VERB1070 Technology and Society Course description

Digital competence is a key factor in ensuring the employability of candidates in all professions vital to our society. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of our digital world. It gives an overview of how technology affects our lives and the way we work, as well as our social structures, work patterns and individual preferences contributing to shaping technology. Social media, digital governance, and eHealth are all examples of how technology has profoundly changed our everyday lives in the last few decades. An understanding of the benefits and limitations of technology is vital in any profession, regardless of field or specialty. In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge required to harness the potential of technology and identify the opportunities to use technology to foster inclusion and participation in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society. They will also learn to recognize its limitations and potentially harmful consequences on work and society, and grapple with the social, ethical and moral issues that arise as technology becomes both increasingly complex and integral to the way our society functions.

No additional course-specific requirements.

After completing this course, the student should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student understands:

• the role of technological innovation with regards to consumption, economic growth and sustainable development, health and welfare
• the idea of digital citizenship, including digital rights and responsibilities, from a local, national and global perspective, both in general and in relation with their field of study
• the democratic principles behind e-inclusion and a universally designed society, both in general and with regards to their future professional practice
• the basics of information security, including precautions to guarantee safety and privacy for patients, clients and other technology users and stakeholders
• the basic ideas behind algorithms, and how their use may constrain or enable work processes and other aspects of everyday life the role that technology plays in professional practice within their profession or field of study.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• understand the technological and societal aspects of a case in a specific domain
• discuss and present an overview of ethical challenges at the intersection of technology and society, including issues of integration, participation and multiculturalism
• give examples of how technology is used in the profession(s) related to their field of study, both at the national and the international level
• identify, respond to and limit the negative impact of unethical and harmful online behavior
• evaluate the possibilities and challenges of technological solutions used in the profession(s) relevant to their field of study and present those in a structured form
• retrieve information effectively and efficiently from a variety of online sources, critically assess its quality and credibility.

General Competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• be a valuable contributor to the design, planning and implementation of new technology
• be a positive agent of change in their own profession and field of study with regards to leveraging the potential of technology for individuals, organizations and the public sector
• participate in innovative processes involving new and emerging technologies and build skills in anticipating and adapting to technological change, and reflect on the human rights, legal, and ethical consequences of these processes
• actively engage with social, ethical and moral issues related to the development and implementation of technology
• reflect on technology use both within their field and from an interdisciplinary perspective
• communicate concepts and models related to technology use in a structured manner, both orally and in written form

The course uses a blended learning approach, with a combination of attendance-based teaching or guidance, and use of online material. The students will be working on interdisciplinary cases of direct relevance to their field of study.

There are weekly seminars throughout the semester, in addition to the online material.

None

This course adopts a critical perspective of the empirical and theoretical basis for the significance of health for people as individuals and as participants in society, and will elucidate health as a means and as an end. Health can be regarded as a good in itself, but it can also be regarded as a key premise for quality of life and social participation. Looking at how health and illness are constructed through interaction between health sciences, health service actors and professions, and members of society opens for important discussions that can raise awareness within multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary fields of health sciences. The course covers the development of different views of health and illness, and places these concepts in a complex physical, psychological, and social context. The ethical and health policy challenges posed by new biomedical technology are also discussed.

None

On completion of the course, the PhD candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The PhD candidate

• can critically assess different theories of and approaches to health and illness
• can assess the usefulness and application of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research into health and illness
• can assess the usefulness and application of biomedical and technological developments

Skills

The PhD candidate can

• address complex theories of health and illness and challenge established knowledge in the health sciences and in his or her own discipline and/or profession

General competence

The PhD candidate can

• identify relevant ethical and health policy issues
• present and discuss research-based knowledge of health and illness
• assess the need for new measures to promote health and prevent illness

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, seminars, and self-study. The outcomes of the seminars are presented and discussed in plenary sessions.

The course has 5 ECTS of overlapping content towards STKD6610 Technology and Society, STKD6600 Technology and Society I, BIOB1070 Technology and Society I, ERGOB1070 Technology and Society I, FYB1070 Technology and Society I, RAB1070 Technology and Society I, SYKK1070 Technology and Society I, SYKP1070 Technology and Society I, TAB1070 Technology and Society I, ORI1070 Technology and Society I, PMED1070 Technology and Society I, FARB1070 Technology and Society I