In this course we focus on sustainable development in the developing world, with special emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa - present condition and future prospect. Technology development and its connection to, poverty reduction, natural resources,  the economy and business opportunities are discussed.

The overall objective in this course is to give a deeper insight of the influence of technology on sustainable

development. After concluding this course the student should be able to:

- Give a historical background to the concept of sustainable development.

- Describe the ecological, economic and social situation in developing countries.

- Describe and analyse the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.

- In a written report / case study analyse and discuss how new technology affects different aspects of sustainable development in low and middle income countries

- Discuss scientific methods used to analyse the role of technology for sustainable development in low- and middle income countries.

- Search for scientific literature in the subject areas of the course from the Internet and in libraries and use it as reference materials for a written report / case study with correct use of citations and bibliography

- Give an oral presentation of a written case study

The course builds its teaching and learning environment on three main activities: Lectures, Seminars, and Student consultation hours, which you will see in the schedule.

Lectures will build a theoretical argument and engage in different case studies. We will use several case studies to develop a habit of “thinking through place,” to become more familiar with situated understandings and “unruly contexts” that don’t easily follow text book ideas about “development” or “sustainable development.” The case studies we will use, partly from my own research in cities and countries in Africa, will help to illustrate and test questions and ideas from text books and articles and support a framed learning environment. We will also draw upon audio-visual materials and films as tools to engage with the texture of place. The way to prepare for a lecture is to read the appointed literature.

Seminars will be dedicated to your group work. In the first seminar (S1A and S1B) I will only meet half the group each to provide oral formative feedback on your case study analysis. In the second seminar we will gather around your group work findings and each group will share their analysis and learnings through a safe space of presentation, discussion, and sharing.

Student consultation hours are dedicated time for you to visit me in my office or on zoom to ask whatever questions you might have. I really like when you come to my office, so please do. Since there are code-locked doors on my floor of the building (why do we have so many locked doors in our university KTH?), we will need to work out a system of you sending me a sms or phone call if you cannot get in. I am very close by so won’t take long.

More generally, the pedagogy of the course will follow a communities of inquiry approach [1] that seeks to blend social presence (your engagement with your student peers in risk-free forums of expression), cognitive presence (you applying and connecting ideas), and teaching presence (design of lectures, selection of materials, discussions in class, seminars and Student consultation hours, and sharing my interpretations.)

Intended Learning Outcomes (2021)

By the end of the course unit, you should be able to:

• To be able to account for uneven development as an historically and geographically contested process.
• To understand critically the entanglements of social and ecological conditions through the framework of political ecology.
• To provide a critical review of contemporary socio-ecological development dynamics with a particular focus on urbanization and cities.
• To offer insight into the processes through which particular environmental conditions come about and are changed, in particular in cities of the global South.
• Be familiar with key actors that shape socio-environmental activities and their outcomes.
• Be familiar with some of the knowledge centres of the South with relevant knowledge about development.

Transferrable skills trained in this course:

• Capacity to read and make sense of social scientific and interdisciplinary articles.
• Writing skills to develop ideas and arguments.
• Develop skills for case study analysis and so called desktop research.
• Presentation and sharing of findings in a larger group.
• Providing constructive feedback to an individual and to a group.
• Essay writing skills

Skills and Employability

During this course unit, you will furthermore be encouraged to develop the following abilities and skills:

• Critical thinking and reflection.
• An ability to assess the merits of contrasting theories and explanations.
• An ability to relate theoretical argument with empirical evidence, including the construction of theoretically informed analysis.
• An ability to translate theory into an assessment of the value of practice.
• Motivation and self-directed learning.
• Awareness of your responsibility as a global citizen.

Schema HT-2021-263

This is an overview and plan and some content can change.

Scientific articles presented on the course webpage

Students at KTH with a permanent disability can get support during studies from Funka:

Funka - compensatory support for students with disabilities

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

• INL1 - Hand in assignments, 3.0 credits, Grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
• PRO2 - Project, 1.5 credits, Grading scale: P, F
• PRO3 - Project, 3.0 credits, Grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Instead of INL1, PRO2, and PRO3, we use the similar set-up INL1, PEER1, ÖVN1, and INL2 as follows:

The assessments are planned to align to support our community of inquiry, i.e. an environment where you as an individual can learn and grow while we make the most of being together to shape group processes of learning. The assessments are there to spur both individual reflection and a collective atmosphere of curiosity and questioning.

Apart from feedback and assessments above, I will also be available in the Student consultation hours to discuss all your questions and queries. I can also answer questions for 15-30 minutes after each lecture.

Graded A-F

All examined parts should be passed in order to get a final grade

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.