Course Description
Social and Cultural Impact of New Information
IS 246
4 units, UCLA Winter 2001
Mon 18:00-21:00, 111 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 such as those around intellectual property and privacy).
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. (Focus groups meet 90 minutes/week for about 3/4 of
the quarter. And because of the 2 Monday holidays, we will schedule
one replacement class in January, and the last class will be during finals
week, March 19.) 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 UCLA class will give a flavor
of the ucpoming class.
Return to the Impact Winter 2001 Homepage
Last updated
12/27/00