Note: This is the webpage for a class that has ended. Information about current classes is available here.
Overview
In this reading group, we will read recent books by scholars who think and write about different aspects of technology and justice, such as social equality, economic equality, and the carceral state. Through discussion, we will learn to critically analyze the relationships between technology, law, and society. We will learn to think about how the world we live in shapes and is shaped by technology, and we will consider what the role of law is and should be with respect to regulating technology’s creation, use, and effects in a highly unequal and often unjust world.
Class Meetings
We will meet in Hauser Hall Room 103, from 3:45-5:45PM on the following Tuesdays: 9/17, 10/1, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26.
Office Hours will be by appointment in my office: Areeda 133. To schedule an appointment, please send an email to my assistant, Lisa Ananias (lananias@law.harvard.edu).
Course Requirements
Pre-Class Discussion Posts
By 11AM the day of class, please submit to the course Canvas site a short reaction to the readings—thoughts or questions that can help fuel discussion. Please don’t feel like you need to write too much—half a page is fine—just let us all know what you’re thinking about. Then, before class, each of you should read everyone’s discussion posts. Feel free to respond if you like, or save it for class.
Reading Assignments
Each week, we will read a book and discuss it. These books are the only required reading materials for the class. They are available at the bookstore, and most, if not all, are available to read online through the library. Feel free to acquire them any way that you desire, but if you plan to use the digital library version, do check early that you’re able to access them—I had some trouble with one.
Class 1 (9/17): Meredith Broussard, More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech (2023)
Class 2 (10/1): Kashmir Hill, Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It (2023)
Class 3 (10/22): Sarah Esther Lageson, Digital Punishment: Privacy, Stigma, and the Harms of Data-Driven Criminal Justice (2020)
Class 4 (10/29): Orly Lobel, The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future (2022)
Class 5 (11/12): Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media (2018)
Class 6 (11/26): Tim Wu, The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age (2018)
Attendance
You must notify me via email before class if you will be absent. If you are not able to notify me before class, please do so as promptly as possible. I understand that illness and other unforeseen circumstances occur, but every attempt should be made to attend class, especially given the small number of sessions.
Accessibility
Harvard Law School is dedicated to facilitating equal access for students with disabilities and to cultivating a campus culture that is sensitive and responsive to the needs of students. To request an accommodation for a disability during the course, students should contact Accessibility Services in the Dean of Students Office at accessibility@law.harvard.edu or at 617‐495‐1880, or visit the office in WCC 3019. Additional information, including advice about how to register for accommodations, can be found at hls.harvard.edu/dept/dos/accessibility.
Even outside of the context of accommodations, if there’s something I can do to make your learning easier, please let me know.
Andrew Selbst 