Department of Communication

Courses in English, Autumn Term 2006

ICT for development, 5 credits, Course Code: 77165

intensive course.

Dates : 20.11.-1.12.
Days/Times : Everyday for two weeks; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 14-16, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-12
Location : N.B.! Change of locations:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays Unioininkatu 37 lecture hall
Tuesdays Unioininkatu 35 lecture hall
Thursdays Unioninkatu 40 seminar room 6
Lecturer : Helena Tapper, Senior Advisor, Licentiate of Social Sciences, e-mail: helena.tapper@helsinki.fi; helena.tapper@tieke.fi

! This course can be registered for degree students under the study unit 9f or S14.

Preregistration in Weboodi is required!

Course Program

20.11. Introduction to the course. Aspects of globalization, development and information society? 14:00-16:00 Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

21.11. Why ICT for development? From information society to knowledge society and economy. 10:00-12:00 Unioninkatu 35, lecture hall

22.11. International players and their agendas: some cases. 14:00-16:00 Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

23.11. Team Work, 10:00-12:00, Unioninkatu 40, seminar room 6

24.11. Paradigm Shift explains the Digital Revolution, Ville Saarikoski, Senior Advisor,14:00-16:00 Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

27.11. Case Africa: Economic Commission for Africa ICT, 14:00-16:00, Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

28.11.Case Studies Ghana and South Africa, 10:00-12:00 Unioninkatu 35, lecture hall

29.11. The Finnish ICT for Development Policy Guidelines, Jyrki Pulkkinen, Information Society for Development Advisor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland, 14:00-16:00 Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

30.11. Case Studies Vietnam and Costa Rica , 10:00-12:00, Unioninkatu 40, seminar room 6

1.12. Concluding observations and remarks, 14:00-16:00, Unioninkatu 37 lecture hall

Course Description:

The course will introduce some basic theories of development, information society and knowledge based economy. It will use case studies as course material to reflect the theoretical discourse in the concrete projects in the use of ICT for development. There will be course reading material as well.

This course will introduce students the basic concepts of development and use of high technology, in this case information and communication technology (ICT) to decrease the development gap. What impact does ICT have on the development of societies and economic growth of countries, this will be presented through case studies. Some of the international efforts, such as Millennium Development Goals and other guidelines will be introduced to discuss the role of international organizations in ICT for Development. Students are requested to produce project documents to reflect their theoretical knowledge and understanding of ICT for development in analyzing and designing case studies.

Literature:

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/dev2572.doc.htm
Helena Tapper: Digital Divide Visited: Women Entrepreneurs in Central America E-Learning, Volume 3 Number 3, 2006.

References and links will be given during the course.

Examination:

Team assignment

Mode of assessment:

Assessment scale: 1, 2, 3, 4,5