Technologies of Governance

I am teaching a tutorial on “Internet Governance & Regulation” at Wadham College this term. For those not familiar with Oxford-speak, a tutorial is an approach to teaching that is based on weekly meetings between a student and a scholar (i.e. 8 hours per term). While the student has to plough through a rather comprehensive reading list and write an essay every week, the tutor challenges the student’s work and gives extensive feedback. What makes this form of teaching special is – in my view – the rather close working relationship between the tutor and the student. Downside for those “tutored”: there’s nowhere to hide if you haven’t done the readings.

Obviously, the reading list is an important part of this process. However, what looked like an easy task in the beginning turned out to be a rather difficult endeavor. While other disciplines can draw upon an established canon of literature, the cross-cutting field of “Internet Governance & Regulation” or “Cyberlaw” lacks such a sound foundation.

I have given it a shot, and that’s the best I could come up with so far. It’s by no means the reading list of my dreams, but one tailored to the needs of a specific audience (non-law students with a focus on U.S. policy) and the requirements of the Oxford tutorial (theory-focused, heavy reading, self study).

You will immediately notice that the list stands on the shoulders of giants. For some sessions, I drew on the syllabi of two courses that I think are among the best at the moment:

• Jonathan Zittrain’s “Cyberlaw – Internet Points of Control“
• Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger’s “Information Technology, Policy, and the Future of Governance“

I also found Paul Schiff Berman’s reader on Law and Society Approaches to Cyberspace very helpful in this context.

Again, the list is just one piece in the didactic puzzle and in many ways a compromise to meet competing demands. But maybe it is helpful for some of you nevertheless. Feedback (and grades) welcome!