Networked platforms like social media sites, gig sharing apps, and game consoles have become important spaces for grassroots activism, but human-computer interaction researchers continue to grapple with the question of how our work can effect positive social change online.

Classes follow a seminar format. During the first 90 minutes students take turns leading a discussion of the week's readings and in the remaining hour they discuss progress on their own research projects. Over the course of the semester, working as individuals or in pairs, students undertake a literature review, conduct a community study, or build a prototype to explore one of the class topics in more detail. At the end of the course the research teams submit a 3,000-4,000 word paper about their project and give a scholarly presentation to their peers.