Centre for Critical Development Studies
IDSB10H Knowledge and Communication for Development L99 Fall 2012
Instructor: Leslie Chan
Office: MW304 Tel: 416-287-7511 email: chan@utsc.utoronto.ca
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Email:
(This syllabus is provisional and may be subjected to minor changes after the first week, pending student feedback. A revised syllabus will be posted again during the second week of class)
This is an online course. To participate in the course, you must have an active UTORid so that you can log on to the U of T Blackboard / Learning Portal. Once in the course site, you will find links to all the course materials and instructions on how to fully participate in the course.
Course description
This course examines the nature and the roles of information and communication technology (ICT) in knowledge production and their impact on international development. Some of the topics we will explore include the design and governance of the Internet, knowledge commons, the digital divide, open education, peer production, cyberactivism, e-governance, media control and citizen journalism. We will look in-depth at questions such as whethernew forms of social media make communication and knowledge sharing more effective, equitable, or productive in the globalized world. How has network media changed governance, advocacy, information flow and knowledge exchange, and what do these mean for development issues such as poverty reduction, health equity, and improved economic growth? The objectives of this course are for students:
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To gain knowledge of the history, structure, and development of networked communication in a global context
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To learn about the connections between the core issues in international development with ICT, knowledge production, and communication
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To obtain an overview of the Internet, including the regulation, policies, ethics and technology which surround and control its growth and development
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To explore and understand the critical arguments about the impact of ICT and knowledge for development as well as the economic, social, cultural, and political consequences of selected emerging media practices in society.
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Outcomes. Students will:
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Develop online learning skills, including collaboration, peer learning, resource based learning and self-directed learning
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Develop, through hands-on exercises, the skills and technology necessary to carry out a communication initiative for social purposes.
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Learn about the critical use of online resources and academic publications in various forms for social change
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Become active co-producers of knowledge by being active participants in the learning process
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Gain skills and knowledge on how to participate in a network society and be able to think and act critically about the benefits and downsides of the widespread use of communication technologies.
Methods of Assessment (under discussion)
Topic Schedule:
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Week of
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Topics
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Learning Objectives
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Sept. 10
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Introduction to the course, format, tools, tutorials, readings, assessments and expectations
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Overview of topics covered in the course; what students need to do to succeed in the course; Structure of the course and progression; Setting the context: linking knowledge and development
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Sept. 17
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From Industrial to Networked Society
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Roots of uneven development; Fundamental changes from industrial economy to networked economy; implications for development
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Sept. 24
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Discourse on knowledge and ICT for development
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What is knowledge? ; Whose and for what? Knowledge as public goods; Challenging the assumptions of ICT4D
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Oct. 1
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Knowledge production and consumption in the digital age
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Knowledge representations as systems of power; Access to communication media and authority; Language and culture on the Internet
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Oct. 8
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Peer production and open development
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Is the Internet expanding human freedom through social participation and peer production?; Dimensions of Openness; Implications for development
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Oct. 15
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Open education and development
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Extending the notion of openness to education; Open Educational Resources; Learning, higher education and infrastructure development
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Oct. 22
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Mobile technologies and rural economic development
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Potential and realities of mobile technologies in developing countries; Examples of successful and innovative cases
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Oct. 29
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World Intellectual Property Organization and the Development Agenda
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Changing conceptions of ownership and control; indigenous knowledge and property rights; social justice and development
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Nov. 5
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Copying, piracy and cultural production
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Piracy as failed business model; Biopiracy and other forms of cultural appropriation; new forms of licensing and sharing
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Nov. 12
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Digital journalism, citizen journalism and changing media landscape
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From media concentration to participatory media?; Transparency and accountability, the case of Wikileaks
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Nov. 19
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Social Media and the “Arab Spring”
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Is social media making governance more transparent? What roles did social media play in the change of regimes in the Middle East and North Africa in the Spring of 2011?
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Nov. 26
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Synthesis and integration of key concepts and debates
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Mapping and linking key concepts and case studies covered in the course. What have we learned about the subject matters, and also about online learning.
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Readings
We are not using a textbook for this course. Each week, there will be a minimum of two required readings associated with the lecture topic and online activities. These readings are drawn from a number of sources, primarily peer-reviewed journal articles, supplemented by book chapters, and magazine or web publications. Optional readings and relevant web resources will also be recommended for each topic, and we also encourage students to submit and share relevant readings and resources. All required readings and related resources are available on the course site or via web links. Administrative issues: This course will use the Blackboard course management system (http://portal.utoronto.ca) as an entry point to the various online tools for this course. In order to participate fully in the course you MUST register for a @utoronto.ca email address. If you have not activated your UTSC account yet, please visit the web site at: http://joomla.utsc.utoronto.ca/ccweb/student-services/accounts-passwords.html#utorid_activate and sign up online.
Accessibility:
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or the AccessAbility Services Office as soon as possible. I will work with you and AccessAbility Services to ensure you can achieve your learning goals in this course. Enquiries are confidential. The UTSC AccessAbility Services staff (located in S302) are available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations (416) 287-7560 or ability@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree from the University of Toronto is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, the University treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/behaveac.htm) outlines the behaviours that constitute academic dishonesty and the processes for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include, but are not limited to: IN PAPERS AND ASSIGNMENTS: Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement. Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor. Making up sources or facts. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment. ON TESTS AND EXAMS: Using or possessing unauthorized aids. Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test. Misrepresenting your identity. IN ACADEMIC WORK: Falsifying institutional documents or grades. Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University, including (but not limited to) doctor’s notes. All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek out additional information on academic integrity from your instructor or from other institutional resources (see http://www.utoronto.ca/academicintegrity/resourcesforstudents.html).
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