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FDM3506 ICT and Sustainability 7.5 credits

Administer About course

The course is taught by Daniel Pargman, Elina Eriksson and Rob Comber. We all belong to the Sustainable Futures Lab, at KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS),
Department of Media Technology and Interaction Design (MID). We are responsible and teach in KTH's new master's programme Sustainable Digitalisation

  • The course will be given in the form of 9 three-hour long seminars to be held every second week and a final presentation (see Course Disposition below). We will meet physically at KTH and it is unfortunately not possible to participate remotely.

  • Each seminar will treat a specific topic. We also aim to explore the (sustainability) research front in the particular fields of the ph.d. students who partake in the course.

  • The literature for each seminar will vary between 50-100 pages.

  • Each course participant is expected to read the literature before each seminar and actively contribute to the discussions.

  • Each course participant will write a course essay at the end of the course.

  • Apply by sending a mail to pargman@kth.se, elina@kth.se and rcomber@kth.se with a personal application letter which includes:

    • Your experience/interest in sustainability and your reasons for taking the course

    • If/how the course is connected to your research project/research interests and how you would like to contribute to the course.

  • Do note that the applications letters will be distributed to all course participants when the course starts!

 

Information per course offering

Termin

Information for Spring 2026 Start 13 Jan 2026 programme students

Course location

KTH Campus

Duration
13 Jan 2026 - 1 Jun 2026
Periods

Spring 2026: P3 (4 hp), P4 (3.5 hp)

Pace of study

25%

Application code

10836

Form of study

Normal Daytime

Language of instruction

English

Course memo
Course memo is not published
Number of places

Places are not limited

Target group
No information inserted
Planned modular schedule
[object Object]
Schedule
Schedule is not published
Part of programme
No information inserted

Contact

Examiner
No information inserted
Course coordinator
No information inserted
Teachers
No information inserted

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus FDM3506 (Spring 2019–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus FDM3506 (Spring 2019–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course disposition

The course will be held every second week during the spring term of 2025 on Thursday mornings (9-12) starting on February 5.

The course contents are as follows:

- Sem 1: Introduction

- Sem 2: Sustainability 101

- Sem 3: ICT and Sustainability - intro & 1st order effects

- Sem 4: ICT and Sustainability - 2nd and 3rd order effects

- Sem 5: Sustainable Interaction Design and Sustainable HCI

- Sem 6: Social sustainability and ICT for Developement (ICT4D)

- Sem 7: Collapse informatics and Computing within Limits

- Sem 8: Sustainability and AI

- Sem 9: The future seminar

- Sem 10: Discuss course papers (examination)

Course contents

Sustainability basics

ICT and direct effects

ICT and indirect effects

Sustainability through ICT

Sustainable Software Engineering

Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction

Computing within Limits

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student will be able to:

· orientate oneself among different ideas around what constitutes sustainability and sustainable development

· elaborate on the role of ICT in relation to the aim of society for economic, social and environmental sustainability

· reflect on the possibilities and limitations of ICT in relation to development of a sustainable society 

· formulate how sustainability relates to his or her own thesis project.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

No information inserted

Literature

Primarily a collection of research articles or other relevant texts.

Examination and completion

Grading scale

P, F

Examination

  • EXA1 - Examination, 7.5 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Other requirements for final grade

A passing grade (P) is obtained through completing these criteria:

1)    Active participation in 75% of the seminars, which includes reading and discussing the course literature

2)    Approved presentation of individual course essay,

3)    Approved completed course essay covering adequate amount of course topic and literature

Examiner

Profile picture Elina Eriksson

Profile picture Daniel Pargman

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

EECS/Media Technology and Interaction Design

Education cycle

Third cycle

Postgraduate course

Postgraduate courses at EECS/Media Technology and Interaction Design