Academic courses

Academic course

A New Dimension of Civil Society: Open Science, Free Culture, Peer Production

How are technology, culture, and globalization reshaping civic life? This course is moving beyond classic definitions to analyze how modern civil society is being transformed by open science, free culture, and peer production.

Institution University of Wroclaw
Term 2010/2011
Language Polish

You'll gain an in-depth understanding of new forms of citizenship emerging in the digital age, drawing on key theories from modern thinkers like Yochai Benkler. We'll analyze the examples of civic engagement in various spheres: from the free culture and commons movements to Open Access in science, commons-based peer production in the economy, and Open Data in politics.

We'll also explore how new public spheres are forming through citizen journalism and how scientific institutions are becoming more open and collaborative through movements like citizen science and scientific crowdsourcing.

In this course, you will learn to:

  • Analyze the foundational concepts of civil society, social trust, and social capital in a modern context.
  • Critically evaluate new forms of citizenship and civic activity in the realms of science, culture, and the economy.
  • Examine the impact of digital technologies on self-organization, public spheres, and collaborative production.
  • Develop new research skills for empirical analysis of modern civic engagement.

This course is for anyone seeking to understand the profound changes shaping how we participate in a modern, interconnected world. It is ideal for students in sociology, political science, public policy, communication, and media studies programs who want to engage with the frontiers of civic life.