Assignment Task
1. There are different subject areas to choose from. Please choose one of the subject areas first. For the concrete selection of your essay topic, you have two possibilities:
- You decide on one of the already given questions or
- You formulate a question yourself within the subject area which you would like to work on in your research essay. In this case, please consider that the question must be agreed upon in advance with the tutor and approved by them. The independent delimitation and formulation of a question represents a good preparation and exercise, especially regarding the later thesis.
Introductory literature references are given for each of the subject areas, which can serve as a starting point. It is expected that further literature sources will be researched and incorporated into the research essay. It should be noted that the theoretical approach and the related literature research are the main focus of the research essay.
People & Society
Marbury D. (2019). Six Healthcare Technologies Coming in the Next 10 Years: Healthcare execs need to lay the cultural foundation today for upcoming technology changes. Managed Healthcare Executive. 29(2), 8. Retrieved from Accessed July 16, 2020.
Dsouza R, Sahu S, Patil R, Kalbande DR. (2019). Chat with Bots Intelligently: A Critical Review & Analysis. 2019 International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communication and Control (ICAC3), Advances in Computing, Communication and Control (ICAC3), 2019 International Conference on.
Possible questions for the research essay:
Please select only one of the proposed questions.
- How could technology help the fast-growing number of elderly people in most societies to live a life worth living?
- What could be the impact of an increasing use of chatbots and digital assistants on human communication?
- How can technology help to make a society more environmentally sustainable?
- How can technology help to improve the basic healthcare level of a society?
- How could technology help to improve the overall educational level of a society?
Technology & Finance
Garcia Chavolla M. (2018). Cashless Societies and the Rise of the Independent Cryptocurrencies: How Governments Can Use Privacy Laws to Compete with Independent Cryptocurrencies. Pace International Law Review. 31(1), 263-292. Retrieved from .
Bazarbash M. (2019). FinTech in Financial Inclusion: Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Credit Risk. IMF Working Papers. Retrieved from
Possible questions for the research essay
Please select only one of the proposed questions.
- Which opportunities and risks arise from digital currencies without governmental supervision?
- Which impact could automated decision-making in stock exchange trading have on the society?
- Which consequences could using social ratings for individuals in credit assessment have?
- How does using artificial intelligence in the risk assessment of insurance companies affect people?
- Which opportunities and risks arise from completely replacing cash money by electronic financial transactions?
Government & Politics
Kugler L. (2019). Being Recognized Everywhere: How facial and voice recognition are reshaping society. Communications of the ACM.
Napetvaridze V. (2017). Electronic Elections: International Experience. Retrieved from
Possible questions for the research essay
Please select only one of the proposed questions.
- Can and should technology help to automate judiciary?
- Which opportunities and risks occur from fully digitized elections?
- Which opportunities and risks result from the governmental use of face recognition technology in public?
- How can technology help people to better participate in politics and society design?
- Which impact does the whistleblowing culture have on society and what is the role of technology in this game?
2. Additional Information For The Evaluation Of The Research Essay
When conceptualizing and writing the written assignment, the evaluation criteria and explanations given in the writing guidelines should be considered.
3. Tutorial Support
In this written assignment task, several support channels are open; as the student, it is your responsibility to select your preferred support channel. The tutor is available for technical consultations and for formal and general questions regarding the procedure for processing the research essay. However, the tutor is not required to approve outlines or parts of texts and drafts. Independent preparation is part of the examination work and is included in the overall evaluation. However, general editing tips and instructions are given in order to help you get started with the written assignment.