CPT-11806 Technology, Development and Natural Resources

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English (with option for group work and assignments in Dutch)

Contents:

Technology plays an important role in shaping sustainable development. In fact, many people associate 'development' with the uptake of new technology, and have high expectations of its potential benefits in addressing poverty, disease, and environmental degradation. Others point to the downside of technology and emphasize how technologies exacerbate existing inequalities and create tensions in society, for example in the access to natural resources. In this course we use three frameworks to examine how the impacts of technology on development and the use of natural resources is mediated by interactions and negotiations between different actors. Real life situations in India, the Philippines and Namibia are used to apply concepts for assessing how the interactions between technology, natural resources and society create enabling or constraining conditions for sustainable development.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- understand different frameworks to analyse the connection between technology, natural resources and society;
- outline the potential roles of technologies in addressing development and environmental challenges;
- apply selected concepts (from different theoretical frameworks) to identify the potential contribution of particular technologies to addressing international development challenges in specific case-studies;
- outline and illustrate the different consequences of technology for different actors;
- apply the basic rules and principles of writing different types of text communicating a message to specific audiences;
- write a coherent text in which different concepts are assessed and applied to explain the role of technology in development and natural resource management.

Activities:

The course consists of lectures, literature study, tutorials, group assignments and paper writing. These activities are geared to understanding why and how specific technological interventions or promises affect the sustainable use of natural resources and contribute to achieving (international) development goals.

Examination:

- individual report (50%);
- group assignments (25%);
- computer-based test with closed and open questions (25%).
The minimum mark for the report is 5.5.

Literature:

The course will make use of articles and documents that are made available electronically.