FARB1070 Technology and Society Course description

The language is normally English.

Technologies, from the stone axe to the computer, have been integral in shaping how we live, think, interact, and work. Advances in digitalization have made digital competences a significant factor in ensuring the employability of candidates in all professions vital to our society. Understanding the benefits, the limitations, and the transformative power of technologies on public and private life as well as professional practice is crucial.

In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge needed to harness the potential of digital technologies and identify opportunities to use technology to foster inclusion, active participation, and sustainability in society and the workplace. Through individual reflection, shared exploration and group discussions, students will gain awareness of how technological developments might impact their future professions, and their role as citizens in an increasingly digitalized society.

This course will provide students with the foundational knowledge and means to become a responsible agent of change in their own profession and field of study. Students will learn to recognise limitations, strengths and potentially disruptive consequences of technological innovation and grapple with the social, ethical, and political issues that arise as technology becomes both increasingly complex and essential to the function of society.

No additional course-specific requirements.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

Upion successful completion of this course the student understands:

• basic concepts, mechanisms, and tools behind digitalization
• how digitalization shapes public and private life
• the role of technological innovation and development in equity and justice, sustainable development, and civic engagement
• how technological infrastructures shape and support society and the welfare state.

Skills

Upon successful completion of this course the student can:

• apply critical and analytical strategies to evaluate and critically discuss the possibilities and challenges of existing and potential technologies
• reflect on social, ethical, and political consequences of technological change
• provide examples of local and global technological disparity, both in general terms, and in relation to their field of study
• analyse and interpret the processes by which information and disinformation is distinguished, disseminated and used in different contexts.
• identify and discuss central sustainability challenges with digital technologies

General Competence

Upon successful completion of this course the student can:

• discuss ethical, social, and political challenges arising at the intersection of technology and society
• understand how digitalisation and digital technologies facilitate and shape interdisciplinary collaboration
• examine contemporary, real-world cases from multiple perspectives
• evaluate the potential impact of new technologies and digitalization processes on an individual and societal level
• understand the importance of user-oriented perspectives in the use and development of technology
• communicate concepts and models related to the use of technology in a structured manner.

The course uses a blended learning approach, with a combination of attendance-based seminars and digital learning materials. Students will explore real-world cases emerging at the intersection of society, technology and their future profession.

English will be the primary language of communication.

None

An individual home exam consisting of three exercises. Each of the exercises are between 800 and 1200 words. The maximum length of the exam submission is 3000 words.

The submission is assessed as a whole and given one single pass/fail grade, but the three individual assignments that constitute the exam must receive a pass grade in order to pass the exam.

The exam submission must be written in either English or a Scandinavian language.

The exam can be appealed.

New/postponed exam: In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. Students are required to submit a new exam, not an improved version of their previous exam submission. In case of a second failed exam or legal absence, the third and final exam attempt will be an oral examination.

New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are followed.

Professional practitioners need skills relating to independent thinking and problem-solving. The bachelor’s programme concludes with an independent documentation work in the form of a bachelor’s thesis. Through work on the bachelor’s thesis, the student must show their understanding of the connection between theory and practice. The bachelor’s thesis must be written in article form in accordance with the APA standard.

Passed the courses PSYK1100, PSYK1200, PSYK1320, PSYK1420, PSYK1600, PSYK1700, PSYK2100, PSYK2200, PSYK2310, PSYKPRA10, PSYK2400, PSYK2600, PSYK3200, PSYK3400, PSYK3500 and PSYKPRA2.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge;

The student can

• describe relevant sources for literature searches
• explain different forms of reporting in accordance with ethical requirements and guidelines

Skills

The student can

• protect privacy (according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR)), consent and confidentiality
• conduct different types of literature searches
• formulate a research question in accordance with general requirements
• plan, conduct and document a study, a project work, or a care or training measure
• collect and process data
• use the IMRAD model in reporting and referring according to the current APA standard

General competence;

The student can

• demonstrate practical research ethics and relevant critical thinking in accordance with academic standards
• disseminate and document behaviour analytic work;
• exchange professional opinions and experience and contribute to the development of the field