INFO 281-12 (2-units)
Seminar in Contemporary Issues
Topic: Global Principles - Local Libraries
Fall 2021 Syllabus

Megan Price
E-mail
Office location: Central European Summer Time CEST/UTC+2
Office Hours: By appointment

This 2-unit course runs from October 4th - November 30th

You will be enrolled in the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

This course provides students with a broad overview of organizations and work involved with foundational library principles in a global context. It examines issues of freedom of access to information and freedom of expression - including O/open A/access and censorship, copyright, intellectual property and privacy, and preservation, protection, and conservation of cultural heritage.

The course also touches on the practical with a look at the cross-cultural workplace and a view into library associations and organizations whose work contributes regionally and internationally to the library and information field.

The course prepares students to think globally, preparing them to pursue career paths as aware information professionals.

Course Requirements

Assignments

Assignment detail and instructions can be found in the associated Canvas module. Due dates for assignments are midnight, Pacific Time (PT).

Students will begin the course by choosing from one of these available regions to explore:

• Asia and Oceania
• The Caribbean, Central, and South America, and Mexico
• Europe, Russia, and the UK
• The Middle East and North Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Assignment #1 - Small group discussion

This assignment is a series of 5 separate weekly discussions held on a Google Document as opposed to the discussion feature of the Canvas platform.

Students will work in small groups of 3 or 4 (depending on class size) to analyze and discuss documents from their selected region. Students will research and explore the week's topics in relation to the region, develop and share their findings, and comment on the findings of their group members. (CLO #2, 4)

• Initial postings due Fridays by midnight
• Responses/Comments due Sundays by midnight

Assignment #2 - Reflection Paper - Due Wednesday, 9 September 2021

Students will reflect on a local culture and that of a culture from the region they have selected, as discussed in the Culture Map. They will focus on how their own workplace behaviors are like/unlike the analysis found in the text and identify and problem-solve areas of potential workplace misunderstanding between a local culture and that of a culture from the region they have selected. (CLO #3, 5)

Note: Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map. New York: PublicAffairs is offered as a free e-book through the King Library ( 1, 2, 3) or for a fee through Bookshop.org or Amazon. You can use either version (yellow cover or white cover).

Assignment #3 - Foundational Principle in Focus - Due Sunday, 3 October 2021

Students will select and explore one of the foundational principles discussed in modules 3-5, and choose from one of the following options to illustrate the principle in the student's local and selected regions.

1. SDG Story
2. Conference poster + delivery
3. Ignite talk
4. Concept paper/Program proposal
5. Policy/Advocacy comparison paper
6. Have another idea? Please email me.

(CLO #1, 2, 3)

Assignment #4 - Survey of Focus Area Group paper - Due Sunday, 10 October 2021, Comments Due Thursday, 14 October 2021

This paper brings together the efforts made for assignments 1-3, into a comprehensive overview of the group's selected region and its implementation of the foundational principles.

Students will read papers from other regions and will provide informal feedback on content. Feedback due 14 October 2021. (CLO #1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Course Calendar with Due dates

All modules are available at the course opening. Due dates may be adjusted with fair notice.

Grading

• Assignment 1 - Series of 5 Document write-ups/Small group discussions - 35% - 35 points
• Assignment 2 - Reflective paper - 20% - 20 points
• Assignment 3 - Foundational Principle in Focus - 20% - 20 points
• Assignment 4 - Survey of Focus Region - 20% - 20 points
• Assignment 5 - Pre/Post Self-Eval & Introductions 5% - 5 points

Late assignments

Late assignments that impact only the student (i.e. assignments #2, #3, #5 and #6) will be accepted with out penalty if turned in after the due date, but will not be accepted after 15 October, 2021. Late submissions may not receive detailed comments.

Late assignments that impact the work of other students (i.e. assignments #1 and #4) will be discounted by 20% each day received after the due date.

Student support

Due to world and local circumstances, this continues to be a difficult time for many. San Jose State offers a variety of support services available to students. Please use these resources, as needed.

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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

INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204, other prerequisites may be added depending on content. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate awareness of core library principles applied both inside and outside of one's own region and/or culture.
2. Discuss the issues facing libraries, library services and the library profession in international and local contexts.
3. Identify and critically assess the roles and contributions of professional organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental agencies working internationally on foundational library principles.
4. Analyze library services and systems, successes and challenges of international library environments, within their local contexts.
5. Apply a critical mindset to international librarianship activities in order to impact their role as future global librarians.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 281 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map. PublicAffairs. Available through Amazon: 1610392760

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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 or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — 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 if you wish to stay in the program. 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.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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