2. Course Objectives

The course seeks to provide an introduction to academic, business and policy concepts surrounding "Knowledge Economy” and “Information Society”, and examines key issues of technological, social and economic change that arise in this context.

After successfully completing the course, students should have:

(In relation to Subject Knowledge and Understanding)

• Covered the main academic literature relating to “Knowledge Economy” and “Information Society”, and have a much-improved understanding of the key concepts and disputes in this subject area.

• An awareness of established and emerging themes relating to the application of Information Technology across the economy and society, and the lines of research into these themes that have been developed.

• An awareness of wider policy and strategy issues facing firms, governments and social actors related to the use of information and knowledge in contemporary society, and the approaches being adopted by management and policymakers.

(In relation to Cognitive Skills)

• An ability to identify and assess indicators relevant to these themes, and develop outline research projects in the field.

• An ability to locate relevant literature and data sources from libraries and the Web, and to use these effectively for seminar contributions and for the written essay.

(In relation to Professional and Practical Skills)

• Prepared an essay on one relevant theme, and made a presentation on a further topic within the seminar series

(In relation to Transferable Skills)

•Participated in group discussion and teamwork.

• Developed presentational skills to report on a topic to the seminar group.

The “Knowledge Economy and Information Society” module should allow students to be sufficiently well-informed and skilled in order that they might consider undertaking further research associated with the topics addressed, for example in the context of a PhD degree.