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| Course: | INFO520 - Social Context of Information Professions |
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| On Campus Offering: | Fall (eve), Spring (eve) |
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| Online Offering: | Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer |
| | Faculty: | De Abreu, Belinha
Marion, Linda
Lewis, Alison M.
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| Extended Course Description: | Catalog Course Description:
Surveys the professional, social, ethical, and legal issues that affect information service professionals and organizations. Addresses such topics as information law, access, ownership, and censorship. Studies professional organizations and the sociology of professions.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites:
No specific prerequisite
Curriculum Role:
This course is required for students enrolled in the MS program in Library and Information Science. This course, typically taken early in a student’s program, provides an orientation to the profession and gives a foundation in professional and ethical aspects of the information services profession.
Course Rationale:
As students learn to become information professionals it is important that they understand and internalize information ethics and social issues that impact the delivery of information services in various institutional contexts. Students also need to be knowledgeable about the role of professional associations in information services.
Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
• Identify societal issues involving information access, privacy, and censorship and formulate responses to them
• Explain the rights and responsibilities of information professionals
• Identify at least two major professional associations in the information arena
• Apply professional codes of ethics in case problems
• Write a basic grant proposal
Course Content:
Principal topics and the approximate number of weeks devoted to each are:
• Foundations of the social context of information service (.5)
• Sociology of professions (.5)
• Information profession associations (1)
• Professional ethics and codes of ethics in the information profession (1)
• Copyright law (1)
• Censorship and freedom of speech (1)
• Access to information and privacy (1)
• Regulation and control of information (1)
• Cultural influence on information systems design and use (1)
• The Americans with Disabilities Act and information users with special needs (1)
• Influence of society on access to information (1)
Presentation:
Note: Presentation method may vary somewhat from section to section.
A combination of lecture, discussion, student presentations and expert speakers.
Assessment:
Note: Assessment method may vary somewhat from section to section.
Assignments will include weekly reflection forms, discussion of case studies, report on a professional association, report of a library visit and preparation of a grant proposal. Evaluation will be based on these assignments and class participation.
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