The iSchool: College of Information Studies
LBSC 888: Doctoral Seminar (Fall 2010): Course Information
What's the course about?
This doctoral seminar provides an introduction to information
studies through four lenses: information, people, systems, and
environments. The course provides an integrative exploration
emphasizing connections among ideas and research across elements of
the field.
The philosophy behind the design of this course is discussed
in:
Allison Druin, Paul T. Jaeger, Kenneth R. Fleischmann,
Jennifer Golbeck, Jimmy Lin, Yan Qu, Ping Wang, and Bo
Xie. The Maryland
Modular Method: An Approach to Doctoral Education in Information
Studies. Journal of Education for Library and Information
Science, 2009, in press.
More explicitly, the goals of this course are as follows:
- Gain an understanding of the four lenses
- Learn to analyze and critique research publications
- Learn to synthesize diverse perspectives and recognize gaps in
the literature
- Gain experience with writing and presenting research papers
See the syllabus for more details of
what will be covered. No textbook is required for this course.
Policies
- Attendance: I expect you to attend every class session,
arriving on time. I expect you to arrive prepared (e.g., having
completed the readings) and eager to engage in discussions.
- Time Commitment: This is a graduate course, for which it
is expected that you will put in three hours outside of class for
every hour of class time. You should, therefore, plan now to devote
a total of at least twelve hours per week to this class.
Doing so may not assure you of a good grade -- you must use your
time wisely as well -- but failing to do so will almost certainly
assure you of a poor one.
- Assignment deadlines: Assignments are due at the
beginning of class unless otherwise noted. Except as noted in
specific instances, if an assignment is late by between 1 minute and
24 hours, the grade will be reduced by one-fifth of the total
available points. By 48 hours, two-fifths. And so forth.
Exceptions can be discussed in cases of medical excuses, family
emergencies, etc., but being busy is not a valid excuse. Exceptions
will only be considered prior to the deadline, and the sooner
you talk to me about a problem the more likely it is that we can
find a suitable arrangement. There are several common problems that
I am unlikely to consider as valid reasons for failing to get work
in on time. These include (a) failure to manage your time properly,
(b) discovering an assignment is harder or takes longer than you
expected it to be (see item a), and (c) losing documents that should
have been backed up.
- 'Incomplete' as a grade: I will not issue an
'incomplete' as a grade except for serious, valid reasons, generally
in the category of emergencies. See above for some reasons unlikely
to be considered valid. If you are having problems of any kind,
please talk to me as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally
recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student
Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at
Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you
are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is
very important for you to be aware of the definitions and consequences
of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. Please visit
the Code of Academic Integrity or
the Student Honor Council for more information.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
(1) register with and provide documentation to
the Disability Support
Services office, and (2) discuss any necessary academic
accommodation with me. This should be done at the beginning of the
semester, within the first three class sessions.
Emergency Preparedness
Information about the status of the campus is available
at the campus
emergency preparedness website. If the campus is closed, stay
safe and do not come to class. Information about possible rescheduling
of course activities will be provided via e-mail once the campus has
reopened.
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