Welcome to the Virtual Graduate Seminar

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Welcome to the Virtual Graduate Seminar
Globalisation and the Information
Society Information Systems and International
Communications Policy

• Please Wait While the Other Seminar Participants
  Enter

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Welcome to the Virtual Graduate Seminar
Globalisation and the Information
Society Information Systems and International
Communications Policy

• Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn
• Visiting Assistant Professor
• University of Michigan--School of Information
• University of the Witwatersrand--Graduate School
  of PDM
• American University--School of International
  Service

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Presentation Outline

• Background/Overview
• Assumptions and the Challenge
• Theoretical Underpinning
• Seminar Objectives
• Participating and Supporting Institutions
• Methodology and Technologies
• Assignments
• Seminar Schedule

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• Background/Overview

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Background/Overview

• Globalization and Economic Restructuring
• Economic, political, socio-cultural
• Radical new technological development in ICTs
• Globalisation of Production, Distribution
  Finance
• Challenge to Development Models
• Declining dominance of Fordist-Taylorist Model
• Newly emerging development model I-MP
• Impact on the National-State Model and
  Development

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Background/Overview (cont.)

• ITU World Telecom Development
• Argentina, 1994
• G7 Ministerial Meeting
• Belgium, 1995
• GIIC Launch
• Belgium, 1995
• UNECA, Ethiopia
• Telematics for African Development, 1995
• African Information Society Initiative, 1995/96

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Background/Overview (cont.)

• Information Society and Development
• South Africa, 1996
• Global Knowledge
• Canada, 1997
• ITU World Telecom Development
• Malta, 1998
• OECD Global Electronic Commerce
• Canada, 1998
• EU Information Society Technologies
• Austria, 1998

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Professors Background

• Ph.D. International Political Economy
• Globalization and Telecoms in South Africa
• UN High-Level Expert Group on ICTs/AISI
• Information Society and Development Program
• Africa Regional Director/Research Fellow
• Global Information Infrastructure
  Commission--GIIC
• Executive Director (interim)
• GIIC Africa
• Director
• CSIR Centre for Information Society Development
  in Africa

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Professors Background (cont.)

• Visiting Assistant Professor
• University of Michigan School of Information
• University of the Witwatersrand Graduate School
  of PDM
• American University School of International
  Service
• Cogburn Global Group, Inc. (CG2)
• World Bank
• IDRC
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• UNESCO...

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• Assumptions and the Challenge

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Assumptions and The Challenge

• Assumptions
• Globalization engenders a fundamental global
  restructuring (socio-cultural, economic and
  political)
• Converging ICTs in economy and society
• Creation of a Knowledge-Based Global Information
  Society, Economy
• Student exposure to cutting-edge education and
  learning experiences
• Perspective of Africa and the Developing World

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• Theoretical Underpinning

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Theoretical Underpinning

• To Design a Course that...
• Breaks boundaries of time, space, distance
• Networked, collaborative learning environment
• Synchronous and asynchronous methods
• Continuous feedback
• High student/faculty interaction

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• Seminar Objectives

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Seminar Objectives

• Become familiar with and critique the literature
  on globalisation and the information society.
• Develop an understanding of the structure of the
  world-system, the global economy and the
  formation of international regimes which govern
  the process.
• Develop a better understanding of the
  technologies underlying the GII--GIS.

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Objectives (cont.)

• Develop a better understanding of key issues
  currently being developed and debated globally,
  including
• telecommunications liberalization and
  privatization
• global electronic commerce
• intellectual property rights
• universal access, etc...

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Objectives (cont.)

• Develop an appreciation for challenges and
  opportunities of global virtual research teams.
• Better understand emerging organizational forms
  and methods of collaborative work.
• Enhance research, writing, analytical, technology
  and presentation skills.

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• Participating Institutions

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Participating Institutions

• University of Michigan--Ann Arbor, MI
• School of Information
• American University--Washington, D.C.
• School of International Service
• University of the Witwatersrand--Johannesburg,
  South Africa
• Graduate School of Public Development Mgmt.
• Limited Student Participation
• 30 students (approx. 10 per institution)

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Supporting Institutions

• Alliance for Community Technology--ACT
• CSIR Centre for Information Society Development
  in Africa--CISDA
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• Global Information Infrastructure Commission

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• Seminar Methodology and Technologies

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Seminar Methodology

• Weekly Seminar Meetings
• Michigan, Washington and South Africa
• Global Syndicate Research Teams
• Research problems, team projects, case-studies,
  role-playing
• Virtual Study Centre (web-based)
• Integrates the course technologies
• Supports the learning needs and logistics of the
  course (including quizzes)

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Seminar Technologies

• Weekly Seminar Meetings
• PlaceWare Conference Centre
• Real-time audio, synchronized PowerPoint Slides
• Student presentations, questioning and
  interaction
• Global Syndicates
• WebBoard (Threaded discussions)
• Xerox Docushare (Group document support)
• Seminar Archives
• Microsoft NetShow and Real Audio Media

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Weekly Seminar Meetings

• 1. Introductory lecture
• Professor
• 2. Discussion of Reading Material
• Designated Global Syndicate
• 3. Global Syndicate Work Time
• Global Syndicates
• 4. Wrap-up, synthesis, and preparations
• Professor

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Global Syndicate Groupings

• GS1 Global Multi-National Corporations
• GS2 Developed Country National Governments
• GS3 Developing Country National Governments
• GS4 Intergovernmental Organizations
• GS5 Nongovernmental Organizations

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Poll In which Global Syndicate would you be most
interested...

• PlaceWare Multiple Choice Poll. Use PlaceWare gt
  Edit Slide Properties... to edit.
• GS1 Global Multi-National Corporations
• GS2 Developed Country National Governments
• GS3 Developing Country National Governments
• GS4 Intergovernmental Organizations
• GS5 Non-Governmental Organizations

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Primary Seminar Research Questions

• What is the international telecommunications
  regime, why is it facing such a tremendous
  transformation, and what are the are the
  similarities and differences between it and the
  emerging global information infrastructure and
  global information society regime?
• From the perspective of your stakeholder group,
  what should be the components of the emerging
  GII/GIS regime and what is its likelihood of
  success?

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http//www.communitytechnology.org/courses/globali
zation

• PlaceWare Web Page. Use PlaceWare gt Edit Slide
  Properties... to edit.

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• Assignments

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Assignments

• Introductory Presentation, 10
• 2-minute student presentation
• Mid-term Paper and Presentation, 35
• 10-15 page research paper
• Summary presentation
• Final Global Syndicate Projects, 40
• 20-25 page research paper on the new GII/GIS
  regime from the Syndicate stakeholder perspective
• Group presentation, 20 minutes
• Seminar Evaluation, 15
• 2-5 page evaluation

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• Seminar Schedule

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Seminar Schedule

• Module One 19 January (AU)
• Globalization, Knowledge and Learning in the
  Information Age (global syndicate assignments)
• Module Two 26 January (UMSI)
• The World Around Us The Global Economy and the
  World System (assignment 1 Due)
• Module Three 2 February (Wits)
• The Information and Communications Technologies
  Revolution and the Information Age

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Seminar Schedule (cont.)

• Module Four 9 February (Wits)
• Globalisation, Information Economics and
  Restructuring in the World System
• Module Five 16 February (Wits)
• Crisis, Continuity and Change in the World
  System National Strategies for Growth
• Module Six 23 February (Wits)
• International Regime Theory as an Analytical
  Approach to Governance of the World System

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Seminar Schedule (cont.)

• Holiday Break (UM) 27 February-7 March
• Work on Papers and Syndicate Projects
• Module Seven 9 March (Egypt)
• The International Telecommunications Regime
  Challenges and Restructuring
• Holiday Break (AU) 14-21 March
• Work on Papers and Syndicate Projects

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Seminar Schedule (cont.)

• Module Eight 23 March (UMSI)
• New Institutions and New Realities in the
  Governance of the GII/GIS Regime
• Module Nine30 March (UMSI)
• Mid-term papers Due
• Individual Presentations
• Module Ten 6 April (AU)
• The Global Politics, Economics and Technologies
  of E-Commerce

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Seminar Schedule (cont.)

• Module Eleven 13 April (AU)
• The Challenge of Universal Access and Community
  Empowerment
• Module Twelve 20 April (UMSI)
• Implications of the Global Information Society
  for the Nation State and National Identity
• Module Thirteen
• Global Syndicate Presentations
• GS1 GS2 -- 27 April (AU)
• GS3 GS4 and GS5 -- 29 April (UMSI)

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The Virtual Graduate Seminar
Globalisation and the Information
Society Information Systems and International
Communications Policy

• Derrick L. Cogburn, Ph.D.
• Dcogburn_at_umich.edu
• Thank you!