[iDC] Introductions: Jonathan Bach

[Jonathan Bach]

Dear iDC,

Greetings everyone. I teach at The New School in the Global Studies program,
and am particularly excited by this upcoming Digital Labor conference
because I am teaching a new undergraduate course on "Global Economies" this
fall. I will include a unit on technology, and I would be grateful for
suggestions from the community about two things: 1. Readings for the
students, and most importantly, 2. Ideas about how to possible connect the
students to the conference. Currently, I'm planning three weeks around
technological issues: "trading at the speed of light" (flash crashes, robot
traders, etc.); "share and share alike?" about the sharing economy/"zero
price" commodities; and "labor in a digital world." I'm just putting this
together now, and if people have comments about how best to organize this
section I'm open to all ideas. It's an intro level course for students with
no prior background.

This unit is planned for the week before, during, and after the conference.
Ideally I would like the students to attend panels, workshops, studios, etc.
at the Digital Labor Conference and report back to the class the following
week.   I am not yet sure what is being planned specifically, but I wonder
if there are ways to creatively involve students beyond having them attend
as passive audience members?

Briefly about myself, since I've been lurking forever on this list. My own
work takes a cultural approach to politics, and I'm currently trying to
finish a manuscript on the afterlife of socialist-era material culture in
Germany today, and co-editing a book on the evolution of the Chinese city of
Shenzhen, which is connected to work I've done on special economic zones.
I'm trained as a political scientist, but have strayed far into
anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies.  At one point I worked on
technology and organizational change, specifically how NGOs in Central and
Eastern Europe were using digital technology in the 1990s. I've maintained
an abiding interest in questions of digital culture, especially the relation
between the material and the digital, and the question of how to define
"value." I look very forward to this third conference in the series, and am
very thankful for any suggestions about readings or ways to involve the
students.

Yours,
Jonathan

--
Jonathan Bach
Chair and Associate Professor
Global Studies Program
The New School, New York, USA
bachj at newschool.edu
http://jonathanbach.info



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