LIBR 200-15
Information and Society
Spring 2013 Greensheet
Dr. Linda F. Larkin
E-mail
Office Hours: E-mail and telephone appointments
| Greensheet Links Textbooks SLOs Competencies Prerequisites |
Resources D2L iSchool eBookstore |
This course will be available on Jan. 23rd. It will be delivered entirely online through D2L. You will be automatically enrolled in the D2L site for this course.
All LIBR 200 students receive a one-year paid membership in ALA and their ALA-affiliated state library association.
Course Description
Explores the complex and interrelated historical, social, economic, cultural, political, and technological influences that shape information and society. Emphasis is on the various roles and responsibilities of information organizations and the values and ethics of information professionals.
Note: Effective Spring 2009, LIBR 200 must be completed with a B grade or higher
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. 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/current-students/courses
Writing Requirement
If an instructor finds that a student's writing ability is unacceptable the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that the student is attending sessions.
Assignments and Percent of Grade
A brief outline and description of course topics, assignments, and requirements follows. Additional information will be provided on the D2L site.
- Article Critique - 15%
You will read, analyze, and respond to two articles on the values, ethics, or future of information professionals. (supports student learning outcome 8)
Due Sun., Feb. 24th - Job Hunt Research Project - 15%
Write critical essay on job hunting exercise. An analysis of current and future job trends along with job ads utilized and professional literature consulted and evidence of critical reflection on your own educational and employment background relevant to job opportunities and expectations. Your essay should tell what you plan to do over the short and long term to enhance your job prospects. (supports student learning outcomes 2 & 8)
Due Sun., March 17th - Annotated Bibliography - 15%
This assignment gets you started on your research paper by asking you to locate and evaluate 12 - 15 sources pertinent to your paper topic. Instructions will be provided. (supports student learning outcome 8)
Due Sun., April 21st - Online Discussion/Class Participation - 25%
As this class is completely on-line and asynchronous, participation in D2L discussions is essential for success in the course. (supports student learning outcomes 1-7) All submissions must be completed by the end of the discussion week (11:59pm Sunday) to be counted. - Final paper - 30%
This is your chance to explore, in depth, a significant issue of interest to the LIS community. Early in the semester you will identify an issue that piques your interest; you will research it thoroughly in order to produce a 15-20 page paper (written in APA style). Your paper should show evidence of careful research and critical analysis, and should be thoughtfully constructed and clearly written. At least 20 sources should be included in the list of works cited. (supports learning outcome 8)
Due Sun., May 12th
Assignments must be submitted by 11:59pm Pacific time on the dates due in order to receive credit.
Course Calendar
The weekly course calendar will be provided in the D2L site for this course.
GWAR
This course satisfies the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
INFO 200 gives students graduate-level writing experience, including a literature review and research paper. Graduate-level academic writing is formal and logical. It involves the avoidance of bias, the inclusion of evidence, and the development of strong arguments. Scholarly writing uses concise, precise, and clear language, is cohesive, and utilizes a logically organized flow of ideas. Successful completion of the research paper satisfies San José State University's Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). If the instructor finds that a student's writing is unacceptable, the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that he or she is attending sessions.
Course Workload Expectations
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.
Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.
Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.
Course Prerequisites
LIBR 200 has no prequisite requirements.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives.
- Identify various information stakeholders and the information environments that provide for their needs.
- Describe and evaluate issues involved in creating and disseminating information in society.
- 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.
- Discuss important economic and policy issues related to the creation, dissemination, and use of information.
- Explain what information literacy is and how it helps users evaluate and use information.
- Locate, evaluate, and use scholarly and professional literature.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
LIBR 200 supports the following core competencies:
- A Articulate the ethics, values, and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom.
- B Describe and compare the organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice.
- C Recognize and describe cultural and economic diversity in the clientele of libraries or information organizations.
- L Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods and of the evaluation and synthesis of research literature.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of library and information science (3rd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555706908.
Recommended Textbooks:
- American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1433805618.
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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