LIBR 281-03
LIBR 281-12
Seminar in Contemporary Issues
Topic: Information Secrecy and Freedom of Information
Fall 2008 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 Blackboard Blackboard Tutorials SLIS eBookstore |
The access code for the class Blackboard site will be sent to class participants via the My.SJSU.edu messaging system by August 20th, 2008.
Course Description
This course examines the political, legal, regulatory, historical, and social dimensions of goernment secrecy and its relationship to freedom of information in the United States. Topics covered in this class will include the growth of the U.S. government secrecy system, security classification of information, federal information policy, and federal control over public, scientific, and technical information resources. Consideration will also be given to the homeland security issues that surround information access in libraries.
Course Objectives
At the completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the impact of government secrecy and restriction of government information within a historical and contemporary perspective;
- Describe and evaluate critical policy issues involved in government secrecy, information restriction, freedom of information, access and dissemination of information to libraries and society;
- Understand the role of libraries and librarians in freedom of information;
- Identify the foundational research associated with secrecy theory, history of secrecy, information policy, and access to federal information;
This 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;
- Contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities.
- Demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
- Use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users
- Recognize the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of information use;
- Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge;
- 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.
Required Texts
- Maret, S.L., and J. Goldman (2008). Understanding government secrecy: classic and contemporary readings. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
NOTE: access to text readings is through the Libraries Unlimited Web site. A password will be provided the first day of class.
Additional Readings
Supplemental class readings are listed on the course readings list and case studies available through our Blackboard course site.
Go to SLIS eBookstore.
Course Requirements
Assignments
Consult Blackboard for further details on assignments.
| Assignments | % of Total Points |
| Association/Organization Review - Post to Blackboard | 15 points |
| Reaction Paper | 15 points |
| Article Critique - Post to Blackboard | 10 points |
| Article Critique - Post to Blackboard | 10 points |
| Final Paper | 30 points |
| Participation ~ We will also meet via Elluminate | 20 points |
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU SLIS Grading Scale is utilized for all SLIS courses:
| 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 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;
- 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 Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0.
Academic Integrity
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy 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 policy on academic integrity can be found at http://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
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/
One Washington Square - San José, California USA, 95192-0029
Phone: 408-924-2490
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