Merritt College Library
LIS 48NA, Research Skills for Student Success
Course Syllabus
Week 1, Introduction - How information is organized
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Welcome
Library Tour
Video: e-literate?
Exercise - Library of Congress Call Numbers
Please read for next week:
Eland, Thomas W. "The Production of Knowledge: Lesson 1." Information Literacy Tutorial. 29 May
2001. Minneapolis Community and Technical College. 13 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.mctc.mnscu.edu/Library/tutorials/infolit/adaversion/lessons/lesson1/production.htm>
Week 2, Production of information and information formats
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How information is produced
Information formats
Discussion
Please read for next week:
"Locating Books: Searching the Online Catalog." Merritt College Library Handbook. Oakland, CA:
Merritt College Library, 2001. 7.
Using Online Library Catalogs. 17 Nov. 1998. Bedford/St. Martin's. 6 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/english_research/catalogs/page1.htm>
Benham, Hildy and Krystal Powell. Searching Horizon. 17 July 2001. Glovale Library, Westminster
College. 6 Sept. 2001.
<http://people.wcslc.edu/staff/hbenham/English110%20Step%20by%20Step/Searching%20Horizon.
html>
Week 3, Using the library catalog
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What's in the Catalog
Searching by Author
Searching by Title / Keyword
Searching by Subject
Exercise - Finding books
Please read for next week:
Brunsvold, Libby. Thesis Statement. 5 Oct. 1999. Write Place, St. Cloud State University. 6 Sept.
2001.
<http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html>
How To Write a Thesis Statement. 11 Apr. 2001. Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University,
Bloomington. 6 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/thesis.html>
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Brown, Lady Falls. Thesis Statement. 8 May 2000. University Writing Center, Texas Tech. University.
6 Sept. 2001.
<http://english.ttu.edu/uwc/thesis.html>
Week 4, How to define the research topic (part one)
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Developing a Thesis Statement
Exercise
Please read for next week:
Writing a Research Paper. 3 July 2001. Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. 6 Sept. 2001.
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.html>
(Please read all of the sections under "Thesis or Question.")
Week 5, How to define the research topic (part two)
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Developing a Research Question
Exercise
Please read for next week:
"Locating Articles." Merritt College Library Handbook. Oakland, CA: Merritt College Library, 2001.
9-11.
Week 6, Selecting and using electronic databases (part one)
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Britannica Online
Facts.com
CQ Researcher
Galenet
Countrywatch
Exercise
Please read for next week:
Please review previous week's reading.
Week 7, Selecting and using electronic databases (part two - magazine articles)
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Ebsco databases (Masterfile, Ethnic NewsWatch, Health Source, Alt-HealthWatch)
Expanded Academic Index
Lexis-Nexis
Exercise
Please read for next week:
Types of Reference Books. 30 Aug. 2001. Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy. 13 Sept.
2001.
<http://www.nadn.navy.mil/Library/Refbks.htm>
Horrigan, John. Reference Book Evaluation. 25 March 2001. Coleytown Middle School, Library
Information Center. 13 Sept. 2001
<http://cms.westport.k12.ct.us/cmslmc/arefintro/review.htm>
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Week 8, Selecting and using print reference sources (part one)
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Types of print reference sources
Using print reference sources
In-class exercise (begin)
For next week:
Please complete the assignment you began in class and prepare an oral presentation for next week.
Week 9, Selecting and using print reference sources (part two)
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In class oral presentation on your reference book
Please read for next week:
Chamberlain, Ellen. Bare Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web. 6 June 2001. Beaufort
Library, University of South Carolina. 19 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html >
(You only need to read lessons 1 - 7. We'll do the assignments in class.)
Week 10, Searching the Web
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In-class exercises based upon reading of "Bare Bones 101."
Please read for next week:
Mandernack, Scott. Evaluating Information. 2 Oct. 2000. Purdue University Libraries. 19 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.lib.purdue.edu/StudentInstruction/evaluating_information.html>
Week 11, Evaluating what you read
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In-class discussion and exercise
Please read for next week:
Humanities: Documenting Sources. 26 Apr. 2001. Bedford/St. Martin's. 20 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/resdoc/humanities/list.htm>
Delaney, Robert. MLA Citation Style. 10 May 2001. B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library, C.W. Post
Campus, Long Island University. 20 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.cwpost.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm>
Johnson, Carolyn. MLA Citation Style Examples. Aug. 2001. Owens Library, Northwest Missouri
State University. 20 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/citing/MLA.HTM>
Week 12, Documentation (Using MLA format)
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The importance of documentation
In-class exercise
Please read for next week:
"Ethical Issues." CSU Information Competence. 12 Mar. 1999. Cal Poly State University. 20 Sept.
2001.
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<http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/modules/08_understand/index.html>
Eland, Thomas W. "Intellectual Freedom & Censorship Issues: Lesson 7" Information Literacy
Tutorial. 2 Aug. 2001. Minneapolis Community and Technical College. 20 Sept. 2001.
<http://www.mctc.mnscu.edu/Library/tutorials/infolit/tablesversion/lessons/lesson7/authorship.htm>
Week 13, Legal and ethical uses of information
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In-class discussion
Week 14, In-class work on final assignment
Week 15, In-class work on final assignment
Week 16, In-class work on final assignment
Week 17, Final assignment due
Final Assignment:
LIS 48NA
Research Skills For Student Success
Due at the end of the last day of class
For this assignment you will carefully select eight items to read. The readings are to support your
research paper. You will write a bibliography in MLA format plus an annotation of at least 100
words for each item included in the bibliography. Each annotation is to include:
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What the item is about.
Why you selected it.
Why it is of value for your research.
The bibliography is to include at least one book, one encyclopedia article, three periodical articles
and a website.
LIS048NAsyllabus.doc
SG 10/25/01
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