LIBR 200-16
Information and Society
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Dr. Renate Chancellor
E-mail

Office Hours: Telephone advising by appointment.

Greensheet Links
Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
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This course will be delivered entirely online through ANGEL. You must enroll in the ANGEL course before the first day of class to ensure that you receive the announcements on time. I will provide you with a password access code using the MySJSU messaging system.

Course Description

This course is designed to explore the complex social, economic, historical, and technological developments that influence the impact of information on society. The mission, values and ethics of information professionals are also analyzed.

Course Prerequisites: Demonstrated computer literacy.

Course Objectives

At the completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives;
  • Identify the various information sectors;
  • Describe and evaluate issues involved in creating and disseminating information in society, with particular attention paid to information literacy;
  •  Understand the role of libraries and their relationship to other information providers;
  • Identify and discuss the major values and codes of ethics associated with the information professions;
  • Describe the impact of cultural diversity on the provision of user services by librarians and other information professionals;
  • Describe and discuss important economic and policy issues related to the creation and dissemination of information;
  • Understand and have experience with different forms and genres of professional writing.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Know the foundations and structure of the information profession;
  • Locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature;
  • Demonstrate in-depth understanding of major issues in library and information science.

LIBR 200 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

  • Articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;
  • Compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
  • Recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
  • Understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups;
  • Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations.

Course Requirements

Complete LIBR 203: Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools
This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools used in the SLIS program, including Blackboard, Elluminate and Second Life. This course must be completed by all new SLIS students within the first 4 weeks of their first semester. If you have questions about this course, e-mail Debbie Faires or Dale David.

For more information, see http://ischool.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm

Delivery Method
There will be weekly web-based lectures via PowerPoint and web-streamed video uploaded by Saturday of each week to view and assimilate at a time that's convenient for the student. These forms of online delivery collectively comprise the majority of the course delivery with online discussion forums. The class begins on Saturday, January 24, 2009. Weekly sessions run from Saturday through Friday of the following week.

Expectations
General Expectations for Students:

  • Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm  
  • Enroll in ANGEL to receive communications from your instructor (https://liffey.sjsu.edu)
  • Submit assignments electronically using ANGEL assignment manager.
  • Submit assignments by 5PM on the due date. Any assignment submitted after the due date will be reduced by 20% of the total points possible for that assignment
  • All assignments should be typed, double-spaced in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and created using Microsoft Word
  • Consistently follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) for formats, citations and references
  • Assignments should be proofread and submitted free of grammatical and syntactical errors

Assessments
Each assignment should be paginated, typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and conformed to the APA format. Moreover, papers that exceed the page requirement will be penalized. Assignments should be uploaded on the “Assignments” feature on ANGEL by 5pm on the due date. Late submissions will be reduced by 20 percent.

  • Discussion/Participation: This course is a seminar which means you are expected to fully engage in discussions on the readings and topics that are brought up in class. Weekly discussions allow you to reflect on issues that are raised in the readings. Participation in discussions is an important part of your grade and you will be evaluated on your performance. You are required to make at least 10 substantive posts to the discussion board on ANGEL. Each post is worth 2 points for a maximum of 20 points for participation. You will be divided into groups of 2-3 and will be responsible for leading one weekly discussion. The week you are responsible for the discussion, you must post 2-3 questions on the discussion board by Saturday at 9am so that the class can have access to the questions for the discussion. The module will be set up in advance, so that you can post questions directly in ANGEL.
  • Definition of Information: This assignment will allow you to examine the various ways information is defined by scholars in the field. You will choose a definition, find examples of how it used in society and defend you choice. Instructions will be provided on ANGEL.
  • Information Institution Site Visit: This assignment requires you to visit an information center and interview an information professional, (i.e. library, museum, archive) and write a 3-5 page report. Instructions will be provided.
  • Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography: This assignment gets you started on your term paper by asking you to locate and evaluate 12 - 15 items (articles, books, websites, etc.) pertinent to your paper topic. See the course website for example of an annotation and for more instructions.
  • Review/Analysis of a Professional Organization: This assignment involves a written report about a library and information science association. You can select any of the associations from Rubin's book (Appendix B) or one that is related to library and information science. This review/analysis should be no longer than three double-spaced pages.
  • Research Paper: Write a formal research paper in which you analyze a significant issue confronting the information professional today. Paper topics may be selected from the areas covered in class or you may choose an issue of more personal interest that is relevant to the goals and objectives of this course. You must submit a brief (no more than two paragraphs) topic proposal to the instructor for approval by February 20, 2009. The text of your paper should be 15 to 20 pages in length; the reference list should include at least 20 citations from 20 separate sources. You will be graded on the extent of your research, your description and critical analysis of the topic, the evidence you provide in support of your argument, and the clarity and quality of your writing. Your references and formatting must adhere to the rules established in the Publications manual of the APA.

Grading

Assignment % Due Date
Participations/Discussion 20 Weekly
Definition of Information 5 Feb. 13 
Information Institution Site Visit 15 Feb. 27
Literature Review/Annotated Bib. 15 March 13
Analysis of Professional Organization 15 April 10
Research Paper 30 May 8

Textbooks and Readings

Additional Readings
For additional required course readings please check the Course Outline, available through our ANGEL course site.

Required Textbooks:

  • Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705189. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Recommended Textbooks:

  • American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1557987912. arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain


GWAR

This course satisfies the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

  • "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
    • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
    • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
  • "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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