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University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
School of Information Studies
Introduction to Information Science and Technology
INFOST 110 (Lecture 003)
Fall 2014
Instructor: Nadine I. Kozak, Ph.D.
Email: kozakn@uwm.edu
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.;
Wednesdays, 10 to 11 a.m.; and by appointment.
Location: NWQ, Building B, 3498
Phone: (414) 229-5062
Fax: (414) 229-6699
Meeting Times & Location: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00 to 3:15 p.m., Lubar S191
Teaching Assistant: Adriana McCleer amccleer@uwm.edu
Mondays, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and
Wednesdays, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
NWQ, Building B, 6488
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Introduces basic issues in information science, including the nature of information, information policy, knowledge organization, information services, and the relationships between information technologies and society. (3 credits.)
PREREQUISITES: None.
OBJECTIVES:
1.
Combine theory and everyday examples to provide a broad-based introduction to the field of information science and information studies.
2.
Connect current information-based institutions and technologies to their historical roots and with their cultural, political, and economic settings.
3.
Investigate the impact of the development of technology on access to, and use of, information and the changes that this development causes in the structure and operation of society.
COMPETENCIES:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will:
1.
Understand and be able to relate concepts of information science and information studies.
2.
Describe various institutions and technologies for the organization, storage, and retrieval of information, and relate their cultural, social, and political impact.
3.
Possess general knowledge in current issues of information technology, information organization, the information professions, information policy, and information ethics.
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METHOD OF INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING:
Lecture and in-class discussion; completion and understanding of the assigned readings by students; review of relevant online resources and current events.
This course requires a weekly time commitment. General university guidelines indicate that a 3-credit course requires a minimum 144 hour time commitment over the semester. This time commitment represents a minimum of 9-10 hours of work per week per course. Three of these hours are lectures. Students are expected to do an additional 6-7 hours per week of study and work on assignments to achieve the learning goals of this course.
*Students with special test and note-taking needs should contact the instructor as early as possible for accommodations. See policies below.*
COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS: (Subject to Minor Changes)
Date
9/4
Lecture Topic
1.1 Course Introduction
Readings
9/9 2.1 The Information Society: Influences & Impacts L&K Ch.1; Masuda
9/11
9/16
2.2 The Information Society: Critiques & Concerns Postman; May, Ch. 1 and 6
3.1 What is Information? L&K, Ch. 2; Barlow
Work Due
Assign. 1 due
Friday
9/18
9/23
9/25
9/30
10/2
10/7
3.2 Fundamentals of Information Science
4.1 Information Needs & Seeking Behavior
4.2 Information Literacy & Research
5.1 Exam 1
5.2 Information Systems: Past
6.1 Information Systems: Present
Debons, Ch. 3; D&S, Ch. 2
L&K, Ch. 3
Meeting at Golda Meir Library
L&K Ch.4; D2L Links
L&K Ch. 5; D&S Ch. 6
Assign. 2 due
Friday 10/9 6.2 Information Systems: Future
10/14 7.1 Information Organization & Retrieval I
10/16 7.2 Information Organization & Retrieval II
10/21 8.1 Information Institutions: Traditional
O'Reilly; D2L Links
Stockwell; Zimmer (2009)
Shirky; Zimmer (2009)
L&K Ch. 6
10/23 8.2 Information Institutions: Googlization
10/28 9.1 Information Professions
10/30 9.2 Exam 2
11/4
11/6
10.1 Economics of Information
10.2 Information Regulation and Policy
11/11 11.1 Information Policy and Ethics
11/13 11.2 Information Access & Digital Divides
11/18 12.1 Human Factors and Information Design
11/20 12.2 Intellectual Property
11/25 13.1 Information Privacy
Caufield, Vaidhyanathan
Debons, Ch. 2
L&K Ch. 9
L&K 267-277 & 301-314
L&K 341-347; D&S 211-221; Capurro
Kraemer; Zickhur & Smith, pp.1-21;
L&K 355-364
Shneiderman; Sierkowski
L&K 314-321; Davis
Solove; Dyson; Zimmer (2008)
Assign. 3 due
Friday
Proposal due
Monday
Assign. 4 due
Friday
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11/27 No Class—Thanksgiving Recess
12/2 14.1 Information Security Pesante; Hutchinson & Warren
12/4 14.2 The Information Society
12/9 15.1 Exam 3
L&K Ch. 8
12/11 15.2 Conclusion
12/17 Final Paper Due
TEXTS:
Available at the Bookstore and on reserve at the UWM Library:
Lester, J. & Koehler, W. (2007). Fundamentals of Information Studies: Understanding
Information and Its Environment (2nd edition). Neal-Schuman Publishers. (L&K on the course schedule)
Available via D2L or the Internet:
Barlow, J. P. (1994). A Taxonomy of Information. Bulletin of the American Society for Information
Science, 20(5), 13-17.
Caufield, J. (2005). Where Did Google Get Its Value? Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 5(4), 555-572.
Capurro, R. 2011). Information Ethics: The Field, International Center for Information Ethics. http://icie.zkm.de/research
Davis, C. & Shaw, D. (2011). Introduction to Information Science and Technology. Medford,
NJ: Information Today. (D& S on the course schedule)
Davis, R. (2001). The Digital Dilemma. Communications of the ACM, 44(2), 77-83.
Debons, Anthony (2008). Library Science 101. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Dyson, E. (2008). Reflections on Privacy 2.0. Scientific American, 299(3), 50-55.
Hutchinson, W., & Warren, M. (2001). Principles of Information Warfare. Journal of Information Warfare, 1(1), 5-9.
Masuda, Y. (2004). Image of the Future Information Society. In F. Webster (Ed.), The Information Society
Reader (pp. 15-20). London: Routledge.
May, C. (2002). The Information Society: A Sceptical View. Malden, MA: Polity.
O'Reilly, T. (2005). What is Web 2.0? http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-
20.html
.
Pesante, L. (2008). Information Security Basics, Carnegie Mellon University.
Postman, N. (1990). Informing Ourselves to Death. German Informatics Society, Stuttgart.
Shirky, C. (2005). Ontology is Overrated: Categories, Links, and Tags. Clay Shirky’s Writings About the
Internet. http://www.shirky.com/writings/ontology_overrated.html
.
Paper due
Tuesday
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Shneiderman, B. (2000). Universal Usability. Communications of the ACM, 43(5), 84-91.
Sierkowski, B. (2002). Achieving web accessibility. Proceedings of the 30th annual ACM SIGUCCS conference on
user services, 288–291. http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=588646.588725
.
Solove, D. (2008). The End of Privacy? Scientific American, 299(3), 100.
Stockwell, F. (2001). A History of Information Storage and Retrieval. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &
Company. [Chapter 11]
Vaidhyanathan, S. (2010). “Introduction: The Gospel of Google”, The Googlization of Everything (And
Why we Should Worry). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
(2012). Digital Differences. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American
Life Project.
http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_Digital_differences_041312.pdf
.
Zimmer, M. (2008). Privacy on Planet Google: Using the Theory of “Contextual Integrity” to Clarify the
Privacy Threats of Google’s Quest for the Perfect Search Engine. Journal of Business & Technology Law,
3(1), 109-126.
Zimmer, M. (2009). Renvois of the Past, Present and Future: Hyperlinks and the Structuring of Knowledge from the Encyclopédie to Web 2.0. New Media & Society, 11(1&2), 107-125.
Various Web links and videos will be periodically assigned, available via D2L.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Written assignments are due on the specified date. Grades will be reduced for late papers (one full grade for each week or part thereof). Written assignments are to be word-processed. Papers are to be double-spaced using a 12point kerned font such as Times New Roman with 1 to 1.25 inch margins. You may not resubmit work that has already been used in fulfillment of the requirements of this or any other course. Rules of academic conduct require that you not use the work of others without clearly indicating it as such. Academic misconduct may result in a lowered grade, no credit for a given assignment, or removal from the course.
Students are expected to both consult and appropriately cite the academic and primary source literature where needed. As such, students should search bibliographies in the material we are reading, use library databases, and conduct library searches to identify material on their chosen topic. Additionally, the arguments and topics of books and articles should be summarized before using a source. Please rely on a commonly used style manual for your submissions (e.g. Turabian, Chicago, APA, MLA). These are available in the Library or UWM Bookstore or may be purchased through online book vendors. If you are uncertain about how to cite electronic sources, consult one of the many electronic guides to citing electronic sources available on the net. A good place to start is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ . Minimal reference content includes: author (if known), date (if given), title, URL, and date accessed.
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COURSE ELEMENTS:
-Lectures:
• Lectures will engage with the day’s assigned readings, by both emphasizing important items and expanding on ideas from the readings by looking at current examples in the media and elsewhere.
• Students should attend all lectures having read assigned material before class and being prepared to discuss class material, respond to questions, and ask questions themselves.
• Attendance is mandatory. Students will sign-in to each class. Signing in and leaving class will negatively impact your Attendance and Participation grade. Do NOT sign in for other students who are not in class; doing so will negatively impact your Attendance and Participation grade.
• Absences require the instructor’s approval in advance and I may request written documentation of medical and/or family emergencies. Multiple absences will impact your Attendance and Participation grade in INFOST
110.
-Participation:
• Students are expected to constructively participate in class, by contributing to discussion, asking questions, and participating in group work. The instructor will note students’ contributions and these will help determine your Attendance and Participation grade. If you make informed and thoughtful contributions in at least half of the class meetings, you will score well on the participation grade.
• To constructively contribute to class, you need to prepare for class. As noted above, students must read the assigned material before coming to class, think about comments posted to D2L each week, and prepare some notes and questions to guide your participation in class.
-Assignments:
• Students must submit four (4) assignments during the semester. Assignment weeks are marked on the course schedule. Students must submit their assignments on D2L by Friday at 6:00 p.m. on the weeks indicated.
Therefore, the assignments are due as follows:
- Assignment 1 due Friday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m.
- Assignment 2 due Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m.
- Assignment 3 due Friday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m.
- Assignment 4 due Friday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m.
• There will be an OPTIONAL fifth assignment that students may complete to replace the lowest score on the earlier four exercises. This assignment, if you choose to complete it, will be due on Friday, December 13 at
6:00 p.m.
• Assignments will be distributed Monday of the week in which they are due.
• Each assignment will require a 500-word response (unless otherwise indicated on the assignment sheet).
• Ensure your responses are typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. Use 12-point Times New Roman or
Arial font. Be sure to include your name, the course number, the title of the assignment, and the date it is due.
• Make sure your assignment is saved in .doc, .docx, or .rtf file format.
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• Each of the 4 assignments is worth 5 points and will be evaluated as follows:
5 → Exceptional responses that are on time, exceeds required length, connects to previous lecture material or readings, refers to external sources, and reveals considerable depth of analysis.
4 → Submission is on time, the content is at required length, generally free from errors, and shows students have engaged with the reading and lecture material in crafting their answer.
3 → Submissions that are late (less than 24 hours), shorter than the required length, error ridden, or show a lack of effort to engage with the course material.
-Exams:
1, 2→ Responses that are more than 24 hours late, or that fail to address the questions or course material.
• There are 3 exams in INFOST 110. Exams will be a combination of short answer and brief essay questions.
The exams will be written in class on the dates listed in the Course Schedule.
- Paper Proposal and Research Paper:
• INFOST 110 students will write a research paper instead of a final exam. Papers will focus on a particular information technology or system and explore it from a variety of perspectives, all discussed in lectures throughout the semester. Students must cite readings used in class, in addition to reliable and appropriate sources found elsewhere. Additional information will be provided as the semester progresses.
• Proposal: Students are required to write a proposal for their final research papers that will be graded for course credit. The proposal should include a brief discussion of the broader issue the paper will consider, and then introduce the specific information technology or system that will be researched. Proposals must identify 5 potential articles/books/sources, provided in a bibliography. Proposals should be at least 250 words, without bibliographic references. Proposals are due to the D2L Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 11,
2013. Written feedback will be provided on the proposals to guide students’ in their preparation of the final papers.
• Final papers should incorporate suggestions made on paper proposals. They must be between 1200 and 1500 words in length. Final papers are due to the D2L Dropbox by 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17 2013.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Papers will be graded based on a 100-point scale that can be converted to equivalent letter grades based on the
“grading scale” provided in the next section of the syllabus. The general grading rubric follows. In this grading scheme, a "B," for example, is not a subtraction from an initial state of an "A," but rather recognition of good and thorough work.
A = Excellent; you “wow-ed” us. Work demonstrates impressive understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is fluid, clear, analytical, well organized and grammatically polished.
Reasoning and logic are well grounded and examples precise. “A” quality work cites outside materials, draws connections between topics from multiple sessions, and generally impresses.
B = Good; a clear understanding of the topic. Work demonstrates a thorough and solid understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is clear and competent, but is somewhat general, a
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C = Fair; shows limited understanding or limited amount of effort. Work demonstrates a somewhat fragmented understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Shows acquaintance with readings and ideas, but not intellectual engagement. Written work is choppy and argument somewhat difficult to follow, examples are vague or irrelevant, and ideas are imprecise. Work veers toward underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, personal anecdotes, creative writing, memoir, etc.
D = Unsatisfactory. Work demonstrates little understanding or even acquaintance with readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is choppy, fractured and unclear. Submission has little logical development, and reveals little effort to really engage.
F = Failure / Unacceptable. Work does not demonstrate understanding of topics, ideas and readings. This is also the grade for work not submitted and plagiarized work.
EVALUATION:
Attendance and Participation
Assignments
Midterm Exam 1
Midterm Exam 2
Midterm Exam 3
Paper Proposal
Final Paper
10%
20%
15%
15%
15%
5%
20%
GRADING SCALE:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
94-100
91-93
88-90
84-87
81-83
78-80
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
74-77
71-73
68-70
64-67
60-63
0-59
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:
To help facilitate a positive and productive learning atmosphere for everyone in class, I encourage you to participate in classroom discussions. Remember, however, to ensure you are respectful of your peers at all times as you contribute.
Please turn off your cell phones and other electronic devices before class begins. Ensure your laptop use is limited to class-related (INFOST 110) activities.
Your attendance and participation grades will be affected by: absences (without a physician’s note), arriving late for class, leaving class early, sleeping in class, texting/YouTube searching/emailing/etc. during class. These activities, and similar ones, will negatively affect your participation and attendance grade.
CONTACTING ME:
I welcome, and encourage, you to speak to me about INFOST 110 material. Please take note:
1) Before and after class, I will be available in the room for short conversations. In-depth discussions should occur during office hours.
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2) If you email me during normal work hours, I will usually respond to you the same day. If, however, you write me after the close of the business day (4:30 p.m.), I will not respond until the following day. Ensure your emails use professional etiquette and modes of address.
3) To contact me in person, I will be available in my office Monday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and
Wednesday mornings from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. If you cannot make these times, please arrange an alternative appointment with me via email. I will also be available by telephone during my office hours. Note that if you telephone and someone is in the office in person, I will arrange to call you back.
UWM AND SOIS ACADEMIC POLICIES:
The following links contain university policies affecting all SOIS students. Many policies may be accessed through a
PDF-document maintained by the Secretary of the University: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf
.
Undergraduates may also find the Panther Planner and Undergraduate Student Handbook useful: http://www4.uwm.edu/osl/students/ . For graduate students, there are additional guidelines from the Graduate School: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/StudentInfo/ , including those found in the Graduate Student and Faculty
Handbook: http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/policies/expanded/ .
INFOST 110: Introduction to Information Science and Technology, Section 003, Fall 2014, Kozak