KAFP 4215 - Designing Democracy: Technologies, Power, and Governments

“Designing Democracy – Technologies, Power and Governments” explores how digital infrastructures, platforms, algorithms and other technologies shape contemporary democratic interactions. The course examines how governments, companies and civic actors use these technologies to organise participation, to structure public debate, to redistribute power and sometimes to reinforce exclusion, opacity or manipulation.

Combining theoretical insights and practical methodologies, the course includes frontal lectures, guest lectures from leading practitioners and scholars, interactive seminars, in-class debates, and hands-on workshops. Each class will focus on a key concept (e.g., platforms design, gamification, artificial intelligence and ethics) to address fundamental aspects of emerging digital democracies at local, national, and supranational levels.

The course will host a workshop aimed at engaging students in the design and implementation of a product (be it a platform, a website, an application or another digital tool for civic engagement) for public participation. They will learn how to identify citizens’ needs, to ideate a digital space for civic interaction, and to gather opinions from participants.

Students are requested to:

Watch the following movies/videos prior to the beginning of the course:

• GIANLUCA SGUEO, What if Government Was a Game?, TedTalk 2019
• GIANLUCA SGUEO, What Could be the Future of Democracy?, European Parliament 2019
• PIA MANCINI, How to upgrade democracy to the internet era, TedTalk 2014
• BETH NOVECK, Demand a more open source government, TedTalk 2012

Classes will be delivered in multiple formats:

• Frontal lessons
• Collective analysis and discussion of key case-studies through group presentations
• Workshops (individual and/or team-work followed by debate)
• Guest lectures

The students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance as follows:

Assignment 1 (in-class reflections): students will receive, on a weekly basis, assigned readings. At the beginning of given classes (announced in advance), students will participate in class debates related to assigned readings. Please note this is meant to be a continuous assessment aimed at fostering critical thinking and active participation.

Assignment 2 (Workshop): During the semester students will be involved in workshop sessions. NB. Workshops will consist of initiating, designing, advancing, and concluding a “product” for public participation (be it a platform, a web-page, an application or any other tech tool).

Assignment 3 (Final Exam): The final exam will consist of a written short essay dedicated to key topics and cases discussed during the semester. The exam will be open book. Students will be evaluated for their analytical reasoning and capacity to reflect critically on the core elements of the course