Instructor:

Prof. Leslie Chan
Office: B562D
Tel: 416-287-7511
email: chan@utsc.utoronto.ca

TA: Stian Håklev
email: shaklev+istb01@gmail.com

Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00-3:00 p.m. Wed. 1:00-3:00 p.m.,and by appointment

Course description:

This course examines in-depth the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in international relations and in global development. Key questions include: Will progress in technology lead to healthier lives, greater social freedom, increased knowledge and more proactive citizens? What are some concrete examples of technological improvements leading to human development and reduced poverty? Will information technology help to narrow the gaps between rich and poor countries? What are some of the new challenges raised by new technology, such as biotechnology? What is the relationship between globalization and the ways with which technology is created and diffused? How are intellectual property rights changing and how do they affect indigenous culture? Is a global knowledge commons possible?

Learning Objectives:

The objectives of this course are for students:

• To gain knowledge of the history, structure, and development of information and communication technology in a global context
• To obtain a thorough overview of the Internet, including the regulation, policies, ethics and technology which surround and control its growth and development
• To explore and understand the critical arguments about the impact of ICT for development as well as the economic, social, cultural, and political consequences of media in society.
• To learn, through hands-on projects, the skills and technology necessary to carry out a communication initiative for social purposes.

Grading:

Assignments:

The first assignment will be a critique of a web site (a five page mini-essay); the second assignment will involve creating a project proposal (in the form of a web site) for a Non-Government Organization and it will be a group project. Details of the assignments are available on the ATutor web site.

NOTE: All assignments will be submitted online prior to class time on the due date (i.e. no later than 10:00 am). Any assignment submitted after this time will be considered late.

Late assignments will receive a penalty of 5% per day late (including weekends).

Readings:
There is no text book for this course. All required readings and related resources are available either on the course site or on ATutor. See the lecture schedule for weekly topics and corresponding readings.

Requirements:
The course consists of weekly lecture, and weekly lab/tutorial in the multimedia lab (B494, see lab schedule). The tutorials are designed to provide students with hands-on opportunities to learn about and to apply recent information and communication technology, particularly in the area of development and global communication. Students are expected to participate in an online forum for the class, and they are expected to attend tutorials.

Administrative issues:
It is very important that you begin using your UTSC email account as course material and other supplementary information are also accessible on the campus Intranet system.

If you have not activated your UTSC account yet, please visit the web site at: https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~accounts/newaccount.cgi and sign up online. Once you received your username and password, you will be able to log on to the campus Intranet (if you are on campus, simply type in intranet in the browser's address bar. If you are off campus, type in <http://intranet.utsc.utoronto.ca> and you would be prompted for your username and password.

Another important web site where course materials are made available and where online participation takes place is ATutor, located at <http://kmdi.atutor.ca>. This system is different from the campus intranet and requires a different log on procedure.

Logging into ATutor:
1. Navigate to http://kmdi.atutor.ca/atutor/
2. Click on the "register" button under the New User area.
3. Complete the form, using your UTSC email address and pertinent details (Please use your real name. No nickname please).
4. Once registered, log into ATutor using the login form.
5. Click on Browse courses.
6. Select ISTB01H3F 07-08.
7. Click "enter course".
8. Click "request enrollment".
9. This will send a request to join ISTB01 on ATutor. We will check your registration in the course and enroll you. Check back within 24 hours to see if you have been enrolled.