATofU A very good presentation by an experienced online community manager (a technical help community) who speaks a little slowly but manages to say quite a bit to say in less than 15 minutes). Towards the end of the talk he discusses a ‘certification’ process as a way to build value for participants. Online Communities Video (3:50) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG0ZCPF3bAQ A Microsoft researcher (sociologist) speaking about the network structure of Usenet and other communities and promoting a tool called Netscan. A variety of similar tools now exist for this sort of research. This video touches on ‘crowdsourcing.’ Lecture 10 Information Societies: A Global Perspective The previous four lectures have examined how the new ICTs, and the Internet in particular, are creating a plethora of new opportunities as well as some new threats. In this lecture we will examine from a more global perspective the idea of Information and Knowledge societies. Both rich and poor countries are determined not to be left behind in the effort to exploit the opportunities and control the threats posed by these new technologies. This has resulted in a spectrum of policies and interventions that are creating differences between the Information Society as it is implemented all over the world – a world of Information Societies rather than a single Information Society. As in all policymaking, there are conflicts between public and private interests that influence the outcomes of the policymaking process. The aim of this lecture is to identify key policies that have emerged as the Information Society policy area has matured with a particular focus on the developing world. Many of these policies are directed at e-commerce and e-government, areas in which governments have a major role in setting the rules of the game and trying to deliver new services to citizens. Two areas where policy has been less coherent are in the use of ICTs in education and in the political process. Core Readings for Lecture 10 *[C1] Mansell, R and Steinmueller, WE (2000) ‘Competing Interests and Strategies in the Information Society’ Chapter 1 in Mobilizing the Information Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp 8-36. (SPRU RES and 08B13 MAN) A critical essay on the Information Society concept with implications for social science research. [C2] Heeks, R. (2002). "Information Systems and Developing Countries: Failure, Success, and Local Improvisations." The Information Society 18(2): 101-112. Heeks examines the issues of information society projects in developing countries prior to the WSIS initiative, identifying problems that have proven to be persistent *[C3] Castells, M (1998) ‘Conclusion: Making Sense of Our World’ in End of Millennium: Vol III of The Information Age: Economy Society and Culture, Oxford: Blackwells, pp. 335-360. (SPRU REF 08B13 CAS and HS 22243 Cas) What does Castells make of the future of the Information Society? He emphasises the dialectic process between core and periphery, the elite and the included. Resource Readings for Lecture 10 [R1] Garrett, R. K. (2006). "Protest in an Information Society: a review of literature on social movements and new ICTs." Information, Communication & Society 9(2): 202-224. A good start for the literature on this topic. *[R2] Lyon, D (1988) “Introduction: the roots of the information society idea” Chapter 1, pp1-21, in Lyon, D The Information Society: Issues and Illusions, Oxford: Polity Press. (HE 100 Lyo) Examines the origins of the information society idea. *[R3] Webster, F (1995) “Information and the Idea of an Information Society”, Chapter 2, pp. 6-29, in Theories of the Information Society, London: Routledge (HE 100 Web) A more sceptical perspective on the origin and use of information society terminology Resource Video Robin Mansell (LSE): The Information Society Agenda: Prospects and Problems (45 minutes of talk and 30 minutes of questions) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLvDq_r5oqY In this talk, Mansell examines the balancing between market-led and commons-led initiatives for developing the Internet. The camera quality is not the best for this video but the sound is clear. Lecture 11 (Week 13) Looking towards the Future and Module Summary In the near term, which represents trends already well into development, the major forces shaping the online world are likely to be data privacy and security, cloud computing, analytics, user experience, platform architectures and specifically social platforms. In the medium term where there is greater uncertainty but there are already signs of their possible importance, we may imagine developments in new user interfaces such as conversational voice recognition, internet of things, dramatic extensions in rest of world connectivity and health monitoring and intervention. In the longer term we may imagine direct human augmentation, Turing grade intelligence, and robotics suitable for elder care and many manual labour occupations. This lecture is not so much about prediction but about the analytical skills needed to perceive emergent developments and forecast their uptake. The instructor will also summarise the main features of the module in a ‘portable’ form, one that you can use for future study and reference. Two main goals will be addressed. First, what factors need to be considered in attempting to create new business opportunities on the Internet or new ICT artefacts or services? Second, what key areas of policy need to be understood by every professional with an interest in the Internet and ICTs? Final information about the module assessment will also be included in this session. This module spans a wide range of approaches to thinking about the interaction between society and technology in the area of information and communication technologies. The aim of the concluding lecture is to highlight key elements and ‘take away’ messages from the module – how they provide a useful interpretive framework for understanding the developments of the last several decades and why they are likely to remain applicable in the next decades. At the same time, it is important to identify the key ‘uncertainty’ points, areas where there is great uncertainty about future developments. The actual shape of future developments will be influenced by interaction between what we can reliably understand about human behaviour and institutions and what we can only imagine regarding human adaptation and institutional change. Core Readings for Lecture 11 C[1] Alexandra Alter, ‘Your e-Book is Reading You’, Wall Street Journal Online, http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304870304577490950051438304 Combining innovations in content distribution and data analytics, the e-book is an example of how, increasingly, our interactions online become feedback for the actions of others – in this case publishers and authors. C[2] Arthur L. Kellermann and Spencer S. Jones, What It Will Take To Achieve The As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promises Of Health Information Technology, Health Affairs, 32, no.1 (2013):63-68 available at http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/1/63.full.pdf+html The medium terms prospects for better health IT (primarily information systems) is examined. C[3] Hsinchun Chen, Roger H.L. Chiang and Veda C. Storey (2012), ‘Business Intelligence And Analytics: From Big Data to Big Impact.’ MIS Quarterly, 36(4), 1165-1188 or perhaps available from http://hmchen.shidler.hawaii.edu/Chen_big_data_MISQ_2012.pdf. A fairly comprehensive overview of ‘big data’ applications.   Writing Well and Avoiding Academic Misconduct Plagiarism, collusion, and cheating in exams are all forms of academic misconduct which the University takes very seriously. Every year, some students commit academic misconduct unintentionally because they did not know what was expected of them. The consequences for committing academic misconduct can be severe, so it is important that you familiarise yourself with what it is and how to avoid it. The University’s S3 guide to study skills gives advice on writing well, including hints and tips on how to avoid making serious mistakes. You will also find helpful guides to referencing properly and improving your critical writing skills. Make use of the resources there. If you are dealing with difficult circumstances, such as illness or bereavement, do not try to rush your work or hand in something which may be in breach of the rules. Instead you should seek confidential advice from the Student Life Centre. The full University rules on academic misconduct are set out in the Examination and Assessment Regulations Handbook. Seminar Guide – Information and Communication Technology Policies and Strategy The seminar will be based on two projects. Most people will elect to actively participate in the first for their presentation mark. The second exists to cover those who a) aren’t able to complete the first, b) wish to improve the mark they receive on the first project, or c) wish a more research-oriented project. The first project involves analysis of an information technology application market for the purpose of developing a new service offering. Either project can offer starting points for the term essay and work done in connection with the seminar can be directly applicable to the writing of the term essay. First Project – Creating an Innovation The first project involves an effort to define a new online application opportunity. The aim of this project is to develop skills at mapping existing ‘categories’ of applications, using such a map to define new opportunities, and then refining those opportunities by considering issues of development and implementation. In previous years, your predecessors have specified a wide range of ideas, some of which were quite innovative. The aim of this project is to create the beginnings of a business plan (the idea phase) for a new online service which might be a ‘social network’ site or another type of online service. The idea that you develop needs to take account of existing services such as Facebook, MySpace, eBay, and Craig’s List because a new entrant will need to distinguish their offering from existing ideas and avoid a ‘me too’ feel (why would someone use this site rather than existing services?). The seminar in Week 1 is an induction, a typical process of ‘team building’ that progressive companies undertake to accelerate the process of group cohesion and interaction. This is followed by three weeks (seminars in Weeks 2, 3 and 4) of development culminating in presentations in Week 5. There will be three different teams in each of the two seminar groups with each individual having a role that provides the basis for ‘participation’ part of the assessment which is part of the overall module mark. Week 1: Induction – Team Building Exercises During this week we will divide each seminar group into teams by random selection and undertake a series of team-building exercises designed to acquaint you with fellow team members so you can begin to think about the roles each person might undertake in the project and what type of project might ‘fit’ the groups capabilities and interests. The teams will be code-named: Rabbit Dragon Tiger Horse (if needed)   Week 2: Defining the Market In this seminar, the three teams will address the ‘state of the art’ in online services. After a brainstorming session, a single member from each team will present their typologies with examples and indicate what ‘features’ or characteristics they see as being relevant for defining service offerings. An online forum will be established for each of the teams and it is expected that individuals will make contributions to it to support the activities in Week 4 (see below) Week 3: Defining the Innovation In this week, each of the teams is expected to indicate two opportunities for innovation in online services. The first part of the session will be devoted to internal discussion and critique of ideas for innovative features. Some of the factors that need to be considered in this discussion are: 1) feasibility (does the service require a major technological development effort) 2) market (what degree of specialisation is involved and how might this affect the number of possible users) 3) business model (is this another ‘advertising supported’ site or is there some other business model for gaining revenue (e.g. subscription)?) Presenters in this session will receive a preliminary mark which can be raised (but not lowered) for subsequent contributions. The class and the tutor will constructively critique the innovative features offered and this may influence the team toward one of the possible innovative ideas. Continued activity on the online forums is expected so that the group is able to make productive use of the following week’s seminar in which a commitment to a particular service innovation will be made. Week 4: Committing to the Project During this session each of the teams will commit to a specific service, preparing to offer a presentation to potential business ‘angel’ investors in Week 6. The aim of this session is to divide responsibilities within the group and benefit from collective discussion of the tasks that need to be done to make credible presentation. The template for the presentation of the idea is as follows: 1. Context and Background a. What is the nature of this service? b. What services will be competing with this service for user attention? c. What distinguishes this service from alternatives and makes it well-timed for contemporary offering? What is the innovative feature of this service? 2. User Experience a. What will it actually be like for a user to interact with this site? What is the offering that will attract them initially? b. What will sustain user interest over time in this site? Many sites attract initial interest, but fail to be sustained. How will you address this problem? c. Why will users choose your site over alternatives? 3. Potential Market and Business Model a. Who will be the initial users and how will they be recruited? b. How will this service generate revenue? Note that a perfectly acceptable model is ‘charitable donation’ – e.g. Wikipedia, one of the most successful online sites is supported solely by user donations c. How large is the potential market for this service (it is not a good plan to say ‘everyone in the world’ unless you have a resource plan to make the site available in all of the languages of the world and, even then, it is problematic because not everyone has Internet access). 4. Resource Requirements a. What will be the development costs for this service? (How many people will be involved and what is their expected level of compensation?) b. What will be the operating costs of this service? (Once developed, how many people at what level of compensation will be needed to keep the service moving forward and meeting user needs?) c. What is the technology deployment model? (If this is a global service, what provision will be made for mirror sites and if it is a subscription service what provisions will be made for online payment systems? How much will it cost to provide access to the site on a Webhosting service for the expected number of users – note that this interactions with 2.c.) 5. Summary a. Why is this the right project in which to invest? b. Why is this the right time to launch this service? c. Why are the potential revenues (or benefits) and costs of this service in desirable balance? For each of element of the presentation, the group will select a single individual to make the presentation and this individual will, with the help of others, devise 3-5 slides to present their answers to these questions and other points they feel are relevant to their area. Further collaboration over the week is expected on the online forums. Week 5: Presentation Planning There is no specific agenda for this week. Groups are encouraged to meet and develop their projects. Instructor will be available to provide feedback and answer questions. Week 6: Project Presentation (Part I) Two of the teams will present their proposal for their online service. The criteria for assessing individual presentations are: 1. Originality 2. Clarity of Presentation 3. Integration of the individual and group presentation The aim is to ‘pitch’ this as a project worth seed funding from a ‘business angel’ or as a presentation at an open source developer conference where potential recruits to develop the idea would be recruited. Extra credit will be given for presenting a specific plan for incorporating potential users in the development of the site. Week 7: Project Presentation (Part II) The third (and possibly the fourth) team will present results and we will review the whole exercise. Week 8: Writing the Term Paper and Enrolment for Second Project During this session we will examine how to write a research paper in the social science (including business studies). Topics covered will be defining a research question, devising a research design for answering the question, and methods for gathering evidence to fulfil the research design. We will also examine issues of essay format, referencing and the complexities of what is considered plagiarism. We will also discuss remaining questions about the topics set for term papers and identify the resources that might be used to address these topics. Topics will be based upon the lectures and seminars and the option of a ‘self-designed’ project will be discussed. This will lead to ‘signing up’ during the final session of the class or seminar. We will also give a final opportunity for people to sign up to doing a second project: The following are the suggested second projects although students are given the option to define their own project of similar complexity and scope. A minimum size group of 2 is required for this project. All students are encouraged to attend this seminar to consider whether they may wish to participate in the second project and to review how the module is proceeding. 1) Choose two Wikipedia pages and examine their histories. Define and pursue a method for making comparisons between the pages based upon the editing history of the page. 2) Amazon provides a list of best selling books and an archive by month for past years (1998-2015) at http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/2015/books/ref=zg_bs_tab_t_bsar. Devise a method for making a comparison of the rankings between years that allows you to make predictions about the type of book that is likely to become a bestseller. 3) Choose an open source community on SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/). Consider the information on the project available on the project pages and propose how you would carry out an analysis of the project’s effectiveness by criteria of your own design. Week 9: Working on Second Project Those who have elected to work on the second project are encouraged to meet to develop their project. The instructor will be available if requested in advance for this session. Week 10 : Second Project Presentations and Essay Discussion Presentations will be made by individuals from each of the teams of the results of the second project. All students are encouraged to attend these presentations. Week 13: Final Opportunity to Discuss Term Essay or Other Questions Regarding the Course The instructor will be available during seminar times if there is an indication of an interest in convening one or both of the seminars. Evaluating student opinion Students will be invited to complete an online form appraising the organisation and teaching of this module. These questionnaires are anonymous.