LIBR 200-11
Information and Society
Spring 2006 Greensheet
Steve Tash Phone: 949.683.7151 9am-9pm PST
Office Hours: E-mail & Telephone Appointments
| Course Links Greensheet Restricted Readings |
Video Welcome Captioned Uncaptioned |
Resources Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials |
Textbooks | Course Requirements
Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard between Jan.9-Jan.25, 2006 and will be required to use a password access code which I will provide using the MySJSU Messaging system.
Course Description
This is a class designed to explore 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. This course provides a foundation for thinking critically about information professions and the roles of information professionals.
Course Objectives
At the completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the role of information from historical, current, and future perspectives;
- Identify 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;
- Write essays to become familiar with LIS research and writing.
This course supports the following SLIS objectives:
- The foundation of information services;
- Advocacy and leadership for citizen access to information and knowledge resources;
- Evaluating and utilizing relevant research studies from a variety of disciplines.
This course supports the following SLIS Learning Outcomes:
- Outcome: Students will know the foundations and structure of the information profession.
Assessment: All students will participate in a group project that surveys the information professions and reports findings to the class. - Outcome: Students will be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize scholarly and professional literature.
Assessment: All students will be required to write critical notes or annotations for publications pertinent to library and information science. - Outcome: Students will demonstrate in-depth understanding of a major issue in library and information science.
Assessment: Students are required to research and write a major paper (worth 30% of their total grade) on a topic relating to information and society.
Textbooks
Required Text
The required textbooks are available from www.lu.com , www.Amazon.com and www.Barnesandnobel.com:
- Fourie, Denise. (2002) Libraries in the Information Age. Libraries Unlimited. [REQUIRED]
- American Psychological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington , D.C. : APA. [Required] This is the standard style manual used for the MLS program at SJSU.
Course Requirements
Complete the New Student Technology Course
This is a mandatory short, self-paced online course on Blackboard that must be completed by all new SLIS students before orientation. The access code for this course will be sent to new students via MySJSU by June 27. If you have questions about this course, e-mail Debbie Faires or Dale David.
For more information, see http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/blackboardintro.htm
Course Meetings
This course meets onsite at the CSUF campus:
- January 26: 9am-3pm PLS 68
- May 11: 9am-3pm PLS 68
Attendance is required. Check Announcements and Calendar for exact dates and times.
Web Based Instruction
The class will primarily be Web based using Blackboard. It will be necessary for students to self-enroll using the following URL: http://tigris.sjsu.edu/
This Blackboard self-enrollment process is in addition to the normal course registration. In other words you must be formally registered for the class prior to doing the Blackboard self-enrollment. Students must self-enroll for this course on Blackboard . You will be required to use a password access code which I will provide using the MySJSU Messaging system.
You will post your assignments utilizing the Blackboard Assignment Manager. We will not be using the digital drop box section of Blackboard.
Attendance/Participation
Attendance at the onsite sessions is mandatory. Participation in online projects, in class and in Blackboard discussion forums is crucial to learning in the online environment.
Reading/viewing/listening to required materials will enhance your ability to participate in these discussions. Check Blackboard regularly for detailed assignments and updates.
General Expectations for Students
The primary expectations for this course are:
- Have the minimal home computing environment as described at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/homecomputing.htm
- Use a current virus protection program to scan all assignments before they are submitted electronically to Blackboard, other students and to your instructor
- Enroll in Blackboard to receive communications from your instructor (http://tigris.sjsu.edu/)
- Submit selected assignments electronically. Use the following scheme for submitting files: [Course Number]_[Student's Last Name]_Assignment]
- Example: LIBR200_Tash_Research Paper
- Submit assignments by midnight of the due date. An assignment submitted after the due date may be subjected to a grade penalty.
- Create assignments using Microsoft Word and double space in no more than a 12-point font
- Consistently follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) for formats, citations and references
- Avoid spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors
- Also join the school’s electronic list, SLISADMIN, to get official or administrative messages from SLIS. Find directions at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/ecommunication/electroniclists.htm.
Assignments
The assignments for this course are:
- Online Discussions/Class participation
Several of the class sessions will involve online discussions, assigned readings, onsite discussion, e-mail communication and your own research and writing. Participation is required. You will earn 10 points for online participation during the semester. - Web Evaluation/ Internet Research Project
Locate and evaluate professional literature. - Library Research Report
Write critical notes and annotations on library issues located in outside scholarly readings. - Electronic Research Report
Write critical notes and annotations on information science issues located in outside professional literature. - Job Hunt Research Project
Write critical essay on job hunting exercise. - Professional Journal/Association Analysis
Working in a mandatory team prepare TWO analyses: one of a professional journal and one of a significant professional association. These analyses shall be submitted to the class discussion board forum list by assigned due date. - ListServ/Electronic List Report/BLOG
Research Paper on electronic medium for library and information science professionals. - Bibliographic Instruction Session/Webliography(Mandatory Group Project)Oral Presentation
At our last onsite meeting your group will make a short oral presentation on a library issue utilizing some of your annotated Webliography sites. - Research Paper
Write a formal research paper 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. You may wish to visit the SLIS link for culminating papers and select a topic from those presented. Your references and formatting should adhere to the rules established in the APA Publication Manual.
Grading
Grades for late assignments will be reduced by 10 percent.
| Web Evaluation/Internet Research Assignment | 5 points |
| Class Participation (DB/CHAT) | 10 points |
| Research Paper on a major Library & Info Science Issue | 40 points |
| Bibliographic instruction/Webliography Oral Presentation –Group Project (last onsite meeting) |
5 points |
| Library Research Assignment (critical notes utilizing scholarly journals) | 5 points |
| ListServ Assignment | 10 points |
| Professional Association/Library Science Journal Analysis (Group Project) | 15 points |
| Electronic Research Assignment (critical notes using professional literature) | 5 points |
| Job Hunt Assignment | 5 points |
Grading Scale
Final grades will be based on the following grading scale established for graduate students by San José
State University:
| 97-100 | A |
| 94-96 | A- |
| 91-93 | B+ |
| 88-90 | B |
| 85-87 | B- |
| 82-84 | C+ |
| 79-81 | C |
| 76-78 | C- |
| 73-75 | D+ |
| 70-72 | D |
| 67-69 | D- |
| Below 69 | F |
Grading Policy/Papers
Everyone begins class with a grade of "B", the standard grade for graduate level work. Students who satisfactorily complete assignments on time; attend classes; and actively participate in class exercises and discussions (in class and in Blackboard discussion forums) will receive the "B" provided the quality of written work meets the rigorous scholarly standard
for the University.
In general, graduate work should exhibit clarity and be well written in a logical, coherent fashion.
Above standard work is defined as clearly displaying one or more of the following criteria:
- Originality in the approach to the assignment
- Greater depth of analysis than the written assignment expects
- Critical evaluation of readings comparing authors, sources or different viewpoints
- Ability to organize information for oneself and others plus create tools for lifelong learning and knowledge retrieval
Reasonable Accommodation of Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability,
please e-mail me as soon as possible. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires
that students with disabilities register with the Disability Resource Center
(DRC) to establish record of their disability.
No matter where students reside, they should contact the SJSU DRC to register. The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/
Academic Integrity
Read the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy
http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf
School of Library & Information Science
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Phone: 408-924-2490
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