Info 203: Social and Organizational Issues of Information

1. Info 203: Social and Organizational Issues of Information Course Introduction: Social Science Perspectives on Information and Information Technology

2. Your Instructors… • Coye Cheshire 305A, South Hall coye@ischool.berkeley.edu Office Hours: Tues and Thurs 4-5:30 • Judd Antin (Graduate Instructing Assistant) jantin@ischool.berkeley.edu (shared office hours and location) Info 203

3. Your Class… Info 203

4. Course Logistics: Instruction • Online Syllabus http://courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i203/s08/ • Some special sessions (group discussions, debates) • Lecture format with open class discussions • No laptops during lecture and discussion (thank us later) Info 203

5. Course Logistics: Reading Response Papers and Participation Reading Response Papers (15%) • Write critical responses to weekly readings (2 pages, double-spaced) • Not summaries; these are about your responses and thoughts on course readings. • Due every other Thursday in class (weeks 2, 4, etc) • Graded on a check, check-minus, check-plus scale Participation (10%) • Attendance and class participation Info 203

6. Course Logistics: Assignments Assignments (45%) • There will be three course assignments. Details on each assignment will be distributed in class. • Each will be a take-home assignment (15% each). • Some parts of the assignments will ask you to answer essay questions, other parts may ask you to provide a topic or a basic outline for your final paper. Info 203

7. Assignments: Final Paper • Final Paper (30%) • You will choose your topic, research it, and defend an argument • Final paper will be ~25-35 pages. Info 203

8. Course Logistics: Readings Course Reader: • Available from Copy Central, Bancroft Way. • $61.06, one volume Info 203

9. Some Thoughts About the Readings… All readings are required, but readings are broken into reasonable amounts each week. A mix of theory, empirical work and case studies Info 203

10. Other questions?

11. Overview of Course Goals …To discuss aspects of information and technology from a social scientific perspective …Think critically about information and technology …Learn from theory and empirical examples …Learn how to describe problems, justify them, and write about them clearly Info 203

12. Course Topics: The Social Side of Information • Current issues in socio-technical systems • Social implications of the Internet • Reading and evaluating social science research (quantitative and qualitative approaches) Info 203

13. Topics: Information and Technology Adoption and Use • Diffusion of Innovations • Communication in Networks • Tacit and explicit knowledge; Information sharing Info 203

14. Topics: Deconstructing the User • Trust, Reputation and Identity • Key theoretical perspectives on technology and users • Challenges to designing with social factors in mind Info 203

15. Topics: Groups, Communities and Online Organization • Community Structure and Dynamics • Crowdsourcing; user-generated content Info 203

16. Understanding Information and Information Technology from a Social Science Perspective

17. Information Communication Systems and Technologies Info 203

18. Other Information Communication Systems and Technologies… Info 203

19. Thinking broadly about ‘Information’ When we think of information systems only in terms of new technology, we risk missing underlying issues and the significance of use. Info 203

20. Thinking from a Social Science Perspective • Question your assumptions; try to consider ideas about information and technology that would challenge these assumptions. • Be very cautious about anything that supposedly relies on “common sense”. • *spoilier* warning: ‘common sense’ is not the same thing as ‘true’. • Try to think about technology in terms of processes and changes. Info 203

21. For Thursday… • Brown and Duguid’s “The Social Life of Information” Info 203