Course Outline for IRLS 520, Section 1: Ethics for Library and Information Professionals

Semester:  Spring 2007
Instructor:  Laura Howard

Topic

Readings

Assignments

Week 1 (1/16) Introduction

Participate in The Morality Play. Print out and bring your results to class. 

Week 2 (1/23) The Mission of the Information Professional

Ortega y Gasset, Wengert

Write a PRE for the Gassett and Wengert articles. 
 

Week 3 (1/30) Ethical Theories

Spinello

TBA

Week 4 (2/6) Ethical Theory  Cont. and Diversity Issues

 Woodward (both articles)

Using the case study for which you did NOT write answers last week:

• Explain how a utilitarian would go about deciding this case.  
• Explain how Kant would go about deciding this case.
• Explain how Ross would go about deciding this case. 
• Explain how a rights theorist would go about deciding this case.

(Be sure to refer to the specifics of the case in your answers.)

Week 5 (2/13) What is Information Ethics?

Moor, Floridi, Mathiesen

Write a PRE for each of the readings.

Week 6 (2/20) Intellectual Freedom

Mill, Doyle

Write a PRE for each of the readings.

Week 7 (2/27) Intellectual Freedom (cont.)

Wolkoff, Nesta/Blanke, Baldwin
Browse the ALA Intellectual Freedom pages and the Supreme Court decision on US vs. ALA

TBA.

Week 8 (3/6) Access to Information

Sheerin

PRE

Week 9 (3/13)

SPRING BREAK

Week 10 (3/20) Privacy

Thompson, Garoogian

Week 11 (3/27) Intellectual Property and Copyright

Harper

• Outline of Copyright Information.
• Interview Questions

Week 12 (4/3) Justifying Intellectual Property Rights

Hettinger, Vaidhyanathan

Write a PRE for each of the readings.

Week 13 (4/10) Presentations

Week 14 (4/17) Presentations

Optional rough draft due.

Week 15 (5/24) Presentations

Week 16 (5/1) Presentations