Thank you for your interest in the Summer School. Registrations are now closed.
If you are interested in attending the 2025 Technology Governance Summer School, please send an email to events@balsillieschool.ca and include your name, program and university.
Course Directors:
Professors Jatin Nathwani and Ann Fitz-Gerald
Course description:
This course provides graduate students with an in-depth understanding of the technology-policy nexus – an interface which has become a critical requirement for effective policy analysis and implementation.
Registered students will learn about the relevant domains and discourse supporting technology innovation, as well as the issues, datasets, and trends underpinning this emerging and increasingly relevant area.
The course will feature presentations from leading technology science and policy experts, and practitioners. Upon completion, participants will be awarded with a certificate.
Learning outcomes:
Students will gain knowledge of the key concepts underlying data science, Big Data, artificial intelligence, algorithms, Large Language Models, Information Communications Technologies, data security, sensors, microprocessors and other emerging transformative technologies – and the use and application of these approaches in key policy areas.
Who should attend:
BSIA, UW and Laurier students seeking to deepen their understanding of the technology-policy nexus. This will be an interdisciplinary course, developed for UW and Laurier graduate students with policy, social science, and STEM backgrounds.
Delivery:
The course will be delivered in person at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, with sessions held August 12 to 22, Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
What to expect:
Week 1- Technology, its applications and its impacts on society
- Introduction to Technology Governance
- Introduction to Data Science and Data Engineering
- Big Data
- Introduction to AI
- AI challenges and opportunities: a STEM perspective
- AI and Social Impacts/Policy
- Ethics of AI
- Algorithms and Algorithms Optimization
- Large Language Models
- Sensor, Microprocessor Chips and Devices – The ICT Ecosystem
- Evaluation and Reporting of Intangibles
Week 2 – Policy development in a digital and data-driven world
- The Internet of Things (IoT)
- The Importance of Intellectual Property on Emerging Technologies
- Energy Security: Emerging Energy and Power Technologies and Policy Implications
- Environmental Policy and Emerging Transformative Technology
- Novel Water Systems: Policy implications
- National Security and Technology
- Autonomous Weapons Systems
- Strategic Planning for National Security Governance in a Data-Driven and Digital Age
- Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Global Health Policy
- The Impact of Technology on Geopolitics
