In fall 2023, Professor Zuckerman will again teach Defending Democracy in a Digital World (SPP 208), a class that encourages students to think about how the public sphere--which has been part of American democracy since its inception--is changing, radically and rapidly, as participatory digital media becomes the dominant form of online interaction. Students will consider contemporary concerns about the digital public sphere - are online dialogs increasing political polarization? Leading citizens to be misinformed? What groups are helped and harmed by changes in the public sphere operating in a digital age? Students will examine and propose steps we, as a society, might take to build a public sphere that strengthens democracy in our digital age. This class will bring together students from the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, the Communication Department, and the School of Public Policy.