Globalisation and the Information Society: Online Seminar

(Please circulate to anyone you know who might be interested.)

This cutting edge online seminar starts soon - register now to secure your place!

The LINK Centre, School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of Information, has a limited number of places still available on the Global Graduate Seminar on Globalisation and the Information Society: Information Systems and International Communications Policy

* Have you ever wondered what it takes to participate effectively in a global virtual team?

* Interested in developing a better understanding of globalisation and the organisations governing the emerging Global Information Society, and how to influence them?

* Are you interested in learning about computer supported collaborative learning with students from other national and international universities?

* Do you want to enhance your skills in global cross-cultural communications?

For the fourth consecutive year, the LINK Centre at the School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of Information, is offering this highly regarded Global Graduate Seminar on Globalisation and the Information Society: Information Systems and International Communications Policy.

In this seminar, participants will join students from the University of Michigan, the American University, Howard University (both in Washington DC), and the Universities of Fort Hare and Pretoria, in a weekly series of online, interactive, collaborative learning sessions between 13 January and 20 April 2004.

Globalisation and the Information Society (http://www.cotelco.net/GGS/GIS/2003/) is directed by Professor Derrick L. Cogburn (www.si.umich.edu/~dcogburn). Prof. Cogburn is an internationally recognised expert in global information and communications policy formulation. In 1995, Dr. Cogburn helped to found the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC, www.giic.org), an
association of CEOs dedicated to influencing the formation of global information and communications policy in order to facilitate the development of a Global Information Society. He served on the steering committees of several G7 Information Society Pilot Projects coordinated by the European Commission. In 1996 he was one of the key organisers of the G7 and Developing World Information Society and Development (ISAD) Conference in South Africa. In 1997, Dr. Cogburn launched and became executive director of GIIC Africa, the first regional spin-off organisation of the GIIC. The United Nations has appointed Dr. Cogburn to several committees and task forces, including the High-Level Working Group on the African Information Society, the African Development Forum, and the Committee on Development Information.

The LINK Centre (http://link.wits.ac.za/) is the leading public policy, regulation and management educational body in the area of information and communication in Southern Africa. LINK focuses on capacity building in the public sector and development arenas through quality training, applied research and consultancy services necessary to maximise the benefits of the Information Society and the Knowledge Economy.

Given the fundamental transformation engendered by globalisation, it is imperative that students interested in the converging interdisciplinary fields of information systems, broadcasting, information and communications technology, and international communications policy, have exciting opportunities to engage in cutting edge educational and learning opportunities, preparing them for these new global realities. Globalisation and the Information Society is designed to provide such a learning opportunity by breaking the boundaries of space, time and distance.

The seminar employs a suite of web-based tools to create a globally networked collaborative learning environment and uses a multimedia approach to explore the socio-economic, political and cultural implications of globalisation and the on-going development of a knowledge-based Information Society.

The seminar meets weekly in the Computer Lab at the Wits School of Information, from 17:00 to 20:00, from Tuesday 13 January 2004, with an initial training session on the advanced collaboration tools on Tuesday 13 January 2004 at 15:00. Late registrations will, however, be accepted over the next two weeks due to the early commencement date.

The cost of the seminar is R 4 500 inclusive of VAT.

While the seminar takes a global approach, particular emphasis is placed on the responses to these issues from the perspectives of Africa and the developing world. At different times in the course, seminar participants will be involved in both face-to-face groups and distributed virtual teams called global syndicates. These global syndicates will be immersed in readings, lectures, discussions, role-playing simulations, and guest presentations. Assignments are designed to foster a deeper theoretical, applied and critical understanding of globalisation and the Information Society.

Supported by the Alliance for Community Technology (ACT), Microsoft Research, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work (CREW).

Information on the course is available on the LINK web site at http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc4.html. A registration form is
available at http://link.wits.ac.za/training/reg-form.pdf.

For more information or to register please contact Ntomboxolo Currie or Boitumelo Molefe (011-717-3904 or [email protected].