Winter School at IIIT Bangalore

Digital and the Everyday: A 3-day Winter School at IIIT Bangalore, 11th-13th December 2017
Applications are invited for a 3-day winter school organized by the Centre for IT & Public Policy (CITAPP) at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) during 11th-13th December 2017.

Concept
As digital technologies are proliferating, our everyday lives have become a series of digitally mediated interactions. From entertainment to education, from health to welfare, from banking to transportation, each of these everyday services are directly or indirectly embedded in the web of digital networks. What are the building blocks of these networks? Are they just a combination of software and hardware, or do they involve infrastructure, regulations, policy frameworks, institutional mechanism and much more? This entanglement of the digital and the everyday demands a more holistic understanding of these increasingly socio-technical systems that we experience through our everyday lives.

Themes for 2017
This year’s Winter School, Digital and the Everyday: from codes to cloud, takes an interdisciplinary approach to unpack and analyse different elements of our digitally mediated social existence. For example, the smartphone notification which reminds a user of a scheduled flight and also recommends the quickest way to the airport, is enabled by numerous technologies, most notably machine learning and data analytics, which in turn are dependent on the user’s data as well as of others in this shared digital space. Such an interaction raises several issues, such as those on algorithms and data, privacy, and the shaping of digital identities. It also points towards a multitude of actors that include engineers, policy-makers, designers, users, corporates, as well as activists. The Winter School will address the intertwined nature of some of these issues by drawing upon IIIT-B’s research in the area of IT & Society, consulting and other activities being undertaken at CITAPP, and its pioneering Masters Programme in Digital Society.

Programme Structure
The programme consists of lectures, interactive discussions, film screenings and group activities. At the end of the 3-day programme, participants will present a poster on a specific aspect of the digital and everyday discussed during the Winter School. The sessions will be conducted during 9 AM and 5 PM every day. Detailed schedule of the programme will be available by 3rd week of November 2017.

Applications
Anybody with a Bachelor’s degree, including those in their final year, in any discipline may apply. Working professionals employed in the government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors are also encouraged to apply. There is no fee for attending the Winter School. Outstation participants may be provided accommodation at IIIT-B’s hostels on payment of applicable charges. To apply, please fill in theApplication Form at https://goo.gl/BdtNWT. Applications must be submitted by 12th November 2017. Accepted candidates will be notified by 17th November 2017.  For further queries, please write to: winterschool2017@iiitb.ac.in