New Public Interest Technology Masters (Science) at ASU
What is public interest technology?
Public interest technology in short is tech for good with respect to the common good.
Why is this new program important?
There is a great need for public interest technologist graduates in large public and private corporations, and government and non-government organisations. People who can influence governance practice instituting and embedding principles pertaining to technology assessment and oversight, human rights and ethics, privacy and security by design, social and environmental justice, first nations, child and disability rights, under-represented minority groups, ensuring diversity and inclusion in the workforce and society at large. Public interest technologists generally focus on open systems, open education, open access, open source, open libraries breaking down traditional barriers of entry. They engage the public and corresponding stakeholders.
What will students learn?
Students will develop an awareness of emerging technologies that are playing an integral role in society today, and how public interest technologists play a critical role in the evaluation of emerging technologies and how they may impact civil society. Importantly, public interest technologists engage key stakeholders inclusive of citizens to aid in a co-design process that gathers feedback from operational and non-operational stakeholders.
How does this new degree program fit into the goals of SFIS?
SFIS is all about the future. We need to imagine what we want the future to be, together, and strive towards those goals in a sustainable fashion. We don’t want digital divides, we want inclusivity and access and equity and transparency and we are obligated to provide services in the future that can help everyone via universal service obligations. How is that possible when people have a different propensity to pay, are in various economic circumstances, may wish to retain their data sovereignty, belong to an under-represented minority group? SFIS emphasise the importance of responsible innovation. This degree typifies the next generation of technologists who are more than engineering and computing brains, they are multiskilled, multidisciplinary thinkers who shape the future through stakeholder engagement and participation.
Anything else you’d like to add about the program?
This program is for people from all over the world. It adopts “values by design” focusing on care and empathy as a catalyst for change. Technologies are supposed to liberate users, not enslave them. We are looking for the next generation of thinkers who will shape a sustainable future, and cut across a number of verticals from health, telecommunications, transportation, energy, government and more.