Laura Hosman
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Fields
- Ethics, Public Policy, Science and Technology
- International Development
- Technology and Public Policy
- Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D)
Contact Information
- Office: Bldg. 47, Rm. 11N
- Phone: 805-756-2382
- E-mail: lhosman@calpoly.edu
About Laura Hosman
With an emphasis on action-oriented, in-the-field work, Dr. Hosman’s research focuses on the role for information and communications technology (ICT) in developing countries, particularly in terms of its potential effects on socio-cultural factors, human development, and economic growth. Presently, she is focusing on ICT-in-education projects, as well as the role of public-private partnerships in bringing technology to the developing world.
Hosman brings her passion for experiential learning to her teaching by leading real-world focused, project-based courses, and by employing Learn By Doing whenever possible in her traditional courses. A recent project involving students saw the development and deployment of the “Solar Computer Lab in a Box” in the Federated States of Micronesia. Her current project spans multiple courses at Cal Poly to involve students in the design, creation, and deployment of an all-in-one “Solar Powered Digital Library Kit,” which will be used by 50 primary schools in remote locations across the Pacific Islands.
Hosman writes a blog, ICT4D Views from the Field about her fieldwork experiences and project-based work.
Dr. Hosman has received multiple awards for both teaching and research. She has held prior academic positions at Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California (USC). Hosman received her doctorate in political economy and public policy from USC. She also holds an M.A. in Economics from USC, and an M.A. in international relations from the University of Amsterdam, earned while studying on a Fulbright Scholarship.
She has carried out field research in Sri Lanka, Macedonia, the Solomon Islands, Haiti, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia and Senegal. Her research has been supported by grants from USAID, Google, the Internet Society, The Information Society Innovation Fund for Asia, The Pacific Telecommunications Council, the National Science Foundation, the University of North Carolina McDowell Research Center for Global IT Management and Association for Information Systems (AIS)-Microsoft Unlimited Potential. Her research has been published in Information Technology for Development, Review of Policy Research, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, Information Technology for International Development, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics and Journal of Business Systems Governance and Ethics among others.