Socrates Japan 2018
Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute – Japan, the Socrates Nara Seminar will take place from November 29 to December 2, 2018. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours. Seminar tuition is $3,000, which includes lodging, materials, meals, and an excursion in Nara. Tuition does not include travel.
Democracy in the Digital Age
This seminar, an update of the first Socrates Society seminar held 22 years ago, will explore how new digital and network technologies change the nature of democracy and its core institutions. It begins with defining what we mean by democracy, distinguishing among various democratic models, and identifies the key trends and drivers of the digital age. It will then consider how digital technologies are affecting electoral and democratic processes now and in the future. The seminar will also explore issues of liberty (e.g., issues relating to the freedom to communicate, freedom to connect, the right of privacy, and the right to be forgotten) and security. It will explore the concept of digital inclusion, how to bring the advantages that the digital world has to offer such as education, jobs, and healthcare to the underserved, and will finish with a look at the global impact of these technologies on democracy around the world. Are they “technologies of freedom” or oppression? How can we use these technologies to make our world a better place?
Moderated by Charlie Firestone, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and a Vice President of the Aspen Institute