TAD-31306 Investigating Knowledge

Course

Credits 6.00

Contents:

Knowledge is a word we often use. Knowledge is the reason to study at a university. Knowledge then is associated with science. Because of the omnipresence of science, particularly in Western societies, some say we live in a knowledge society. Others associate knowledge with information and point at the increasing (technical) capacity to information exchange on a global scale. This leads to the claim that we live in the age of information. But is information the same thing as knowledge? What is highly relevant information for some (crucial knowledge) can be disregarded as 'noise' by others (and ignored). And is knowledge a typical present-day phenomenon? The well-known statement 'knowledge is power' comes from sixteenth-century philosopher (Sir) Francis Bacon. He envisioned a knowledge society long before the term was coined. For Bacon scientific knowledge had to replace religion. It is the same process that some consider the solution for international development. Western knowledge and science-based technology will bring up developing countries to Western standards.
This course looks at knowledge as a social phenomenon. A social context is needed to turn information into knowledge and give knowledge transformative capacity. Investigating knowledge means trying to understanding how knowledge and context interact. In international development social contexts can be very divers, raising the issue of knowledge exchange and cross-cultural interaction. This course is central in the specialization Communication, Technology and Policy (CTP) and offers insight in how knowledge 'operates' in situations where people and organizations with different backgrounds have to communicate together, shape and implement social and technical change and define appropriate policies for change. The contextualized approach to knowledge makes it highly attractive as an optional course for students from other programs and specializations.

Learning outcomes:

After this course a student:
- understands the ways terms like information, knowledge, expertise, and learning relate to each other;
- is able to explain with examples that knowledge is embedded in social contexts;
- can distinguish different forms of contextualized knowledge and how they relate to each other;
- can design a research format and compose research questions to investigate knowledge within or across certain societal domains.

Activities:

Lectures, tutorials and analysis of case material. Writing and discussing draft versions of final paper.

Examination:

Writing a paper, based on participation during the lectures and discussions.

Literature:

All reading material is available on Blackboard.