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Last revised 01/09/05

Course Syllabus for IRLS 696B 791 Issues in Libraries: A Writing Seminar

Spring 2006 Instructor: John N. Berry III


COURSE NAME, NUMBER, AND PREREQUISITES

Issues in Libraries: A Writing Seminar

IRLS696B791

There are no course prerequisites.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course is a writing seminar during which students will select and investigate focused aspects of contemporary, broad, fundamental issues in librarianship and write analyses and action recommendations for classroom discussion.

General Overview:

Students will assess the impact of basic current library and information policy issues and viewpoints on various types of libraries and on the practice and status of librarianship. Each student will develop an individual position on each of the issues he or she selects, and articulate that position in written papers and oral presentations. Students will also develop policy documents and internal communications, both individually, and in team exercises. They will defend documents articulating library and information agency publicity, policy and rules of practice.

The issue areas covered by the course include the following: issues in information policy, intellectual freedom, and their application to library practice; issues in practice and theory and the relationship of library and information science education to library and information employment and practice; issues requiring documents of policy, publicity, and rules of practice; issues in the development of library services and policies as a member of teams or committees. Instructor and students will analyze and critique the presentations and written work of each student in open discussion.

Through written assignments, presented to the full class, students will develop more acute skills in the interpretation and analysis of information and opinion, and confidence in their powers of expression through the oral or written presentation and defense of the results. Students will come away from the course with enhanced knowledge of the issues covered and improved ability in writing and presenting a point of view, policy, or professional document, and defending it.

How this course will be taught

Students will be expected to develop positions related to specific issues they select from each broad issue area, articulate that position in short written papers, and defend it in presentations, critiques of the papers, and discussion in class. Some papers and presentations will be developed in small teams. Instructor and students will analyze and critique the presentations and written work of each student in open discussion.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

Students must have online access by way of their own computers and internet connections. There is no set text for the course. Students are required to discover resources through research to support and document their work.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Prior to the first weekend session of the course each student must complete a Career & Biographical Sketch a short essay (2-6 double-spaced pages) giving brief biographical information, key events in the student’s life, and student expectations for the course, and expectations for the degree program. The essay should explain how the student selected a career in libraries and information service, and articulate the student’s long-term ambitions for her or his professional career. This assignment provides the instructor with some insight into the experience and ambitions of each student and a sample of each student’s writing style and skills. The assignment is due as a Word document attached to an e-mail message to the instructor no later than Monday, February 13, 2006.

 

Three papers, a policy or publicity document, and one team exercise, plus prepared oral presentations of each, complete the course requirements. Oral presentations are based on the contents of each paper, and should be designed to initiate discussion of the paper, its content, and its writing. These discussions make up a substantial portion of all class sessions. More specific detail about each assignment, along with delivery deadlines, will be given to students during the first weekend of the course.
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COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity (one theme of which is that The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.). If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.

Accommodating Disabilities

The University has a Disability Resource Center . If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignment Policies

Because class discussion is dependent upon students having read the work of every other student, late papers cannot be accommodated. All papers must be delivered to the instructor and all other students as a Word attachment to e-mail messages on the due dates assigned.

Incompletes

The 1997-8 University of Arizona General Academic Manual, p.23 reads

The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case the grade of E must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incompete grade before the end of the semester ...

If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.
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GRADING

Student performance and grades are based on the performance and progress of each individual and are not measured comparatively or competitively among students. Participation in class discussions and progress in the quality of writing and oral presentations are the main factors in grading. Grades are weighted as follows:

Participation in class discussions, critiques, and presentations. 35-40%

Written assignments: Biographical essay 05-10%

Papers 1, 2, 3, 4 35-40%

Participation in Team Exercise 05-10%

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CONTACTING ME

It is best to use both e-mail addresses to contact me: jberry@reedbusiness.com at work, or jberry33@optonline.net at home. You may also telephone me during the course at the following numbers: Home: 203 359 2495; Work: 646 746 6822; Cell: 203 253 2067 Individual meetings with students can be arranged by appointment when I am in Tucson during course weekends.
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