Cyber-politics: Politics and the Internet Revolution

Postgraduate | 2026

Course page banner
area/catalogue icon
Area/Catalogue
POLI 5005
Course ID icon
Course ID
204563
Level of study
Level of study
Postgraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course level icon
Course level
5
Study abroad and student exchange icon
Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
No
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
No
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
No
alt
Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

The course examines how the digital age has transformed politics around the world. Information and communication technologies have deeply changed both the private and public spheres, the internet has radically changed the way people communicate with each other and interact with the state and private corporations. It has reshaped our economies, and created new opportunities for political engagement and organization. Citizens use the internet to organise protests and boycotts, but the internet is also a space where individuals may become radicalised. It provides a democratised platform for the production and consumption of information, but also lends itself to the proliferation of fake news, echo chambers and hate speech. Governments attempt to enact laws that control, censor, or monitor online interactions. But private corporations are similarly interested to control and utilize the internet to gather data on current and future consumers, and to exploit commercial opportunities. Similar opportunities are also sought by criminal actors, who seek to use the internet to pursue criminal, aggressive and terrorist activities. How, then, ought the internet be governed? Who should have authority to control internet access and content? In this course, we will explore this complex web of relations, dangers and opportunities by tackling questions such as: should the internet be censored, and by whom? Should hate speech be prohibited? Who should control access to the internet? should Facebook be nationalised? What is the value of privacy? What impact is the internet, and particularly social media, having on the human experience? What is cybersecurity and how do we achieve it? Does internet communication favour populist and authoritarian leaders? how do these issues relate to one another and to conceptions of network neutrality more generally?

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A