Course syllabus

TEK600 TEK600 Digitalisation and society lp2 HT25 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics (TME), Science, Technology and Society (STS) Division

 

Contact details

 

Examiner and lecturer

Catharina Landström, Associate Professor STS, TME

catharina.landstrom@chalmers.se

+ 46 31 772 6425

 

Guest lecturers

Parissa Mokhtabad Amrei, STS, TME

Mirka Kans, Supply and Operations Management (SOM), TME

Birgit Penzenstadler, Interaction Design and Software Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering

Aron Ambrosiani, STS, TME

Frauke Gerdes Rohden, STS, TME 

 

Study visits organisation

Parissa Mokhtabad Amrei

 

Course purpose and content

The aim of this course is to provide students with basic knowledge about digitalisation in various sectors as well as in the everyday lives of citizens. The course will address how digitalisation interplays with societal and institutional development to help students comprehend societal aspects of digitalisation. Participants will acquire analytical tools for critically assessing the interplay between digitalisation and society through engaging with theoretical perspectives applied in case studies.

This course investigates digitalisation in case studies of public and private enterprises in different sectors to explain how terms such as Industry 4.0, big data, and smart devices capture digital innovations and services that drive next generation businesses characterised by interconnected devices, automated processes, and storage, analysis, and use of massive amounts of data. Students will hear about real experiences of companies and institutions which have been changing their procedures and strategies to embrace the opportunities brought about by digitalisation. The course also discusses the role governments and policy makers play for unlocking the benefits of digitalisation and counter threats and challenges. In addition, the course raises awareness of the complexity of a digital society, by addressing ethical concerns related to privacy, social inclusion, security, and sustainability.

 

Schedule

TimeEdit

 

Course literature

Mandatory readings will be listed in the respective Reading Week module.

Literature pertaining to the study visits will be shared in the relevant Reading Week module.

Literature relating to the group projects will be identified and gathered by the groups.

 

Course design

The course consists of lectures, study visits and seminars, some of which are compulsory.

 

Changes made since the last occasion

• The examiner is teaching more in the course and is thus more accessible, which will improve the administration.
• Clearer explanation of which assignments are mandatory and/or require attendance, as well as how unplanned absences (e.g., due to illness) can be compensated.
• Update the design of the examination and clarify how AI may be used.
• Clarify how written assignments should be answered, and what is considered important to include.
• Reconstructed course pages on Canvas improve clarity and logical structure.
  

 

Learning objectives 

After completing the course, students will be able to:

• Describe and analyze the interplay between digitalisation on the one hand and societal change on the other
• Identify factors that influence digitalisation
• Describe and analyze the mechanisms of digitalisation
• Explain and interpret historical processes of digitalisation, and also make forecasts of future effects of digitalisation, both short-term and long-term
• Describe and analyze theoretical concepts and explanatory models for the interplay between digitalisation and societal change
• Problematize the societal consequences of digitalisation, then, now and in the future
• Observe the ethical problems that digitalisation may involve
• Write argumentative text

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

Studieportalen

 

Examination form

Nine compulsory assignments 

Group-based assignments:
1. Project outline
2. Project presentation 
3. Project report

Individual assignments
4. Seminar Discussion 1
5. Individual Reflection 1
6. Individual Reflection 2
7. Individual Reflection 3
8. Seminar Discussion 2
9. Take-home exam

Each assignment gives students a certain number of points with the exceptions of the project outline and the project presentation which need to be approved by the examiner.

Students must earn a minimum number of points per assignment to pass the course. Minimum and maximum points per assignment are illustrated in Table 1. The points earned on the assignments are added and determines the course grade as illustrated in Table 2.

Description of how the examination – written examinations and other – is executed and assessed.

 

TABLE 1: POINTS PER ASSIGNMENT

ASSIGNMENT	MIN NUMBER OF POINTS	MAX NUMBER OF POINTS
Project Outline	Approval	Approval
Project Presentation	Approval	Approval
Project Report	16	40
Take-Home Exam	8	20
Individual Study Visit Reflection 1	4	10
Individual Study Visit Reflection 2	4	10
Individual Study Visit Reflection 3	4	10
Seminar Discussion 1	2	5
Seminar Discussion 2	2	5
Total	40	100

 

TABLE 2: COURSE GRADING