New technologies are developed and implemented to solve a range of tasks in society, and digitalization processes exist in various contexts and forms. Technology is used to facilitate participation in different arenas, from mHealth and mobile banking services to improve living conditions, to robot pets intended to improve elderly care and dementia patients’ care. Digitalization is often considered as the solution to several problems, but how does this play out in the practical use of technology? Is the focus on hardware and software or on the human and social systems (cf. Warschauer 2003, p. 6)? In this cross-disciplinary PhD course, we focus theoretically and empirically on digitalization and practices of inclusion. We invite a wide range of approaches, including digital Bildung, critical digital literacy, multilingualism, and linguistically diverse practices. Other perspectives are also welcome. There will be guest lectures by Professor Emeritus Jim Cummins and Professor Ingeborg Krange.
The concept of inclusion encompasses policies or ideologies “used by governments and other policymakers to change or improve schools, workplaces, housing, or other community institutions so as to adjust them to meet human diversity, and in particular, to embrace people who experience exclusion” (Haualand 2017, p. 317). The concept is not unproblematic; who should “be included” and who is responsible for this inclusion, into what? In this PhD course, we investigate practices of inclusion critically, examine and discuss empirical work and theoretical approaches in studies of technology’s role in practices of inclusion. Inclusion is thus considered as social practice, related to digitalization processes, and is viewed from different theoretical perspectives, with a focus on educational contexts and linguistic aspects of inclusion (Krüger et al. 2021, etc.). What expectations do we have to technology and how do these affect our practices? How are digital tools used for practices of inclusion and do they lead to experienced inclusion? Does the supposition that “everyone” has access to technology and digital literacy prevent participation and lead to exclusionary practices, accompanying digital exclusion (Helsper and Reisdorf 2017)? How do persistent inequalities and global dynamics shape practices (Deumert 2014)? What experiences can we draw from digital practices during the covid-19 lockdowns (Bucholz et al. 2020)?

- Theories of inclusion and digitalization related to studies of digital literacy practices
- Research ethics
- Research reviews and scientific ground
- Oral presentation and discussion of a topic relevant to own PhD project