[Cinsainfo] Online Seminar by CINSA partner

[Sandra Roberts]

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Globalisation and the Information Society:  Online Seminar
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(Please circulate to anyone you know who might be interested.)

This cutting edge online seminar starts soon  -  register now to secure your
place!

The LINK Centre, School of Public and Development Management, University of
the Witwatersrand, in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of
Information, has a limited number of places still available on the Global
Graduate Seminar on Globalisation and the Information Society:  Information
Systems and International Communications Policy

*  Have you ever wondered what it takes to participate effectively in a
global virtual team?

*  Interested in developing a better understanding of globalisation and the
organisations governing the emerging Global Information Society, and how to
influence them?

*  Are you interested in learning about computer supported collaborative
learning with students from other national and international universities?

*  Do you want to enhance your skills in global cross-cultural
communications?

For the fourth consecutive year, the LINK Centre at the School of Public and
Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in conjunction with
the University of Michigan School of Information, is offering this highly
regarded Global Graduate Seminar on Globalisation and the Information
Society: Information Systems and International Communications Policy.

In this seminar, participants will join students from the University of
Michigan, the American University, Howard University (both in Washington
DC), and the Universities of Fort Hare and Pretoria, in a weekly series of
online, interactive, collaborative learning sessions between 13 January and
20 April 2004.

Globalisation and the Information Society
(http://www.cotelco.net/GGS/GIS/2003/) is directed by Professor Derrick L.
Cogburn (www.si.umich.edu/~dcogburn).  Prof. Cogburn is an internationally
recognised expert in global information and communications policy
formulation.  In 1995, Dr. Cogburn helped to found the Global Information
Infrastructure Commission (GIIC, www.giic.org), an
association of CEOs dedicated to influencing the formation of global
information and communications policy in order to facilitate the development
of a Global Information Society.  He served on the steering committees of
several G7 Information Society Pilot Projects coordinated by the European
Commission.  In 1996 he was one of the key organisers of the G7 and
Developing World Information Society and Development (ISAD) Conference in
South Africa.  In 1997, Dr. Cogburn launched and became executive director
of GIIC Africa, the first regional spin-off organisation of the GIIC.  The
United Nations has appointed Dr. Cogburn to several committees and task
forces, including the High-Level Working Group on the African Information
Society, the African Development Forum, and the Committee on Development
Information.

The LINK Centre is a CINSA partner (http://link.wits.ac.za/) and the leading
public policy, regulation and management educational body in the area of
information and communication in Southern Africa.   LINK focuses on capacity
building in the public sector and development arenas through quality
training, applied research and consultancy services necessary to maximise
the benefits of the Information Society and the Knowledge Economy.

Given the fundamental transformation engendered by globalisation, it is
imperative that students interested in the converging interdisciplinary
fields of information systems, broadcasting, information and communications
technology, and international communications policy, have exciting
opportunities to engage in cutting edge educational and learning
opportunities, preparing them for these new global realities. Globalisation
and the Information Society is designed to provide such a learning
opportunity by breaking the boundaries of space, time and distance.

The seminar employs a suite of web-based tools to create a globally
networked collaborative learning environment and uses a multimedia approach
to explore the socio-economic, political and cultural implications of
globalisation and the on-going development of a knowledge-based Information
Society.

The seminar meets weekly in the Computer Lab at the Wits School of
Information, from 17:00 to 20:00, from Tuesday 13 January 2004, with an
initial training session on the advanced collaboration tools on Tuesday 13
January 2004 at 15:00.  Late registrations will, however, be accepted over
the next two weeks due to the early commencement date.

The cost of the seminar is R 4 500 inclusive of VAT.

While the seminar takes a global approach, particular emphasis is placed on
the responses to these issues from the perspectives of Africa and the
developing world.  At different times in the course, seminar participants
will be involved in both face-to-face groups and distributed virtual teams
called global syndicates.  These global syndicates will be immersed in
readings, lectures, discussions, role-playing simulations, and guest
presentations.  Assignments are designed to foster a deeper theoretical,
applied and critical understanding of globalisation and the Information
Society.

Supported by the Alliance for Community Technology (ACT), Microsoft
Research, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Collaboratory for
Research on Electronic Work (CREW).

Information on the course is available on the LINK web site at
http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc4.html.  A registration form is
available at http://link.wits.ac.za/training/reg-form.pdf.

For more information or to register please contact Ntomboxolo Currie or
Boitumelo Molefe (011-717-3904 or link at pdm.wits.ac.za.

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Charley Lewis

LINK Centre

E-mail:     lewis.c at pdm.wits.ac.za
               charley at union.org.za
Tel:         + 27 + 11 + 717-3784
Fax:        + 27 + 11 + 717-3910
Mobile:    + 27 + 83 + 539-5242
Post:       Box 81185, Parkhurst, 2120
IM:          charleylws at hotmail.com
URL:       http://link.wits.ac.za

Mwalimu House
School of Public & Development Management
University of the Witwatersrand
2 St David's Place
Parktown