Information Literacy Information Literacy Information Literacy Required Texts Badke, William. Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog. iUniverse.com, 201l. Harvey, David. The Enigma of Capital. Oxford UP, 2011. Kuruvilla, Sarosh, Ching Kwan Lee, and Mary E. Gallagher, eds. From Iron Rice Bowl to Informationalization: Markets, Workers, and the State in a Changing China. ILR, 2011 Zweig, Michael. The Working Class Majority: America’s Best Kept Secret. 2nd Ed. ILR, 2012. Course Description The purpose of this course is to help graduate students hone their skills in analysis and synthesis, and to develop the ability to conduct independent scholarly research. For each of the texts assigned, students will practice skills in analysis and synthesis by writing to prompts in discussion board postings and more formal reading responses. In addition, students will conduct independent scholarly research on a topic of their choice, composing a final research paper. Students should plan to spend much time, beyond reading and writing, on independent research. Students who successfully pass this course will: comprehend and articulate distinctions and relationships among data, information and knowledge; understand and distinguish between the relevant historical and current paradigms of information theory; think critically and logically about information, especially about the form and content of information; demonstrate skills in using traditional and non-traditional print and non-print reference tools; develop adaptability, flexibility, and creativity in using current technologies to facilitate lifelong learning; understand and identify the differences between quantitative and qualitative research and when and where each type of research is most appropriate; understand and apply the principles of source and text criticism as applied to practical problems of managing information; understand and discuss critically different concepts of information as used in different fields of knowledge or application; understand and apply the principles underlying intellectual property and related rights and duties as they relate to the needs and challenges of individuals or teams. Course Requirements Quizzes: 7 @ 10 points each, or 70 points total For some assigned readings students will complete a quiz to demonstrate mastery and understanding of assigned texts. These will consist of multiple choice, true/false, matching, or short-answer questions. Forty-five minutes will be allowed for the quizzes and availability will close automatically at the end of that time. I will not reopen quizzes for additional time, so make sure you have completed your readings before you begin. Quizzes indicated on the class schedule are due on or before 9:00am cst of designated due dates. Discussion Board Postings: 12 @ 15 points each, or 180 points total For other assigned reading students will respond critically and analytically to a posted question on the discussion board. Response to other student’s work is highly encouraged but not required unless otherwise stated. Discussion board postings will be graded based on depth and content. A discussion board posting should be focused on addressing the given prompt, approximately 300 words (single-spaced), include specific textual evidence, and be free of grammatical and typographic errors. This means you must do more than simply retype, restate, or paraphrase the author. Posting due dates are indicated on the class schedule and are due on or before 9:00am cst of designated due dates. Reading Responses (2-3 pages each): 6 @ 50 points each, or 300 points total Students will author six formal reading responses, writing to one prompt and working, in-depth, with a single reading. Responses will be graded using the Writing Skills Rubric, focusing on the areas of Context/Purpose, Content/Ideas/Support, Organization, and Writing Mechanics. Rhetorically, I will be looking for a strong central argument backed by detailed and specific textual evidence. Ideas should be embedded within a coherent structure at the sentence and paragraph levels, and meaningful transitions should link ideas back to the central argument. Style and mechanics should follow MLA guidelines. Each paper should be a minimum of two complete, typed, and double-spaced pages, formatted with 1 margins and written in Times New Roman 12-point font. Reading responses must be uploaded as Microsoft Word documents on Blackboard though Safe Assign on or before 9:00am cst on or before the designated due dates. Research Proposal (2 page narrative + Annotated Bibliography): 150 points A brief one-page proposal plus annotated bibliography for the research paper is due on or before October 25, but students should begin independent research and paper drafting long before that time. Proposals should include a detailed paragraph of the central argument and a paragraph indicating how the parts of the paper will fit into the whole. Also included will be a full annotated bibliography (both summary of source and intended usage in your paper) of a minimum of twenty scholarly sources. If you are unsure what constitutes a scholarly source, consult Badke, other resources, or inquire with me. This AB will include both a summation of the source and the prospective use of it in your paper. All research should be documented in current MLA style. Do not use an automatic citation creator. They are often incorrect and do not permit me to make comments on individual entries. Using such will result in me returning your paper for correction, and applicable late penalties will apply. Proposals must be uploaded as Microsoft Word documents on Blackboard though Safe Assign on or before 9:00am cst on or before Thursday, October 30, 2014. Research Paper (12-15 pages): 300 points After selecting a topic of their choice, students should conduct extensive research and forge a central argument based on the scholarly research found. Current scholarly research should drive this paper, so any and all assertions made within the paper should be backed by evidence derived from current scholarly sources. Each paper will have a minimum of twenty documented scholarly sources integrated into the paper. Final papers will be graded using the Research Skills Rubric. Papers will be graded upon the depth and fit of research used and the completeness and complexity of thought developed by the writer. Rhetorically, I will be looking for a strong central argument backed by detailed and specific evidence. Ideas should be embedded within a coherent structure at the sentence and paragraph levels, and meaningful transitions should link ideas back to the central argument. Style and mechanics should follow MLA guidelines. Each paper should be a minimum of twelve complete, typed, and double-spaced pages (not counting your Works Cited pages), formatted with 1 margins and written in Times New Roman 12-point font. Research papers must be uploaded on Blackboard though Safe Assign on or before 9:00 am cst (noon) on Thursday, December 4, 2014. Comprehensive Exams Students, please remember that as soon as you begin to take courses in your MLS program, you should also begin preparing for your comprehensive exams. Keeping thorough notes and compiling a notebook/portfolio from each class you take would behoove you, so when it is time to prepare for your comprehensive exams you will have good notes to help you. Holding on to the books from your class might also be helpful. Grading scale based on 1,000 points A 1000-900 points B 899-800 points C 799-700 points D 699-600 points U 599 points or less Attendance Regular attendance and class participation are expected. I reserve the right to fail students who miss the equivalent of more than two-weeks of classes with excused or unexcused absences or who do not come to class prepared and ready to partake in class discussion and group work. A Few Final Notes Incomplete or missing work: You have to complete all elements of the course, even if awarded no points. Not completing any assignment will result in not passing this course. Late Work: Late is accepted, unless otherwise noted, up until five days after the due date with a penalty of 10% per day late. This means if an assignment is three days late, I will deduct 30% before I begin grading. Please note our œdays run from 9am. This means work submitted between 9am and 8:59am the next day is one œday. Under no circumstances will work more than five days late be accepted. The paper proposal and final paper will not be accepted late. Extra Credit: Extra credit is not available for this class. Written assignments: I will be more than happy to discuss ideas for papers with you¦just not the night before. If you cannot submit, for some reason, a paper through Bb, email it to me. That is your backup plan. Academic Honesty (taken from Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It is a claim that the ideas or words you have written are yours, when in fact they are not. A second form of academic dishonesty is to intentionally provide an incorrect citation. Other examples of academic dishonesty include handing in a paper purchased from an individual or agency; submitting papers from living group, club or organization files; and using another’s computer program or documents. FHSU’s policy on academic honesty can be found at Further information on Academic Honesty can be found at First offense of plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment. A second offense will result in immediate failure of the class. If you have any questions in regards to how to avoid academic dishonesty, please contact me for more