DEMO8086 Social Science of the Internet

Offered By	Australian Demographic & Social Research Institute
Academic Career	Graduate Coursework
Course Subject	Demography
Offered in	Second Semester, 2009 and Second Semester, 2010
Unit Value	6 units
Course Description	The World Wide Web is only around 20 years old, but it has transformed the way we work, collaborate, engage in commerce, participate in the political process and interact socially. This course focuses on the contribution of social science to understanding life in the "Age of the Network". While attention is paid to relevant insights or approaches from other disciplines, for example applied physics and computer science, the primary focus will be on theoretical and empirical contributions from economics, political science and sociology. There is particular emphasis on the role of quantitative analysis of surveys of individuals and statistical network analysis of digital trace data (e.g. blog/social network service/web/email data) in understanding the social science of the Internet. Possible topics include: politic participation (how has the Internet affected engagement in the political process and the behaviour of elected officials?); e-government (what is the impact of the Internet on the capacity of governments to interact with citizens, and the position of government in social and information networks?); distributed models of production and collaboration (what is the significance of Internet-enabled distributed collaboration, increasingly referred to as "wikinomics"?); collective action and social movements (what is the impact of the Internet on the activities of NGOs and protest groups?); and e-Inclusion (can the web be used as a tool for social inclusion and the promotion of alternative conceptualisations of national identity?).
Learning Outcomes	By taking this course, students will: Learn about the fundamental changes to society, politics and the economy resulting from new information and communication technologies. Learn how core social science concepts and methodological approaches can facilitate an understanding of life in the Internet Age. Learn about relevant online research methods that can be used for collecting and analysing data from the Internet.
Indicative Assessment	Class attendance and participation (10%), three written assignments (70%), final exam (20%).
Workload	Two ninety minute sessions on campus per week.
Course Classification(s)	AdvancedAdvanced courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide a deep understanding of contemporary issues; or 'second degree' and higher levels of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs.
Areas of Interest	Population Studies
Recommended Courses	DEMO8007 Statistics for Social Scientists or equivalent
Consent Required	Students not enrolled in the Master of Social Research or the Graduate Certificate in Social Research require permission of the Masters Coordinator, Dr Robert Ackland, to enrol in this course. Please email him on adsri.study@anu.edu.au
Indicative Reading List	A complete set of course notes, including additional readings will be supplied.
Programs	Graduate Certificate in Social Research and Master of Social Research
Other Information	Students undertaking the "Social Science of the Internet" stream of the Master of Social Research must take this course and DEMO8087 Online Research Methods. This course is available via distance learning.
Academic Contact	Dr Robert Ackland

The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.