Introduction

This website gathers all teaching materials for the students of Sciences Po Paris School of Public Affairs and Sciences Po Paris Urban School Master Governing Ecological Transitions in Cities attending the class The futures of digital systems within the environmental crisis.

Teaching materials have been created by Gauthier Roussilhe and David Ekchajzer from Hubblo, a leading research company on the environmental impacts of digitalization.

Course description

Firstly, a general overview of the materiality of digital infrastructures will be presented, both through field observation and lectures. The aim is to provide a solid foundation of what is needed to manufacture, deploy, use and dispose of digital systems. The specific changes that AI is bringing to the materiality of the ICT value chain will be the subject of a dedicated session. Secondly, we will examine how to manage the environmental impacts of the digital sector through assessment approaches at multiple scales. This aims at giving students a literacy that will help them navigate complex discourses. Thirdly, the course will explore possible futures for ICT in a sustainable world. Case studies will be delivered through lectures, serious games and by the students through their collective projects. This last part aims at providing students with strategic and planning capabilities regarding digitalization in an increasingly constrained world.

Course structure

This course consists of 12 two-hour sessions, which will take place throughout the first half of the year.

The course is structured around four types of activities:

• Sessions: Knowledge transmission focused on a specific aspect of the environmental impact of digitalisation
• Case studies: An examination of the effects of digitalisation on environmental transitions in a specific location
• Activities: Individual and group activities designed to help you explore the environmental materiality of digitalisation** and its consequences
• Evaluation: Individual and group activities that contribute to the final course validation

This book contains all the course materials. As the sessions are designed to be as interactive as possible, you are encouraged to skim through the relevant material before each session.

Assessment mode

The course will be assessed through three components. First, students will work on two collective projects. Drawing on the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired during the course, students will assess the environmental impacts of a given infrastructure (Collective project #1) and digital technology deployed in a specific context (Collective project #2), and examine their compatibility with environmental transition policies.

Second, students will write a short individual essay (2 pages maximum). Finally, participation and engagement will also be accounted for in the final grade.

Teacher contact

For Urban School: Gauthier Roussilhe (gauthier.roussilhe@hubblo.org)

For School of Public Affairs: David Ekchajzer (da.ekchajzer@hubblo.org)

Licence

This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 4.0 International License.