CPT-31806 Investigating Knowledge

Course

Credits 6.00

Contents:

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 successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- understand and explain with examples how knowledge is a result of social interaction;
- distinguish different theoretical concepts of the social nature of knowledge;
- assess for particular cases the relative value of different concepts of the social nature of knowledge;
- design a conceptual framework and formulate research questions to investigate knowledge within or across certain societal domains;
- analyse a particular case using multiple concepts in an integrated conceptual framework;
- form adequate judgements about the role of knowledge in situations of contestation and conflicting interests between different social groups and actors.

Activities:

- lectures;
- tutorials and analysis of case material;
- writing and discussing draft versions of final paper.

Examination:

- individual paper (75%);
- 4 group assignments (25%).
The minimum mark for the paper is 5.50.

Literature:

All reading material is available on Blackboard.