LIBR 200-13
LIBR 200-16
Information and Society
Spring 2014 Greensheet

Steve Tash
E-mail
Phone: (949) 683-7151 (9am-8pm PST) Text or call me.
Office Hours: Virtual office hours.

Mission of the School
The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San Jose State University educates professionals and develops leaders who organize, manage and enable the effective use of information and ideas in order to contribute to the well-being of our communities.

Getting Started
SLIS utilizes a content management system called Desire2Learn for class communications, submitting assignments, and grade records. Students will be automatically enrolled in the D2L site for this course. The course will be automatically available to students on Thursday, January 23rd.

Our class begins on Thursday, January 23, 2013 and ends Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Weekly class sessions usually run from Sunday through Saturday of the following week. Majority of assignments are generally due Saturday evenings before midnight BUT pls check course calendar carefully as some dates are extended to give you more time such as the research paper..

All LIBR 200 students receive a complimentary student membership in a professional association, see:
http://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-students/resources/complimentary-student-memberships-professional-associations

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, including D2L and Collaborate. 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

Graduate Writing Requirement
This course satisfies the University graduate 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.

Required Home Computing Environment
Please see the School's "Home Computing Requirements" at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm

Attendance/Participation
Participation in online projects, virtual office hours, virtual discussions with instructor and special guests and within D2Ldiscussion forums is crucial to learning in the online environment. We will make use of Blackboard Collaborate** software for instructor office hours, online chats and discussions during the term. Reading/viewing/listening to required materials will enhance your ability to participate in these discussions. Check D2L course site regularly for detailed assignments and updates.

You must be extremely organized, disciplined and self-motivated in order to complete an online course successfully. Though you can access the course materials online anytime, plan to set aside time each day to complete the readings and assignments. It’s too easy to get behind quickly.

D2L and Collaborate
This course will be conducted entirely online using D2L. Lectures, assignments, and most communications, including discussions and announcements, will be conducted via D2L. There will be instructor office hours held on Blackboard Collaborate. These will be NOT be required but instead will be recorded for future access. There are NO Mandatory Collaborate sessions scheduled for this class.

Students will need to have a microphone attached to their computer to participate. It is recommended that you log in at least 10 minutes before class to check the audio. Make sure you utilize the Collaborate Drop-in center. They have weekday and weekend hours and a tutor is there to assist you with your needs. I expect to have one LIS student assistants that will be assigned to help my students with Blackboard Collaborate during this term only if mandatory Collaborate presentations are a course assignment.
You are required to complete an orientation session with Debbie Faires prior to participating in the first session. For a list of training times and other helpful information, see the SLIS Student Guide to Collaborate at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-students/technology-support/blackboard-collaborate

General Expectations for Students

• Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://ischool.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm
• Use a current virus protection program to scan all assignments before they are submitted electronically to D2L, other students and to your instructor
• Submit assignments electronically using D2L.
• Submit assignments by midnight of the due date. An assignment submitted after the due date will be subjected to a grade penalty.
• Create assignments using Microsoft Word and double space in no more than a 12-point font, NY Times . ..
• Consistently follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for formats, citations and references
• Avoid spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors
• Be able to utilize Blackboard Collaborate **as an online environment for virtual office hours, virtual chats with team mates and discussions.

**Collaborate Support: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-students/technology-support/blackboard-collaborate

Assignment Specifics
More detail on each assignment will be provided in D2L.

1. Discussion Board ForumsOnline Discussion/Class Participation (10 pts)
   All students are expected to participate fully in the course. Active participation in synchronous and asynchronous discussions is expected of all students, and each student is expected to maintain individual contact with the instructor regarding course requirements, concerns, etc. Participation in asynchronous discussions on D2L will be crucial to success in this course. Discussion postings are due as scheduled at D2l course site. This assignment supports SLOs 1, 4, 5, 6.
2. Annotated bibliography (20 pts)
   Using LIS databases and other relevant resources, students will locate 10 information sources (reference, secondary, and primary) pertinent to the research paper topic they are studying. The annotations will provide a critical description of each source and evaluate its contribution to the literature (Supports SLOs 1, 5).
3. Job Hunt Research Project (20 pts)
   Write critical essay based on a job hunting exercise. An analysis of current and future job trends along with job ads utilized and professional literature consulted along with evidence of critical reflection on your own educational and employment background relevant to job opportunities and expectations. More specific details will be provided at d2l coursesite. (Supports SLOs 2, 8).
4. Literature Review (20 pts)
   Students will write a literature review based on 10 articles (at least half should be peer-reviewed) about the research paper topic they’ve chosen to study. The literature review will assess the current research on the topic, identifying the most influential authors and publications, major theories and findings, and continuing gaps. (Supports SLOs 1, 2, 3).
5. Research Paper (30 pts). You will write a 15 page paper in which you analyze a significant issue confronting the information professional today. Paper topics may be selected from the areas covered in class, in textbook or readings or on an issue of more personal interest relevant to the goals and objectives of this course. This assignment is designed to introduce you to the scholarly and professional literature of Library and Information Science and to provide you with an opportunity to explore an area of personal interest in greater depth while demonstrating the ability to evaluate, synthesize, and present information from a variety of sources. Your paper should show evidence of careful research and critical analysis, and should be thoughtfully constructed and clearly written. The student must request and receive topic approval from the instructor. The reference list should include at least 20 citations (sources located and/or evaluated in any previous assignment may also be used in writing the term paper). This assignment supports SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4.

Grading

Grading Philosophy
Completing all assignments in an accurate manner, on time, and containing all elements of the assignment components will normally earn a grade of B. To raise this grade, you will need to demonstrate above average creativity, imagination, analysis, and scholarship, use of differing sets of media and expanded scholarly research and readings. Reading late assignments is at the instructor’s discretion. Illness and emergencies are usually the only good excuses.

Grades will be reduced for any late work, each day late, by ten percent total grade of assignment. Please contact me prior to a deadline in the case of illness or emergency.

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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:

1. Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives.
2. Identify various information stakeholders and the information environments that provide for their needs.
3. Describe and evaluate issues involved in creating and disseminating information in society.
4. Identify and discuss the major values and codes of ethics associated with the information professions.
5. Describe the impact of cultural diversity on the provision of user services by librarians and other information professionals.
6. Discuss important economic and policy issues related to the creation, dissemination, and use of information.
7. Explain what information literacy is and how it helps users evaluate and use information.
8. Locate, evaluate, and use scholarly and professional literature.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

LIBR 200 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of library and information science (3rd ed.). Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555706908.

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Grading Scale

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

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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