Course Description
Social and Cultural Impact of New Information
IS 246
3 units, UCLA Fall 1999
Wed 17:00-20:00, 121 GSE&IS Bldg
Instructor: Howard
Besser
This course explores current events and
links them to theoretical perspectives from a number of different disciplines:
public policy, LIS, critical theory, creative arts, political science,
education, etc. Each week we explore information issues that have
made the news that week (from announcements of new products, to court cases,
to take-overs and mergers, to public policy debates). Students learn
about the latest topics and trends, as well as learning how to deconstruct
the rhetoric and understand what is going on under the surface. Each
student participates in a focus group representing a particular discipline/perspective,
and that focus group is responsible for summarizing background readings
from that perspective for the rest of the class. This course has
been taught in a variety of venues since 1993 (see http://is.gseis.ucla.edu/impact).
A look at last Fall's UC Berkeley class will give
a flavor of the Fall 1999 UCLA class.
Return to the Impact Fall 1999 Homepage
Last updated
10/01/99