Anthro 1224 - Hacker Culture and Politics

Prof. Gabriella Coleman

W 3-5:45pm

This course examines computer hackers to interrogate not only the ethics, diversity, and technical practices of hacking but to examine more broadly how hackers and hacking have triggered and transformed changes in law, policy, computing, and journalism. We will examine and discuss how hacker values are realized and constituted by different legal, technical, and ethical activities of computer hacking, such as free software production, gaming, hacktivism, and security. We will pay close attention to how ethical principles are variably represented and thought of by hackers, journalists, and academics. We will use the example of hacking to address various other concerns, topics, and areas, such as surveillance, secrecy, play, gender and diversity, communication, security, direct action, and more.