[Sociam-soton] Fwd: [msgs] New Seminar: MAS.S65 -- Introduction to Social Machines

[electronic Max]

fyi,

Deb is teaching a course on 'Social Machines' (by their definition)

yours,
max

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Deb Roy <dkroy at media.mit.edu>
Date: Wed Jan 28 2015 at 5:59:06 PM
Subject: [msgs] New Seminar: MAS.S65 — Introduction to Social Machines
To: <msgs at media.mit.edu>, <ml-all at media.mti.edu>, <
mas-students at media.mit.edu>


*MAS.S65 — **Introduction to Social Machines: Building Systems Solutions
for Social Change.*
*Instructors: Deb Roy, Preeta Bansal, William Powers, Russell Stevens*
*Guest lectures: Daniel Dennett, Larry Lessig, Andrew Heyward, Sandy
Pentland, John Clippinger*
*Credits:* 3-0-6 (H)
*Seminar:* Wednesday, 10 am — 12 pm, E14-493
*Lab:* Alternate Thursdays, 2 pm — 4 pm, E14-493
Digital networks have radically increased the speed and scope with which
individuals can effect social change, transforming the relationship between
people and institutions. But the impact to date of this transformation has
been more disruptive and *ad hoc*, as opposed to constructive and
systematic. Existing tools and practices for harnessing the potential of
digital networks have failed to sustain a public sphere where institutions
and individuals can come together to understand, learn and act
constructively on societal problems.
This seminar will explore theories and practices for building systems
solutions to drive sustainable progress on critical social challenges such
as literacy, development, equality and well-being. Seminar content will
cover both LSM “hemispheres”:

   - *Social* – As in the social sciences, broadly (e.g., economics,
   political science, education, sociology, anthropology, architecture,
   philosophy, history, law), and how technology can be applied in these areas
   to fuel social change.


   - *Machines* – As in computer science, data analysis and software
   development and how such systems can enable social change. These sessions
   will include topics such as semantic and network analysis, pattern
   discovery, data visualization and mobile app technologies.

A continuing theme of the seminar will be how these two hemispheres can
come together in *social machines* that help create better “responsive
systems” – the networks connecting individuals and institutions
(government, schools, press, police, etc.) that underpin villages, cities
and countries around the world.
The seminar will operate on two tracks, with weekly sessions focused more
on the Social hemisphere and led by guest lecturers preeminent in their
respective fields (confirmed guest lecturers to date include Larry Lessig
<http://www.lessig.org/> on technology and law, Daniel Dennett
<http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/dennett/> on the philosophy of mutual
visibility, Andrew Heyward <http://www.heywardadvisory.com/about/> on
technology and journalism, Sandy Pentland
<http://www.media.mit.edu/people/sandy> and John Clippinger
<https://idcubed.org/team_member/john-henry-clippinger/> on personal data
in the digital public sphere). These weekly sessions will be supplemented
with “labs” led by LSM staff/students focused on technology tools such as
NLP, network analysis, data visualization, mobile app development, etc.
The course will include weekly reading assignments and a final project in
which students prototype technology tools that address social challenges.
Grading will be 50% class participation and 50% final project.

http://socialmachines.media.mit.edu/2015/01/22/laboratory-for-social-machines-spring-2015-seminar/
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