I’m excited to teach Social Informatics this semester at Simmons SLIS. I’ve built upon my colleague Dr. Lisa Hussey‘s excellent syllabus to include perspectives from the critical informatics and critical information studies literature. It was a real challenge to not include more readings. The course Moodle will include several additional suggested readings, as well. Overall, I’m quite pleased with the course, which definitely emphasizes more critical theoretical perspectives than I have previously incorporated. I believe the course will be much stronger, more timely and relevant, as a result.
Here is the link to the syllabus (v.10) for this semester.
COURSE SUMMARY
“Social Informatics” refers to the body of research and study that examines social aspects of computerization – including the roles of information technology in social and organizational change and the ways that the social organization of information technologies are influenced by social forces and social practices. This graduate seminar is for students interested in the influence of information technology in the human context, including cultural heritage, professional concerns, and social inequities. The course introduces some of the key concepts of social informatics and situates them into the view of varied perspectives including readers, librarians, computer professionals, authors, educators, publishers, editors, and the institutions that support them.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe a variety of social, political, and economic contexts that shape information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their impact on society.
- Demonstrate knowledge of social systems and how they interact with ICTs.
- Discuss concepts that illuminate the intersections of race, class, gender, identity, ability, and ICTs.
- Identify a range of ethical, legal, and policy issues that impact the design and use of ICTs.