OAFP 6200 - The futures of digital systems within the environmental crisis

Firstly, a general overview of the materiality of digital infrastructures will be presented, both through field observations and lectures. The aim is to provide a solid foundation of what is needed to manufacture, deploy, use, and dispose of digital systems. The specific changes brought by GenAI to the materiality of the ICT value chain will be addressed throughout the class. Secondly, we will examine how ICT is participating in the modifications of the environmental materiality of other sectors, for the better and the worse. Finally, students will be introduced to the management of the environmental impacts of the digital sector through assessment approaches at multiple scales. This aims at giving students a literacy that will help them navigate complex discourses. Case studies will be delivered through lectures, serious games, and by the students through their collective projects. This last part aims at providing students with strategic and planning capabilities regarding digitalisation in an increasingly constrained world.

There are no specific prerequisites for the course. Curiosity for the materiality of technological systems, environmental sciences, and urban planning of digital infrastructures is recommended. This course is multi-disciplinary so students need to be comfortable addressing topics from various angles at the same time.

The online pre-requisite reading is : Ensmenger, N. (2018). The environmental history of computing. Technology and culture, 59(4S), S7-S33.

To give a sense of materiality, this course will start with a field observation of ICT infrastructure in the streets of Paris, followed by the dismantling of several pieces of IT equipment and research into their material composition. Next, there will be several theoretical and practical lectures on sustainability and digitalisation based on case studies. The course will then switch to group-based projects until the final session. The course aims to be as participatory as possible.

This course will be evaluated mainly through a collective project (70%). Based on the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired during the course, students will be confronted with a case study, where they will have to assess the environmental impacts of both an infrastructure (datacenter) as well as a given technology in a specific context (city, county, etc.), and their adequacy with transition policies. Class time will be devoted to this case study. In addition, a short individual essay (2 pages max.) will also be graded (20%). Finally, participation and engagement will count for 10% of the final grade.

Most of the work, including collective projects, will be conducted during class. Some preparation and research activities may require up to 45 minutes per week. The short individual essay at the end of the course (research and writing) is expected to take less than four hours. Before each class, students will be given a list of reference materials they can consult if they wish to delve deeper during the lesson.