ALEXISWICHOWSKI

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES | SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 

 

Tech & Tactics for Systemic Change 

This course equips the next generation of technologists with the skills, strategies, and savvy they need to secure systemic and lasting change both within their organizations, governments, and other risk-averse institutions to benefit the broader public they serve. Building on foundational works from political philosophers to today's civic tech leaders, the course focuses on practical guidance on how technology, psychology, and other tactics can be applied to change minds, cultures, and ultimately lasting change for policies and practices within teams and what they produce for citizens, consumers, and society at large. Course assignments consist of applied skills development to equip technology practitioners and policy leaders alike to navigate complex systems, foster empowered teams, and drive long-term and tangible change at scale. 

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Emerging Tech & Shifting Powers

While emerging technologies give those in power new ways to engage, educate, and enrich users at the individual, community, and societal levels, they pose new threats at each level as well. This course explores foundational principles of technological development -- how technology infrastructure, design principles, and end-user practices influenced prior generations of digital systems and services -- as a basis for exploring emerging technologies and their potential to help or harm. Course assignments consist of applied skills development to equip technology practitioners and policy leaders alike to assess how new tools can entrench, alter, or upend existing power structures among individuals, communities, and societies.

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