LIBR 200-04
Information and Society
Fall 2009 Greensheet
Susan Maret, Ph.D.
E-mail
Office Hours: By phone or appointment virtually. You may also contact me through Skype [iecologie].
Greensheet Links Textbooks and Readings Course Requirements | Resources ANGEL ANGEL Tutorials iSchool eBookstore |
The access code for the Angel class site will be sent to participants via the MySJSU.edu messaging system August 20, 2009.
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 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 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;
- Compare the different genres of and venues for scholarly and professional writing.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Know the foundations and structure of the information professions;
- 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.
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 Elluminate and Second Life. For more information, see: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm
Assignments
Additional details on assignments, including specific assignment descriptions, due dates, late policies, and use of APA style are available on the Angel course site. No extra credit option be will offered in this course.
Assignments will contribute to your final grade as follows
LIS, Information Studies or Information Policy Association-Organization Paper | 10 points |
Review of a LIS-information studies/policy periodical | 10 points |
Article critique | 10 points |
Annotated bibliography Due: November 20 | 20 points |
Research paper Due: December 11 | 30 points |
Participation | 20 points |
Textbooks and Readings
Required Textbook:
- Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705189.
Recommended Textbook:
- American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). American Psychological Association. Available through Amazon: 1557987912.
- Eberhart, G. M. (2006). The whole library handbook 4. ALA. Available through Amazon: 0838909159.
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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