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POL.EDST - eDemocracy Strategies and Tools in a Globalized World* *NOT ESTABLISHED*

Faculty
Rony Medaglia, Assistant Professor, PhD
Course Coordinator
Morten Ougaard, Professor, Dr.scient.pol.
Prerequisite/progression of the course
This course can be followed by all students with a keen interest in understanding how new digital media are transforming the relationships between governments and citizens
Course content, structure and teaching
There is a global trend in governments across the world to use new digital media to enable citizen democratic participation (eDemocracy/ eParticipation policies). New technological tools – such as web 2.0 applications, social networking services, mobile technologies, etc. – are changing the way citizens interact with governmental bodies at all levels: local, national, and supra-national.
This course focuses on strategies and tools employed by governments to enable citizen democratic participation in decision-making using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
In its first part, the course will provide a critical overview of different and conflicting perspectives about the democratic role of ICT in the public sector, and of the main theoretical models and methods used to analyse eParticipation.
In the second part, maturity models of eParticipation adoption will be presented and discussed, and students will be trained to use them to assess real-life examples of governmental online features.
The course will provide the students with the following academic competences:
  • To have a critical overview of the main existing eDemocracy/ eParticipation policy strategies that goes beyond the formal governmental claims.
  • To identify and be able to discuss key concepts, theories and methods of eParticipation analysis within a new and rapidly growing research area.
  • To bridge theory with practice by building tools of analysis that draw on these concepts.
  • To use these tools to assess real life examples of eParticipation implementation in public websites.
The teaching will be in the pedagogical form of lectures, group discussions, individual process writing, brainstorming facilitated by the teacher, and online assessments of public websites. The course is organized in 10 sessions of three hours each.
The course's development of personal competences
The course will provide the students with the following personal and interpersonal competences:
To combine and classify concepts, theories and methods of a field by relying on primary sources – i.e. the most recent research literature and policy strategy documents.To engage in group discussions based on a critical review of the individual reading requirements.To participate in group work where the aim is to translate theoretical models into tools of empirical analysis.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, the student must be able to:
  • Identify, compare and evaluate key eDemocracy/ eParticipation definitions and policy strategies.
  • Explain, compare and reflect upon the main theoretical models and methods used to analyse eParticipation.
  • Identify and compare maturity models of eParticipation.
  • Synthesize and induce the maturity models of eParticipation with relation to real life experience of online tools.
  • Bridge theory and practice by taking part in preparing and performing hands-on assessments of government websites.
Examination
Oral examination based on synopsis.
Recommended literature
TBA - Please contact the teacher if you need these informations

Sidst opdateret af The Electives Office 21.12.2009