Sociology of New Information Technologies

Objectives

Knowledge of the basic principles of the relation Technology and Society

Capacity of analysis on the Information and Knowledge Society

Information about approaches on technology and production systems, on working conditions and job design in automated environments

Knowledge of issues around conflict negotiation and  agreements, emergence of new vocational profiles in the information society, and of the concept of Industry 4.0.

General characterization

Code

10507

Credits

3.0

Responsible teacher

António Paulo Brandão Moniz de Jesus

Hours

Weekly - 2

Total - 47

Teaching language

Inglês

Prerequisites

Available soon

Bibliography

Castells, M. (1996): The Rise of the Network Society, Blackwell, Malden and Oxford

Machado, C.; Davim, J.P. (2014) Human Resource Management and Technological Challenges, Springer

Krings, B. & A. Moniz. "Robots Working with Humans or Humans Working with Robots? Searching for Social Dimensions in New Human-Robot Interaction in Industry." Societies 2016 (2016): 23.

Reich R. (2000), The future of success. Vintage, London

Sennett, R. (1998). The Corrosion of Character. W.W. Norton, New York

Turkle, S. (2011), Alone Together, New York, Basic Books

Vincent J. et al. (2015) Social Robots from a Human Perspective, Cham, Springer

Teaching method

In the continuous evaluation process at this course, the main objective is to develop group projects related to the final project (once the majority of students are in the last phase of their learning cycle).

Each group must take a topic related to their engineering project theme, and analyse it through the collected information on innovation processes with application of information technologies, their application(s), research developed on that topic in Portugal, at the European level, and eventually on another specific national case. There must have place to collect information from non-European institution sources on innovation policies of digitalization of production activities.

Summing up, the continuous evaluation implies the work presented in a report on a topic from the program. This report must be developed in a group work form of organisation. The individual assessment is made through an article analysis published in the data base b-on.pt.

Evaluation method

The continuous evaluation implies the work presented in a report on a topic from the program. This report must be developed in a group work form of organisation. The individual assessment is made through an article analysis published in the data base b-on.pt.

Subject matter

1. Technology and Society

1.1. Technology-society relation
1.2. Technological change and socio-cultural change

2. From industrial society to the information society

2.1. Features of industrial society
2.2. The emergency of information and knowledge society

3. New technologies, work and organisation

3.1. The technicist approach and the socio-technical one
3.2. Features and potential of new information technologies
3.3. New technologies and production systems: the "Industry 4.0"

4. New technologies and working conditions

4.1. Technological risk assessment
4.2. Working conditions changes and technology innovation
4.3. Organization and job design in automated environments

5. Introduction of new technologies and labour relations 

5.1. Theories on the relation new technologies-labour relations
5.2. Conflicts, negotiation and technology options
5.3. New occupational profiles and training needs

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: