CS377C/CLAS194 -- The Information Revolution in Latin America
Course Syllabus Course Schedule On-line Resources Announcements Group Projects Previous Years

WINTER 2001 SCHEDULE

WEEKS ONE AND TWO: INTRODUCTION

Wednesday, January 10: Introduction to the Issues

              Dr. Kathleen Morrison, Latin American Studies

Monday, January 15: NO CLASS, Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Wednesday, January 17: Admitted students present their background and "pitch" themselves to potential teammates. Students select countries and organize teams.

Review 2000 web pages. Begin country bibliographic search.

 Readings:

  • Castells, Manuel. The Informational City is a Dual City: Can it be reversed? High Technology and Low Income Communities: Prospects for the Positive Use of Advanced Information Technology, MIT Press.

  • Drucker, Peter. Beyond the Information Revolution. Atlantic Monthly, October 1999.

  • Gomez, Ricardo. The Hall of Mirrors: The Internet in Latin America. Current History, February 2000.

  • Black, Jane. For Developing World, the Internet has not Delivered Wealth. New York Times, September 10, 1999.

  • Business Week. Battle For The Net: The Rush Is On To Cash In On Latin America's Fast-Growing Market. October 25, 1999.

  • Business Week. The Internet Party Didn't Last Long: Funding is Drying up for Latin America's Net Startups. November 27, 2000.

  • Press, Larry. Tracking the Global Diffusion of the Internet. Communications of the ACM. November 1997.

WEEK THREE: HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION AND INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE

Monday, January 22: Computer science education: overview of the challenges, curriculum development; the Stanford experience, the Bermuda/XL Initiative

              Professor Eric Roberts, Computer Science Department

Research university degree programs in computer science, gather data on enrollments and graduates. Develop profile of country age demographics. Research incorporation of technology in pre-collegiate classrooms.

Wednesday, January 24: Internet infrastructure, overview of programming methodologies, high speed internet access, interface and other technical issues.

              Professor Terry Winograd, Computer Science Department

  • Related Links From Professor Winograd's Lecture:

    Up-date information on portals, gateways, infrastructure. Availability of types of high speed internet access.

         Readings:

    • Roberts, Eric. Conserving the Seed Corn: Reflections on the Academic Hiring Crisis.

    • Roberts, Eric. Computing Education and the Information Technowlogy Workforce.

    • Chang, Carl and Roberts, Eric. Curricula 2001: Bringing the Future to the Classroom.

    • Wilson, Robin. Computer Scientists Flee Academe for Industry's Greener Pastures.

    • Introduction to the Bermuda/XL Curriculum Initiative.

    • Werbach, Kevin. The Architecture of Internet 2.0. Release 1.0, February 1999.

    • Winograd, Terry. Introduction to the Internet: Class Notes.

    • A Guide To Networking For K-12 Schools. Appendix C: The OSI Seven-Layer Model.

    • Wolff, Laurence. High Speed Internet Access: The Future for the World and The Implications for Developing Countries. TechKnowlogia, March/April, 2000.

    • Krause, Jason. ¿Habla ISP? The Industry Standard. July 23, 1999.

    • Ryan, James. Web Growth Spurt in Spanish and Portuguese. New York Times, June 3, 1999.

    • Romero, Simon. Brazilians Take to the Web with Uncommon Speed. New York Times, June 28, 1999.

    WEEK FOUR: LATIN AMERICA ON-LINE: CULTURE AND POLITICS

    Monday, January 29: Overview of internet use in Latin America; trends, forecasts

    Wednesday, January 31: The nature of access and opportunity: cultural, economic, political factors

    Research cultural issues, such as language groups, ethnic composition of population, wealth distribution, political and economic stability.

    Readings:

    • Cleaver, Harry. The Zapatistas and the Electronic Fabric of Struggle.

    • Corvi-Druetta, Delia. Globalizacion de las Comunicaciones: Autopistas de la Información y Cultura Política. Cultura Política: Información Y Comunicación De Masas. 1996.

    • Lins Ribeiro, Gustavo. The Condition of Transnationality. Exploring Implications for Culture, Power and Language.

    • Everett, Margaret. Latin America On-Line: The Internet, Development, and Democratization. Human Organizations. Winter 1998.

    • Bennahum, David. The Internet Revolution. Wired Magazine. April 1997.

    WEEK FIVE: GLOBALIZATION, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, AND THE ROLE OF THE STATE

    Monday, February 5: National telecommunications policies

                   Professor Francois Bar, Communications Department.

    Wednesday, February 7: A critique of technological determinism

                   Professor Martin Carnoy, School of Education.

    Gather labor market data by sector, gender, age; survey e-government initiatives; research government telecommunications policies; legal framework for protection of intellectual property, secure financial and personal transactions, capital mobility.

         Readings:

    • Bar, François et al. Access and Innovation Policy for the Third Generation Internet. Telecommunications Policy, 2000.

    • Forbes, Naushad. Technology in Newly Industrializing Countries: Managing Innovation in Nations and Firms. UNIDO, 1999.

    • Bellman, Beryl, Tindimubona, Alex. Arias, Armando. Technology Transfer In Global Networking: Capacity Building In Africa And Latin America. Global Networks: Computers and International Communication. 1993.

    • Goldstein, Paul. The Two Cultures of Copyright. Copyright's Highway: From Gutenberg to the Celestial Jukebox.

    • Pinhanez, Claudio. Internet in Developing Countries: The Case of Brazil.

    • Diaz-Albertini, Javier. Evaluación de Impacto Social de la Red Científica Peruana e Internet en el Perú 1991-1995.

    WEEK SIX: ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY: RESOURCE ISSUES

    Monday, February 12: MID-QUARTER STUDENT PRESENTATIONS, AND SPECIAL PRESENTATION

                   Wilford Welch, Publisher of "The World Times," and Director of Global Research, Information Society Index. (For more information about "The World Times," please see http://www.worldpaper.com/ ).

    Wednesday, February 14: Venture capital and venture philanthropy

    Gather data on computer purchase/use. Examine web content issues, other hardware and software concerns. Research venture capital and philanthropy capital availability, long-term investors, foreign investment regulations. Macro-economic indicators, including domestic savings rates, external debt.

    Readings:

    • Marks, Susan. E-commerce Sleeper Latin America is Suddenly Wide Awake. MicroTimes Magazine. August. 29, 2000.

    • Romero, Simon. Where the Risk is Riskier Yet: A New Breed of Venture Capitalist Scouts Latin America. New York Times, December 16, 1999.

    • Romero, Simon. Carrying the Flag For Free Trade: Brazil Still Embraces Globalization. New York Times, December 1.

    • Williams, Andrea. The Internet's Next Frontier: Latin America. Investor's Business Daily. November 16, 1999.

    • Krochmal, Lisa. Can the Venture Capital Model Work for Latin America? LatPro.com November 1999.

    • Helft, Daniel. No Need to Cry for VCs, Argentina. The Industry Standard. December 6, 1999.

    • Prensa Latina. Fernando J. Espuelas and StarMedia. Spring 2000.

    WEEK SEVEN: THE ROLE OF THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR

    Monday, February 19: NO CLASS - Presidents' Day Holiday

    Wednesday, February 21: On-line innovation in the non-profit arena

                   Professor David Cavallo, MIT Media Lab

    Begin research on non-profit ventures in education, bioinformatics, social services. Consider cases for final presentation: one non-profit and one for-profit.

     Readings:

    • Cavallos, David and Papert, Seymour. The Future of Learning: Mission Statement and Project Description.

    • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Global Vision for the National Library of Medicine. September 1998.

    • Malkin, Elisabeth. How Latin Patients Can Step in for a Cyber Consultation. Business Week. November 23, 1999.

    • Pryles, Kendall. Miami, La Medicina y la Internet.

    WEEKS EIGHT AND NINE: STRATEGIES FOR ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

    Monday, February 26: Grassroots organizing on-line

    Wednesday, February 28: Competitive forces, core competencies, strategies for new products/services

    Monday, March 5: Enterprise development in context; life-cycles and marketing strategies; sales/profits, constituents served; media selection

                   Professor Fred Gibbons, Entrepreneur, Venture Consultant, Lecturer

    Wednesday, March 7: Panel: Applications of the Internet in for- and non-profit organizations in Latin America.

  • Steve Oskoui, Founder, Pika Communications.

  • Dewayne Hendricks, CEO, the Dandin Group.

  • Kristina Stevens, Director, Intel Computer Clubhouse, EPA; former Project Director, "Expressions of Central America" website.

  • Thad Dunning, Cuba Group Leader, Crossroads and Reality Tours; Research Associate, Center for Latin American Studies.

  • David Wald, Representative, USA/Cuba InfoMed.

  • Jay Shen, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, MyCustoms.com
    •

    Continue research on histories of two cases: one for-profit and one non-profit. Refine on-going research for final on-line report and presentation.

         Readings:

    • Gladwell, Malcom. Clicks & Mortar. The New Yorker, December 6, 1999.

    • Gibbons, Fred. Business Strategy Overview: Business Strategy and Competitive Forces; Core Competencies. Industrial New Product Development. Matching the Product Development Process to its Context; Product Life-Cycle; Marketing Strategy; Sales, and Profits; Media Selection

    • Yahoo! (A): Assignment Questions

    • Yahoo! (A): First Round Financing.

    • Product Development Overview

    • Harvard Business School. Living on Internet Time: Product Development at Netscape, Yahoo!, NetDynamics, and Microsoft.

    • Harvard Business School. Paving the Information Superhighway.

    WEEK TEN: FINAL PRESENTATIONS

    Monday, March 12: No class — prepare for presentations

    Wednesday, March 14 AND Friday, March 16: FINAL PRESENTATIONS (attendance mandatory at both sessions) and on-line reports posted

                                         

    Back to main page