LIBR 200-09
Information and Society
Spring 2009 Greensheet

Marc Lampson, MLIS, JD
E-mail
Emergencies: (206) 441-9178 ext. 17
Office Location: At the Online Discussion Board entitled, “The Hallway.”
Office Hours: Anytime in the Hallway or by e-mail; phone calls between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. only please, and only in emergencies. I check e-mail frequently, so I’m much more accessible through email.


Greensheet Links
Textbooks and Readings
Course Requirements
Resources
ANGEL
ANGEL Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

Students must self-enroll for this course on Angel before January 23, 2008. You will be required to use a password access code, which I will provide through the MySJSU Messaging system no later than January 21. 

Course Description

Explores 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.

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 course 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

Assignments
Assignments are intended to further the learning objectives and student outcomes for the course. In general students are expected to read the assigned chapters in the text, view the instructor’s presentations pertaining to the material in the course, listen to any audio content that is occasionally posted, and complete the following specifically evaluated assignments. Further details of these evaluated assignments will be provided as they are assigned during the course.

The evaluated assignments for this course are the following:

  1. Review of a Library and Information Science Periodical
    Please review a library and information science journal. You can select any of the journals from Rubin's book (Appendix A) for review. You can also select a journal that is not on the list but related to library and information science.

    This assignment pertains to these student outcomes: Students will know the foundations and structure of the information professions and students will be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature.
     
  2. Report on a Professional Association
    Please write a report about a library and information science association. You can select any of the associations from Rubin's book (Appendix B). You can also select an association that is not on the list but related to library and information science.

    This assignment pertains to this student outcome: Students will know the foundations and structure of the information professions.
     
  3. Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography
    This assignment gets you started on your research paper by asking you to locate and evaluate 12 - 15 sources pertinent to your paper topic.

    This assignment pertains to this student outcome: Students will be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature.
     
  4. Research Paper
    Write a formal research paper (you do not do original research, you find articles that report on original research) 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.

    The text of your paper should be 15 to 20 pages in length. It will include an abstract at the beginning of the paper briefly telling the reader what the paper covers. The paper must also include a reference list that includes at least 20 citations. Note that this reference list is different from the bibliography that you submit earlier in the semester. The bibliography, while on the same topic, represents an early exploration of your topic. Therefore, some of the sources listed in your bibliography may not actually turn out to be useful to or to be referenced in your research paper and therefore will not appear in your reference list in your paper. The reference list lists only those sources actually cited in your research paper.

    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 as well as your adherence to technical requirements such as page numbers, margins, font size, and proper citation. Your references and formatting should adhere to the rules established in the APA Publication Manual.

    This assignment pertains to these student outcomes: Students will be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature; students will demonstrate in-depth understanding of a major issue in library and information science.
     
  5. Class Participation Through Angel Discussions and Assignments
    Because this course is completely online, class participation must necessarily be through participation in Angel Discussion Boards. Students are expected to participate in these discussions.
    1. The Discussion Board Assignment pertains to this student outcome: Students will demonstrate in-depth understanding of major issues in library and information science.

      Class Leadership and Participation on ANGEL

      Points will be given for leadership and participation in the Blackboard Discussion Boards as follows. It has been my experience over the years that discussions in discussion boards tend to stop when the instructor intervenes in the discussion. Too often people seem to think there is a “right” or “wrong” answer regarding a particular topic and tend to stop discussing the topic when the instructor speaks up. For this reason, my participation will be limited. The discussion boards are designed to encourage students to participate and discuss topics in a spirit of intellectual curiosity, interest, and mutual respect without being concerned about saying something “wrong” or overly concerned with saying something “right.” Therefore, I try to structure the discussions so that everyone participates.
    2. For purposes of grading Discussion Board Participation, I will assume and give everyone 5 points for every week for 15 weeks of the semester, for a total of 75 points. These points can only be “lost” by failing to participate meaningfully in the discussion boards. “Meaningfully” shall be defined as making at least one substantive comment per week.
       
  6. Quizzes.
    Although not typical of graduate courses, given the online nature of this course, quizzes will assure that attention will be paid to the text readings rather than only to the assignments. The quizzes will be multiple choice, online, open book, and approximately 20 questions worth a total of 20 points per quiz. They will be posted approximately every 3 weeks, or after we have completed 1 or 2 chapters. They will be posted typically on a Friday to be completed sometime in one sitting between that Friday and the following Sunday.

Course Calendar
Subject to change with fair notice

The course assignments have been allotted the following point values for a maximum possible 430 points:

Assignment
WorthDue Date
1. LIS Resource Review25 pointsFeb. 15
2. Report on a Professional Association25 pointsMarch 15
3. Literature Review & Annotated Bibliography75 pointsApril 5
4. Research Paper130 pointsMay 8 (Friday)
5. Online Quizzes on Text Readings100 pointsFive quizzes, each worth 20 points, covering the 10 chapters of the book will be given approximately every 3 weeks, posted on a Friday to be completed by the following Sunday.
6. Participation on ANGEL75 points5 points per week for 15 weeks are automatically awarded, but may be deducted for lack of participation.

 

Note that all due dates fall on Sundays unless otherwise noted. Please submit all written assignments electronically, through a process I will announce at the start of the semester.

Late Assignments
Points earned for late assignments will be reduced by10 percent for every 24 hour period between the due date and the submitted date.

Grading
In the final grading process, the highest number of points actually earned by a particular student in the course will be taken to be the top of the scale; all other grades will be determined in relation to the highest number of points actually earned. For instance, if the student earning the highest number of points earned 420 points of the 430 possible, then anyone earning 97% of 420 points (417 points) would receive an A, and so on.

Incompletes
Incompletes will be granted only in rare and extreme emergency situations.
Students who cannot fulfill all the work for a course due to a medical or family emergency may be assigned an Incomplete only if arrangements are made with the instructor.
Please see the University policy on incompletes:
info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-fall/rec-15.html

Textbooks and Readings

Other Required Reading
I will likely post links or references to additional articles to read for the course, but will determine this based upon my sense of how students are dealing with the workload and my sense of what would be useful for helping you achieve the course outcomes and objectives.

Optional, but firmly recommended:

  • American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: APA

On the other hand, I will post a presentation on APA Citation Style and there are many online aids and tutorials that can help you with APA citation style, some of which I will refer to in the presentation I post. Therefore, purchase the Manual if you want more in-depth information or a reference book for future use. The SJSU SLIS website also has APA Citation Resources here: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/resources/apa.htm

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


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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