Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies.

Learning outcomes

In terms of knowledge and understanding, the student is expected to be able to:

• explain basic concepts, theories, and methods used within the subject of human-computer interaction,
• explain how the socio-material conditions of different user groups affect interaction with technology,
• explain how organizational and social contexts shape the conditions for interaction with technology.

Regarding skills and capabilities, the student is expected to be able to:

• utilize theories and methods used in human-computer interaction to design and evaluate interactive systems,
• identify and analyze the importance of socio-material and organizational factors for interaction with technology.

Regarding judgement the student is expected to be able to:

• analyze and critically discuss how different socio-technical systems enable or undermine people's opportunities to reach specified goals in organizational contexts,
• analyze and critically discuss the role of technology in people's meaning- and identity-creating processes,
• analyze and critically discuss the role of technology use for individuals, organizations and society.

Content

The course introduces the students to concepts, theories, and methods used in the subject of human-computer interaction to study and analyze the relationship between humans and technology, and to design interactive systems based on this. Over time, the view of this relationship has developed from a mainly functionalist perspective to increasingly dealing with technology as an integrated part of people's everyday lives, which includes functionalist utility aspects as well as questions about meaning, identity, and social relationships.

The course presents this integrated perspective where technology is seen as something that is always situated in different social, material and organizational contexts, which means that we have to understand the design and use of technology in the light of these socio-material configurations.

The purpose of the course is therefore to give students a broad set of theoretical and methodological tools to analyze the basic conditions for people's interaction with technology and, against this background, critically discuss the role and value of different design solutions for individuals, organizations and society.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Written exam, seminars, and written assignments.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.