Today, we are faced with a transformation not only in how information is formed and delivered, but with how these transformations affect production in general and everyday life. This change has, in general, been termed "the information society" or "the information age." The reading of this change from a social perspective has led to claims that we live in a "network society" (a term which also introduces themes from complex network theory and emergence theory into social and political analyses). And, the understanding of this change in terms of production has been termed "post-Fordism," which means a type of production that stresses intellectual and social labor (intellectual and social "capital"), information and communication and their technologies (ICTs), the blurring of lines between public and private life, flexible, but continuous hours of labor (the so-called "24 hour work day"), and "continual education" in the form of employment-centered training.
Information Professionals, as well as all of us, need to understand both the claims and the discontinuities of "information society" and "post-Fordist" discourses, as they claim to represent the driving social, economic, and political forces of today's productive relations. Information Professionals depend upon such claims for their very professional title and economic and social value, and all of us have our professional and everyday tasks and relations mediated by such claims. Such discourses affect how "information" and "communication" are understood, how they are used, what their value is, and what the relations of "intellectual" and "social" "capital" are to other modes of production (industry and agriculture, for example). Most of all, the assumptions of information society and post-Fordist discourses drive political economythat is, relations between social institutions and personal agents as defined by the economic and social logics instituted by governments and their economic sponsors and extensions. From this, on the one hand, neo-liberalist discourses on global development hawk an information and communications embodied "global village," driven by free-trade and capitalist market social relations, and on the other hand, "anti-global," or more accurately, "anti-capitalist" global social movements argue for a need to develop a "general intellect" (Marx) or 'world mind' that has at its core social and political relations that lie outside the logic of capitalism. So, too, Knowledge Management originates, with its stress upon social and intellectual capital, as a business discourse, attempting to account for, and profit, from this shift to a post-Fordist economy, and on the other hand, critical management studies have stressed critical theory readings of social and intellectual collective means for ends other than capital profit.
This course addresses post-Fordist readings in the "information" or "network" society. It examines literature in philosophy, history, and political economy that stresses the importance of social capital, intellectual capital, and social networks, not only in contemporary capital production, but also in contemporary social production and reproduction. It examines the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in social change, with a particular focus upon the philosophy and history of these technologies in neo-liberal political economy and in anti-capitalist social movements.
The course complements courses in social informatics. It provides cultural and social perspectives on the role of ICTs and digital documentary forms in economic and political change (thus broadening the traditional library science concern with the social impacts of documentary materials) and it provides qualitative, social science, and humanities readings of social network theory. The material will be particularly useful for students preparing to think carefully about current changes in information and communication and their professional, political, and social consequences.
The class begins with classic American centrist readings on the "information" and "network" society and progresses to Italian autonomist Marxist readings that provide some of the central underpinnings and vocabulary for contemporary global social movements. Much of this latter literature is concerned with problems of social networks and their self-organization. The literature we shall read gives social, philosophical, and political points of view on such issues by authors including: Castells, Dyer-Witheford, Lazzarato, Negri, Tronti, Virno, and Fortunati. The readings give historical and theoretical background for understanding the social values and political uses attributed to information, communication, and their technologies both in neo-liberal and in anti-capitalist social movement discourses.
There are no prerequisites. The course will be conducted as a seminar, with a focus on conceptual issues.
a. This seminar class reads and engages recent post-Fordist readings on the importance of digital information and communication and their technologies and social networks in generating and mediating intellectual and social capital. The class begins with classic American centrist readings on the "information" and "network" society and progresses to Italian autonomist Marxist readings that provide some of the central underpinnings and vocabulary for contemporary global social movements. Much of this latter literature is concerned with problems of social networks and their self-organization. The literature we shall read gives social, philosophical, and political points of view on such issues by authors including: Castells, Dyer-Witheford, Lazzarato, Negri, Tronti, Virno, Fortunati, and Wright. The readings give historical and theoretical background for understanding the social values and political uses attributed to information, communication, and their technologies both in neo-liberal and in anti-capitalist social movement discourses.
b. We will focus on analyzing textual arguments during class discussion. This requires that everyone come prepared to discuss the texts they have read before the class.
By the second class sessions, students must choose a class session during the semester to lead. For this task, should you need it, I will be available for discussion in advance of the sessions you lead, and during the class I will work with you to help in explicating the texts. The class will mostly follow a textual discussion format, so students must be prepared to discuss the texts in class for each class. The presentation will be worth 40% of your grade.
A substantial final paper (20 pages) is due on the last day of class. This will be 60% of your grade. If you wish, you may submit an outline or draft half-way through the semester for me to review. We will discuss the various possible topics during the semester. Generally, the paper topics are that having to do with the topics and/or texts of the course.
For your presentation, you are expected to pay careful attention to the texts and to make careful textual references in summarizing the textual arguments. The texts are difficult and you need to "work through" the texts with close readings. Mark up your texts as you read them and provide references for the other students in the class as you take us through the main arguments of the text. Expect that I will engage you and work with you to clarify the arguments.
c. Attendance: Especially since this is a seminar course. Attendance is mandatory. Three or more absences will result in a drop in letter grade.
d. Indiana University School of Library and Information Science Definitions of Letter Grades
The following definitions of letter grades have been defined by student and faculty members of the Curriculum Steering Committee and have been approved by the faculty as an aid in evaluation of academic performance and to assist students by giving them an understanding of the grading standards of the School of Library and Information Science.
| A | 4.0 | Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations. |
| A- | 3.7 | Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner. |
| B+ | 3.3 | Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above-average comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks as defined in the course syllabus. |
| B | 3.0 | Student performance meets designated course expectations and demonstrates understanding of the course materials at an acceptable level. |
| B- | 2.7 | Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials. |
| C+ | 2.3 | Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete and inadequate understanding of course materials. |
| C C- | 2.0 1.7 | Unacceptable work. Coursework performed at this level will not count toward the MLS or MIS degree. For the course to count toward the degree, the student must repeat the course with a passing grade. |
| D+ D D- F | 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.0 | Failing. Student may continue in program only with permission of the Dean. |
e. Late submissions of work will not be accepted, other than in the case of emergencies, family illnesses and death, etc. This is to prevent you from carrying incompletes in your graduate work. All readings are to be done for the day of discussion.
f. Plagiarism and other forms of dishonesty will result in an "F" for the course and the case will be referred to SLIS administration for further consideration.
g. Course Calendar (subject to revision):-Castells, Manuel. The Rise of the Network Society (2nd edition)
-Dyer-Witheford, Nick. Cyber-Marx: Cycles and Circuits of Struggle in High-Technology Capitalism.
-Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punishment: The Birth of the Prison
-Paolo Virno. A Grammar of the Multitude.
-On-reserve readings.
Introduction to class and materials>
Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish
Michel Foucault: "Right of Death, and Power over Life" (chapter on "biopower" from The History of Sexuality, vol. 1)
Gilles Deleuze, "Postscript on the Societies of Control." (on reserve)
Karl Marx, section on the Grundrisse on General Intellect. (on reserve)
Sections from Manuel Castells, The Rise of the Network Society (2nd edition)
Sections from Manuel Castells, The Rise of the Network Society (2nd edition)
Sections from Manuel Castells, The Rise of the Network Society (2nd edition)
Nick Dyer-Witheford, Cyber-Marx: Cycles and Circuits of Struggle in High-Technology Capitalism, chapters 1, 2, 3, 4,7, 9
Antonio Negri, "Archaeology and Project: The Mass Worker and the Social Worker." (on reserve)
--."Value and Affect" (on reserve)
Kennith Surin, "Now Everything Must be Reinvented: Negri and Revolution" (on reserve)
(optional: Ronald E. Day Social capital, value, and measure: Antonio Negri's challenge to capitalism http://www.lisp.wayne.edu/%7Eai2398/socialcapital.html)
Paolo Virno: A Grammar of the Multitude
"General intellect, exodus, multitude: Interview with Paolo Virno": http://www.generation-online.org/p/fpvirno2.htm
Chapters from Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Arcane of Reproduction" (on-reserve)
"Feminism and Autonomy: Itinerary of Struggle: an interview with Alisa del Re" (on-reserve)
Leopoldina Fortunati, "The Human Body: Natural and Artificial Technology" (on reserve)
Franco Berardi, "Panic War" http://www.noborder.org/webjournal/fri_item.php?id=18
Franco Berardi/ Matthew Fuller interview on The Factory of Unhappiness (available from Nettime archive, June 11, 2001 (11/06/2001): http://www.nettime.org/nettime.w3archive/ )
Steve Wright, "Pondering Information and Communication in Contemporary Anti-Capitalist Movements," http://www.commoner.org.uk/01-7groundzero.htm
Steve Wright and Ron Day, "Go Ask Alice: Some Thoughts Concerning the Place of Mobile Communication within Italian Radical Politics and Contemporary Social Movements" (to be distributed)
Nick Dyer-Witheford, "The New Combinations Revolt of the Global Value-Subjects," http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/new_centennial_review/v001/1.3dyer_witheford.html
Manuel Castells, "Social Movements Against the New Social Orders." (From M. Castells, The Power of Identity (2nd edition)
Mario Garrido and Alexander Halavais, "Mapping Networks of Support for the Zapatista Movement: applying Social-Networks Analysis to Study Contemporary Social Movements."
Dorothy Kidd, "Indymedia.org: A New Communications Commons."