Specialisation: Inclusive Innovation, Communication and Development
Climate change, conflict, migration, digitalisation, and biodiversity erosion disrupt the world as we know it, whilst the North-South divide lost its validity. Rethinking how and with whom to work towards socially just solutions is central to this specialisation. Communication, innovation, science and technology studies help to expose the subtle politics of this turn. You learn to unravel global-local entanglements, address colonial legacies, create space for marginalised voices, and explore how different knowledges contribute to responsible development. You engage in an action-oriented and reflexive manner in topics such as global health and inequality, democratisation of energy or food transitions, activism and grassroots initiatives.
Specialisation courses
In the first year, you follow two common courses, and a selection of profiling courses, and if necessary, supporting courses. You follow three specialisation courses within Inclusive Innovation, Communication and Development.
| Code | Name |
|---|---|
| CPT-37306 | Politics of Knowledge and Inclusive Innovation |
| CPT-37806 | Researching Practices, Innovation and Futures |
| CPT-32806 | The Politics of Communication and Change |
For more information about the courses and course content of the specialisation, as well as the compulsory parts of the master's programme, please refer to the Study Handbook.
Depending on your educational background, the study adviser may determine that you need to follow some supporting courses which will be compulsory for you (for example the course SDC-33306 Methodology for Field Research in the Social Sciences).
Student experiences
MSc thesis
In the second year, you demonstrate your ability to design and conduct research by collecting and analysing information on a thesis topic of your choice. Your thesis will be based on the domain within your specialisation, and the specialisation courses will outline the context of your research. To get an impression of the kind of research done by students, these are a few thesis examples:
- Including of indigenous agroforestry practices in tree planting interventions in Rwanda (Frederique Bosveld);
- Empowering dynamic activist groups working in a gender and sexuality alliance (Daphne Visser);
- Using block chain technology to enhance transparency and fairness in global coffee chains (Frankie Pols)
Many more examples are found in the thesis library.
What do we research?
The work of members of the Knowledge, Technology & Innovation (KTI) and the Strategic Communication (COM) groups is brought together in a book that develops an integrated perspective on the practices and politics of making knowledge work in inclusive development and innovation. This is an Open Access publication and can be found on DOI.
Teachers in the spotlight
Staff from the contributing chair-groups will be telling you about their own research experiences during the courses. Different teachers have different areas of thematic interest, and focus on different regions in the world. To get an impression of the specialisation, it can be helpful to become acquainted with the expertise of some of the staff. A few examples:
