Information Society

Code:

MCI0002

Acronym:

SI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Social Science

Instance: 2017/2018 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Informatics Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Information Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCI	26	Plano de estudos oficial	1	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

English

Objectives

The objective of this unit is to explore the concept of Information Society in terms of the relationship between the transformation of society and people’s changing interactions with information. A critical analysis of this relationship will be developed through five distinct lenses: spatial, technological, cultural, political and economic.

 

 

Learning outcomes and competences

At the conclusion of the module the students should be able to:

 

• demonstrate a clear and holistic understanding of the concept of the ‘information society’
• effectively discuss and debate the issues raised during the module
• discuss the information Society with reference to history, evolution and perspectives.
• apply analytical tools and techniques to evaluate and explore the concept of  ‘Information Society’

 

Working method

Presencial

Program

• The information society: history, evolution and perspectives


• Visions of the information society


• The changing technological landscape


• Future technologies (augmented reality, next generation networks, the internet of things and analytics )


• Beyond determinism


• Information society and globalisation


• Control of information: concepts of privacy and surveillance in a networked society


• Cultural identity globalisation


• Identity and privacy


• Politics and protest in the information society


• Democracy and engagement in civil society


• Social exclusion: the digital divide


• National and pan national information policies


• The ‘knowledge economy’ and the changing nature of work.

Mandatory literature

Webster, Frank; Theories of the information society. ISBN: 0-415-28201-2
Zygmunt Bauman; Liquid modernity. ISBN: 978-0-7456-2410-5
Manuel Castells; Communication Power, Oxford University Press, 2009

Complementary Bibliography

Castells, Manuel; The information age. ISBN: 0-631-21594-8
Manuel Castells; Aftermath: the cultures of the economic crisis, Oxford University Press, 2012

Teaching methods and learning activities

The teaching method will be centred in a set of questions regarding a critical view of the Information Society that will direct the student's self exploration of the mandatory and complementary literature. Debate around those questions will be held in every class.

In a first moment the students will produce opinative answers to those questions, then they will select one to develop a literature review (1000 words) and an essay (3000 words).

keywords

Social sciences

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho de campo	25,00
Trabalho escrito	75,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	92,00
Estudo autónomo	14,00
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Participation in classes taught by Prof. David Allen – 100% Participation in the group work done in the context of the Professor David Allen classes. All group work. Presentation of an essay – individual work – related to the Information Society phenomena.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final grade = 0,25xGA+0,75xFE

GA - Group assignment

FE - Final essay

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The participation in all theoretical classes taught by Professor David Allen is required. The presentation of the essay is also compulsory.

Classification improvement

The final grade can be improved by improving the final essay (60% of the final mark)