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Last revised October 2006

Course Syllabus for INFORMATION POLICY & CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (651)

Spring 2007; Instructor: Elizabeth Martinez


COURSE NAME, NUMBER, AND PREREQUISITES

Information Policy & Cultural Perspectives (651)

No Prerequisites are required.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

"The capacity to understand information policy from various cultural perspectives depends on the information and understanding of cultural heritage of diverse people, and how they see the world. It is the knowledge of "Cultural Intelligence" applied to information that produces good policy.

This course will examine library information policy issues from cultural perspectives, an increasing interest as the nation becomes more diverse with immigrants from around the world, and indigenous groups gain influence. For example, the library profession supports the principle of intellectual freedom and open access to information, a policy that is not common in many cultures around the world. The library principles of access to information and intellectual property rights are often in conflict with many indigenous people.

Students will study and assess policy groups, stakeholders, and research policy issues that usually do not include cultural perspectives;

intellectual property rights, access to information, intellectual freedom, cultural appropriation, Google and content, and other subjects.

This is a Knowledge River course and emphasis is on Latino and Native American cultures. However, other cultural populations will also be discussed. The course addresses the following school-wide learning objectives:

•  how diversity affects the library and information professions;

•  the value and service orientation of the library and information professions;

•  partnerships and alliances and their role in information provision

In an increasingly diverse society, information professionals seeking to provide resources about and for diverse cultural communities need to use a "cultural lens" to understand information policy issues from a cultural perspective. A cultural lens is the perspective from which a person sees the world. Cultural differences are the beliefs, values, expectations, attitudes and assumptions beneath the surface of a person's cultural lens.

How are we going to do this? Students will research policy organizations from diverse communities that represent their interests and perspective. The challenge will be to examine current professional policy issues from cultural perspectives, an exercise not commonly used in the profession, and convey the rational and implications for librarians and diverse communities. Understanding cultural perspectives will be explored using such resources as www.implicit.harvard.edu and current wired voices.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

Specific Course objectives are as follows:

•  Students will research policy organizations of diverse populations;

•  Students will understand the challenges of information policy issues viewed from diverse populations;

•  Students will chart the role of librarians representing the public interest now diverse;

•  Students will advocate and provide leadership for cultural perspectives on information policy issues.

 

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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: There are no required course materials. There are required resources:

Required Resources (do not purchase)

 

ALAWON, Washington Office, American Library Association (ALA)

 

American Indian Cultural & Research Journal (UCLA)

 

Congress of American Indians

 

COYLES INFORMATION HIGHWAY HANDBOOK; A Practical File on the New Information Order, American Library Association, 2000. This is good background on librarians and national information policy.

 

Ethnic Caucuses of the ALA

 

First Monday , www.firstmonday.org

 

WIRED magazine; see December 2006 through Spring 2007.

 

Race: The power of an illusion. (PBS video series)

 

Required Policy Organizations (to be reviewed)

 

•  ALA Office of Information Technology Policy

 

•  American Indian Research & Policy Center

 

•  Center for Internet & the Public Interest

 

•  Center for Democracy & Technology

 

•  The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute

 

•  Latino Issues Forum

 

•  The Long Now Foundation

 

•  The Electronic Frontier Foundation

 

•  Oyate

 

•  Children's Defense Fund

 

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The course requires students to be engaged learners in understanding cultural perspectives of current information policy issues through research, meaningful discussions, completion of assignments, and active participation in the exploration of culturally diverse policy organizations. Assignment 1 researches policy organizations from diverse populations. Assignment 2 is an Advocacy paper on cultural perspectives of an information policy issue. See the Course Outline for specific information on assignments.

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COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity , see . 'The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.' If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.

Accommodating Disabilities

The University has a Disability Resource Center . If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignment Policies

Students will submit all assignments online by the posted due date. Exceptions may be considered at the discretion of the Instructor.

Incompletes

The 1997-8 University of Arizona General Academic Manual, p.23 reads

The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case the grade of E must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incompete grade before the end of the semester ...

If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.

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GRADING

Assignment 1 - Resource organizations 30 %

Assignment 2 - Advocacy Paper 50 %

Attendance & Participation 20%

 

Students begin with 100 points. Students lose points for late assignments, incomplete assignments, poorly written papers, lack of participation, and inaccurate information. At the end of the semester the points will be converted to a letter grade as follows:

 

A= 90-100 points for Superior Work: highest quality, ideas are discussed thoughtfully and well formulated; demonstration of a thorough understanding of the content and an openness to diverse perspectives. All assignments submitted on time with excellent written expression and correct grammar.

B=80-89 points for Good Work: discussions indicate a good or very good understanding of content. Most assignments submitted on time and well written with few grammatical errors.

C=70-79 points for Marginally Satisfactory Work: meets minimal requirement; discussions reflect limited understanding or interest. Written work contains errors, needs editing and not submitted on time.

 
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CONTACTING ME:

My email address is emfuture@hotmail.com

 
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