Rey Koslowski
Associate Professor
Political Science
University at Albany
201 Milne Hall
T: 518-442-5314
rkoslowski@uamail.albany.edu
Political Science 368
TTH 10:15-11:35 AM
HUM 24
Office Hours:
T 11:35–1:30 in HUM 16
(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 of new 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 prerequisites other 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 (Oxford
University 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 Exam
Presidential candidate website evaluation
e-government website evaluation
Final Exam
Class participation (including quizzes)
about 30%
about 10%
about 10%
about 40%
about 10%
Late assignments will be penalized. Students must properly reference all sources, including assigned
readings, in all written assignments. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated.
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Schedule of classes, readings and assignments:
Introduction
1/24 Course overview
Part I Information Revolutions
1/29 Communications revolutions, the “global village” and the “flat world”
“Johannes Gutenberg,” Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg
“Marshall McLuhan” Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan
“Global village” Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_village_%28Internet%29
Friedman, Ch. 1 (pp. 3-50).
1/31 The 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:
http://www.pbs.org/nerds/transcript.html
2/4 The Internet and the World Wide Web
Chadwick, chs. 1, 3
Friedman, “Flatteners #2, #3 (pp. 60-93).
2/7 Open-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
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/tech.html
Lab: Research using the web
2/12 Globalization
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)
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Alan S., Blinder, “Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution?” Foreign Affairs, Mar/Apr2006,
2/14 Nanotechnology
Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, Ch. 1
http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Chapter_1.html
Ralph Merkle, A brief introduction to the core concepts of molecular nanotechnology
http://www.zyvex.com/nano
“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.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070502_768360.htm?chan=search
“Introduction” College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany
http://cnse.albany.edu/about_cnse/introduction.html
2/21 Conceptual 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
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html
“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
2/28 The 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
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3/4 Interest Groups and Social Movements
Chadwick, Ch 6
Friedman, Chs. 12-13 (pp. 477-514).
3/6 Democratic Participation, Parties, Candidates, and Elections
Chadwick Ch. 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
3/11 Global economic competition among states
Friedman, Ch. 5-8 (pp. 263-403)
3/13 Mid-term Exam
Part III E-government
3/18 e-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.
3/20 E-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.
4/1 e-Government, regional integration and emerging issues
Erkki Liikanen, “eGovernment: An EU Perspective,” in Curtin et. al. pp. 65-88
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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
4/3 Revolution in Military affairs
Admiral William A. Owens, “Revolutionizing Warfare” Blueprint: Ideas for a New Century, Winter 2000
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=1128&kaid=124&subid=159
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 of Information Warfare,” Contemporary
Security Policy 24, (1) (Apr. 2003), pp. 113-139.
4/10 Cyberterrorism and Information Security
Friedman, Ch 11 (pp. 533-579).
White House, National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, February 2003, (Read executive summary)
available in pdf at: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/National_Cyberspace_Strategy.pdf
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
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/feds-must-exami.html
4/15 Homeland security, surveillance and civil liberties
Chadwick, ch. 11
National Strategy for Homeland Security July 2002.
Read: “Executive Summary”.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/book/index.html
Rey Koslowski, "Immigration Reforms and Border Security Technologies" in Border Battles: The U.S.
Immigration Debates," The Social Science Research Council, July 31, 2006.
http://borderbattles.ssrc.org/Koslowski/
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Ryan Singel “New Real I.D. Rules To Shut Down Nation's Airports in May?” Wired Jan. 11, 2008.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/new-real-id-rul.html#previouspost
Part V International Cooperation and Global Governance
4/17 Complex interdependence in the information age
Chadwick, Ch. 9
R. Keohane & J. Nye, "Power and Interdependence in the Information Age," Foreign Affairs Sept. 1998.
4/22 Internet Governance, Media Ownership and Intellectual Property
Chadwick, Chs. 10, 12
4/24 e-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 http://www.state.gov/m/rls/2555.htm
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 http://www.gcn.com/21_27/news/19909-1.html
Joe Johnson, “Wiring State: A Progress Report” Foreign Service Journal, December 2005
http://www.afsa.org/fsj/dec05/johnson.pdf
Ben Bain, “Chat room diplomacy,” Federal Computer Week, Sept. 3, 2007.
http://www.fcw.com/print/13_31/features/103633-1.html
4/29 Non-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
http://www.nautilus.org/gps/info-policy/workshop/papers/rutherford.html
Daniel W. Drezner, Henry Farrell, “Web of Influence,” Foreign Policy, Nov./Dec 2004
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2707
5/1 Prospects for conflict resolution and global governance
Friedman, Chs. 16-17 (pp. 580-635).
5/6 Summary
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