TIK4020 – Globalisation, innovation and policy
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course is inter-disciplinary and draws on recent research results from a number of disciplines, such as sociology, history, economics and philosophy as well as from the field of "STS" (science, technology and society).
Learning outcome
The objective of this course is to gain insight on issues within society science and technology and become trained to discuss and analyse such issues.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Students at post graduate level may be accepted upon application.
Teaching
The course is composed of lectures and seminars given intensively during Februar and March, followed by M.A. thesis writing seminars. The course aims at giving students a solid foundation in the study of the relationships between innovative activities of private firms and public organizations, public policies and globalisation processes at large. The objective is thus to investigate how globalisation processes work and influence, as well are influenced by, technology, growth and development. In particular, the course considers four interrelated questions: (i) Which are the main factors affecting firms’ innovative activities? (ii) What are the impacts of public and private innovative activities on economic growth? (iii) How does globalization shape the relationship between innovation and economic growth? (iv) What is the scope for public policies in a globalised knowledge-based economy? These issues are studied at different levels of analysis (micro, sectoral, regional, national), and from a multidisiplinary perspective drawing insights from innovation studies, economics, sociology, international business studies, and political science. The methodology used in the course is based on theory, case studies, statistical analyses and historical evidence. Special emphasis is given to the impact from the international environment on the scope for policy making at the national level (technology policy, industrial policy etc.) and the role of organizations and institutions in this context; the nation-state, multinational firms, regional integration schemes (EU, NAFTA, etc.) and international organisations (WTO, IMF, the World Bank, etc.).
Examination
ESST students must pass the compulsory thesis outline , other students must pass term essay. The essay should be approximately 8000 words including references.