Technological innovation has transformed everyday life and disrupted established industries. Artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, machine learning, industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and synthetic biology are not simply buzzwords: they impact agriculture, communications, energy, healthcare, hospitality, infrastructure, social welfare and transportation. While disruptive technologies may contribute to positive social change, they can pose risks and dangers if unchecked.
This course cultivates the critical skills necessary for assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of emerging technologies and introduces frameworks for developing regulatory responses that can be tailored for particular contexts. It combines theory with practice through collaborative learning techniques, hands-on assessments and case studies from Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and the Pacific. Designed to accommodate students from different backgrounds and career stages, the course is suitable for recent graduates with an interest in technology and society as well as professionals working in government, the private sector and nongovernment organisations.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Critically evaluate how different actors, including companies and governments, have managed disruptive social change linked to emerging technologies
- Assess current and possible developments in technology with appropriate regulatory strategies
- Demonstrate an understanding of concepts that explain disruptive technologies and relevant approaches to regulation
- Conduct independent research on regulatory challenges and approaches to appraise the governance of disruptive technologies within a particular domain
Indicative Assessment
- The proposed means of assessment for this course will provide students with at least two pieces of assessment, including at least one piece during the teaching period. More information about the means of assessment, including the relationship between the assessment and the learning outcomes of the course, will be available in the class summary and on the course Canvas page. (100) [LO 1,2,3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
This course will require 30 contact hours and 130 hours workload in total.
Prescribed Texts
N/A
Preliminary Reading
Winner, L. (1980). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 106–123.
Bower, J., & Christensen. (1995). Disruptive technologies: Catching the wave. Harvard Business Review, 73(1), 43–53
Danneels, E. (2004). Disruptive technology reconsidered: A critique and research agenda. The Journal of Product Innovation Management, 21(4), 246–258
Latzer, M. (2009). Information and communication technology innovations: Radical and disruptive? New Media & Society, 11(4), 599–619
Kitchen, R. (2014). Big Data, New Epistemologies, Paradigm Shifts. Big Data & Society, 1(1), 1–12
Vaidhyanathan, S. (2018). Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. Oxford University Press
Tusikov, N. (2019). Regulation through “bricking”: Private ordering in the “Internet of Things”. Internet Policy Review, 8(2
Gorwa, R. (2019). The platform governance triangle: Conceptualising the informal regulation of online content. Internet Policy Review, 8(2)
Braithwaite, V. (2020). Beyond the bubble that is Robodebt: How governments that lose integrity threaten democracy. Australian Journal of Social Issues, doi:10.1002/ajs4.122
Vallee, M. (2020). Doing nothing does something: Embodiment and data in the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Data & Society, 7(1)
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Autumn Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On Campus | ||||||
| 5420 | 05 May 2026 | 15 May 2026 | 15 May 2026 | 11 Jun 2026 | In Person | N/A |
| Online | ||||||
| 5421 | 05 May 2026 | 15 May 2026 | 15 May 2026 | 11 Jun 2026 | Online | N/A |