Youth Studies YS659 Special Topics Course:

“Understanding Digital Rights, Privacy and Surveillance for Youth and Workers”

Course Description: COVID-19 propelled the field of youth development into digital environments in triage mode, creating the conditions where individuals and organizations accelerated immersion in data ecosystems without foundational training, strategic designs or cybersecurity considerations. Across all industries and sectors virtual technologies have taken prominence to run programs and conduct business.The focus of this class will be on the role of digital technology in the fields of youth development and public education against the backdrop of what Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff calls the current economic landscape of “surveillance capitalism.” 

We will be examining contemporary policies, studying current educational technology tools and social media practices, and interrogating how decision-making around digital privacy, data rights and surveillance impacts youth, youth workers and community-based organizations. Students will leave the class with a broad comprehension of methods to better protect their data privacy, to understand digital technologies, to educate around digital rights, to engage with tools that counteract practices of mass surveillance and to advocate for community access to reliable internet and highly functional devices. The final project of this special topics class will involve creating an online learning platform for community distribution and use.