What is a wickitee?

You are involved in human rights online, but wickitee (WCIT) sounds like something used to play cricket, ETNO sounds like the name of a robot, and Baku like an exotic vacation spot. Or you know what SOPA/PIPA refers to (right: alphabet soup in Spanish), but FoE caught you off guard. Maybe you work on child safety issues every day, but need to understand the legal implications and complexities of jurisdiction in the borderless online world.

One way to link the different issues (tech/social/development/economic/legal/security), and to fill in any gaps across professional and issue areas is to step back and take a look at the big picture of the overall issues. You can analyse how they affect each other, discuss the topics with colleagues who work in one area, and share your expertise in another. You can see how experts from different regions are addressing the same issues or different priorities. You can do this online, in just 8-10 hours a week, by participating in DiploFoundation’s Introduction to Internet Governance course, starting 18 February 2013.

Call for applications

DiploFoundation is currently accepting applications for its online course, Introduction to Internet Governance (IG). This course is designed to improve  Internet policy and IG-related knowledge and skills for participants from both developed and developing countries. It empowers them to participate in global policy-making on IG, and stimulates critical and dynamic debate among individuals with different national, cultural, and stakeholder backgrounds. Participants focus on controversial IG topics from different perspectives: security/privacy, protection/human rights, economy/access, and other apparent dichotomies.

About the course

The Introduction to Internet Governance is spread over 10 weeks, starting with an online classroom orientation week, followed by 8 weeks of coursework, and a final exam week.

The course introduces IG policy and covers five thematic areas – Infrastructure and Standardisation, Legal, Economic, Sociocultural, and Development aspects – and also has a section on IG processes and actors. Discussions will cover issues such as broadband policy; management of domain names and IP addresses, including the transition from IPv4 to IPv6; network neutrality; jurisdiction, intellectual property rights, open source and piracy; privacy protection; data security and cybersecurity; child protection; human rights; content management; digital signatures; emerging issues such as policies related to social networks and cloud computing, and more, with space for regional and other issues raised by participants.

Learning activities take place in an online classroom and include the analysis of course materials; interactive group discussions using a variety of communication tools, assignments, and exams; and other dynamic methodologies.

This course can be taken as follows:

• As a DiploFoundation Certificate course Introduction to Internet Governance
• As a University of Malta Graduate Accredited Course Introduction to Internet Governance (Request more information about the application process from admissions@diplomacy.edu)
• As part of DiploFoundation’s and the University of Malta’s online Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy, with a specialisation area in IG Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy

Languages

The course materials, our e-learning platform, and the working language of the course is English. Applicants should consider whether their reading and writing skills in English are sufficient to follow university-level materials and discussion. Spanish, Portuguese, and French options may be offered. More information will be available later on possible second language options.

In addition to English-speaking groups, a bilingual group may be formed for the course, having English as the primary language, and either Arabic, French, Spanish, or Portuguese as the secondary language for communication and interaction. This option will be offered depending on the needs of the applicants. Applicants to the bilingual groups (if offered) are asked to note that both languages are considered working languages within these groups. Reading and writing skills in English must be sufficient to understand learning materials and instructions, and for basic communication and interaction. Reading and writing skills in the second language must be sufficient for discussion and research purposes. Please request more information if you are interested in a second language option.

Target audience

Diplo seeks applications from the following categories of individuals from both developed and developing countries:

• Officials in government ministries, departments, or institutions dealing with Information Society, Internet and ICT-related policy issues (e.g. telecommunications, education, foreign affairs, justice).
• Postgraduate students, academics and researchers in the IG field (e.g. in telecommunications, electrical engineering, law, economics, development studies).
• Civil society activists in the IG and Information Society fields.
• Journalists covering IG issues.
• Individuals in Internet-business fields (e.g. ISPs, software developers).

This course may also be of interest to:

• Practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics.
• Postgraduate students of diplomacy or international relations wishing to study topics not offered through their university programmes or diplomatic academies and to gain deeper insight through interaction with practising diplomats.
• Postgraduate students or practitioners in other fields seeking an entry point into the world of diplomacy.
• Journalists, staff of international and non-governmental organisations, translators, business people and others who interact with diplomats and wish to improve their understanding of diplomacy-related topics.

Timeline

• 10 October: Call for applications for Introduction to Internet Goverance begins
• 17 December: Call for applications for Introduction to Internet Governance accredited course ends
• 31 December: Call for applications for Introduction to Internet Governance certificate course ends
• 18 January: Final selection results announced
• 11 February: Classroom orientation week
• 18 February: Introduction to  IG course begins
• To be announced: Call for applications for ICT Strategy and IG thematic courses begins

Scholarships and fees

Course fees depend on whether you wish to obtain university credit for the course:

• €790 (University of Malta Accredited Course)
• €600 (Diplo Certificate Course)

A limited number of partial scholarships may be offered to participants from developing and emerging countries.

As Diplo’s ability to offer scholarship support is limited, you are strongly encouraged to seek scholarship funding directly from local or international institutions. Our guide to Finding Scholarships for Online Study may provide you with some useful starting points.

Requirements

Applicants for the certificate course must have:

• IG knowledge and/or experience of the multistakeholder approach in international affairs.
• Sufficient ability in the English language to undertake postgraduate level studies (including reading academic texts, discussing complex concepts with other course participants, and submitting written essay assignments).
• Fluency in the second language for the applicants to any of the bilingual groups (if offered).
• Regular access to the Internet (dial-up connection is sufficient, although broadband is preferable).
• A minimum of 8-10 hours commitment per week, and the readiness to participate in class online sessions (once a week at specified times).
• An undergraduate university degree OR three years of related work experience.

In addition to the above, applicants for the accredited course must also meet University of Malta prerequisites:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject with at least Second Class Honours.
• Proof of English language proficiency obtained within the last two years (minimum requirements TOEFL: paper-based – 650; Internet-based – 95. IELTS: 6.5. Cambridge: Proficiency Certificate with Grade C or better). If, when applying, you are still waiting for your English language proficiency results, the University may issue a conditional letter of acceptance.

Deadlines

The deadline for applications for the accredited course is 17 December, 2012
The deadline for applications for the certificate course is 31 December, 2012

How to apply

Choose your preferred option:

• Apply for this course as a Diplo Certificate Course. More Information or Online Application Form
• Apply for this course as a University of Malta Accredited Course University of Malta application form or write to Admissions@diplomacy.edu for more information
• Take this course as part of the Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy

For more information, please visit https://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/IGCBP-foundation
Contact us at ig@diplomacy.edu (certificate course) or admissions@diplomacy.edu (University of Malta accredited course).