Social Impact and Emerging Technologies

Technology excites in its promise to help transform and improve lives. Yet we observe that this promise has not always translated into reality, particularly in the Global South.

Organized around key applications and case studies, this course examines the promises – and pitfalls – of technology for impact. It examines the ways in which entrepreneurs and practitioners harness technologies to solve key challenges, while also questioning how new technologies transform or reinforce dominant paradigms.

Critical perspectives from development and technology studies are introduced alongside case examples to
examine the way that technologies shape how approach problems. Central questions of this course include:
● What opportunities for impact have new technologies created?
● How disruptive or revolutionary are new technologies for impact?
● What tools do we need to improve these technology-driven initiatives?