Global Internet Governance: Sovereignty in the Digital Age

INTL-I310, REEI-R300/500 (31608/31609)

Why did the US administration seek to ban TikTok? Why does Russia want the United Nations to regulate the internet? Why is the European Union battling with the Silicon Valley giants over their business practices? These questions fall under the ambit of global internet governance, the administration of the global internet’s technology and policy. The course will trace how internet governance evolved from a niche technical domain into one of the most contentious arenas of global politics. The tension between the internet’s global reach and national sovereignty will be at the center of this examination. Our course will explore the organizations and infrastructures that make up the global internet, how nations’ political ideologies and cultural identities inform their internet governance views, and whether the global internet is in danger of fragmenting into disconnected national segments. Students will learn to recognize the internet as an always-evolving product of historical circumstance and political struggle. ​Combined Synchronous & Asynchronous Video. 2nd 8 weeks of the semester. Tuesday/Thursday at 1:10PM-3:40PM.