Description - Structure
- Requirements - Readings
- Schedule
Applies various theories of knowledge to information science. Emphasis on identifying practices that information services such as libraries can adopt to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge.
MORE INFORMATION
Epistemology is the study of knowledge. Basically, epistemology is concerned with how it is that people know what they know. Work in epistemology has typically focused on how individuals working alone acquire knowledge about the world. However, in the past few decades, researchers have been looking at how people acquire knowledge in a social context. Social epistemology is concerned, for example, with how a person acquires knowledge from other people. But why should social epistemology be of interest to information professionals?
Note: One clue that it might be of interest is that the term social epistemology was first used by two library scientists: Jesse Shera and Margaret Egan of the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago.
When someone goes to a library or surfs the Internet for information, s/he typically wants to acquire some knowledge. Information professionals try to facilitate this acquisition of knowledge. Librarians want the patron to be better informed when s/he leaves the library than when s/he arrived. (In fact, this is arguably the sine qua non of libraries.) Social epistemology is concerned with how we can go about acheiving this goal. In other words, it is concerned with identifying those practices that best facilitate the acquisition of knowledge (see, e.g., Goldman 1999 and Shera 1961).
In the first part of this course, we will survey some of the current theoretical work in social epistemology. Next, we will look at several practical applications of social epistemology to information science (e.g., in the areas of collection management, reference work, access to information, and the Internet). We will look at practices that the producers and disseminators of information are in a position to implement and we will try to determine how well these practices foster the acquisition of knowledge from recorded information.
The course will be partly virtual and partly on-campus. The on-campus portion will take place over two weekends: September 22-23 and October 20-21. On the Saturdays, we will meet from 9 to 4. On the Sundays, we will meet from 8 to 1. (I will schedule plenty of breaks each day.)
The virtual portion will be on WebCT. Short assignments and other material will be posted during the course of the semester. Each student will be expected to participate in the online discussions. There will be an exam after each of the on-campus sessions. These exams will be posted on WebCT. Finally, each student will give an online presentation about an application of social epistemology to information science.
| Participation | 10% |
| Presentation | 30% |
| Exam One | 20% |
| Exam Two | 20% |
| Short Assignments | 20% |
You will only need to purchase one book for this course:
The rest of the readings (see the schedule) will either be available online or through electronic reserves.Goldman, Alvin. 1999. Knowledge in a Social World. New York: Oxford University Press.
Note: The readings for this course are subject to modification and addition. In particular, I am guest editing an issue of the interdisciplinary journal Social Epistemology on "Social Epistemology and Information Science" and we may read just a few of the contributions to that issue.
1. Social Epistemology and LIS
Readings:
2. EpistemologyReadings:
3. Epistemic ConsequentialismReadings:
Readings:
5. Applications of Social Epistemology to LISReadings:
6. Social Epistemology and Free Access to InformationReadings:
FURTHER INFORMATION
This class will have a listserv: IRLS617@listserv.arizona.edu. Please subscribe (see Subscription Information for instructions).
LINKS
This document was last updated on August 23, 2001.