Contact Information
Paul F. Marty, Ph.D., Professor, School of Information, Florida State University
Office: 240 LSB
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, By Appointment
The best way to reach me is by email: marty@fsu.edu. I make every effort to respond to emails within 24 hours; if I don't respond within 48 hours, please email me again, as your message might have gotten lost or junked accidentally.
This syllabus is available online at http://marty.cci.fsu.edu/ifs2118/
Course Description
What are the unintended and unanticipated social consequences of implementing new information technologies in the 21st century? Does our increased reliance on, and trust in, advanced information systems pose dangers to life and limb? Do we risk losing the recorded knowledge of humanity as we produce more data? Are we becoming too dependent on the information technologies we created to make our lives easier? This course will explore the pros and cons of information technology in our everyday lives, and examine how we can identify and mitigate against risk factors that lead to information technology disasters.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will demonstrate the ability to:
Liberal Studies, Social Sciences Objectives
- critically examine, interpret, and explain how personal, political, cultural, economic, and social experiences and/or structures shape the past and/or the present.
- gather and analyze data using social science and/or historical methodologies to evaluate casual arguments and analyze assertions, assumptions, and explanatory evidence.
- evaluate and employ appropriate methods and technology in the collection and analysis of data.
E-Series Objectives
- analyze and synthesize information from within and across disciplines to: examine existing questions and problems from a variety of perspectives, formulate novel questions and ideas, and explain these questions and ideas in written and oral formats.
- think creatively and flexibly by envisaging new approaches to real-world scenarios or questions.
- learn, think, and solve problems independently and in teams, as is required to engage in the life-long consideration of, and the fostering of cooperative solutions to, complex problems.
Course Specific Objectives
- demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts and terminology used when exploring the pros and cons of integrating information technology in our everyday lives.
- demonstrate familiarity with the relevant literature including a variety of scholarly and professional articles about the implementation of information technology and its (un)intended consequences.
- critically analyze and assess the unintended and unanticipated social consequences of implementing specific new information technologies as chosen by the students.
- identify, discuss, and debate examples of anticipated and unanticipated consequences of different information technologies.
Course Materials
There is no required text for this course. Instead, we will read a variety of scholarly and professional articles each week, all available online or on reserve in our course management system.
Course Assignments
Please see the detailed assignment descriptions at http://marty.cci.fsu.edu/ifs2118/assignments.html
The following list is provided for quick reference:
Writing Assignments (60%)
- Topic Statement (5%)
- Peer Review of Topic Statement (5%)
- Annotated Bibliography (10%)
- Draft of Final Paper (15%)
- Peer Review of Draft Paper (5%)
- Final Paper (20%)
Participation Assignments (40%)
- In-Class Participation (15 @ 1% = 15%)
- In-Class Group Explorations (5 @ 5% = 25%)
Grading and Evaluation
The most important criteria for grading are timeliness, completeness, and quality. Please complete all parts of each assignment, and please make every effort to present your thinking clearly at each stage. The effort you put into your assignments is just as important as the final outcome.
Assignments that have not been demonstrably spell-checked, grammar-checked, and proofread for absolute nonsense will not be accepted. Unacceptable assignments will receive a zero, and may be resubmitted only at the instructor's discretion.
Please note that all of your work for this class must be original.
If a situation arises where you will not be able to meet a deadline, please let the instructor know well in advance. Work submitted late with a reasonable excuse will be accepted only if discussed with the instructor before the due date.
Percentage weights for each assignment are listed above. Final letter grades will be allocated using the following scale: 100-93 = A, 92-90 = A-, 89-87 = B+, 86-83 = B, 82-80 = B-, 79-77 = C+, 76-73 = C, 72-70 = C-, 69-67 = D+, 66-63 = D, 62-60 = D-, 59-0 = F.
To demonstrate college-level writing competency as required by the State of Florida, the student must earn a "C" (2.0) or higher in the course, and earn at least a "C" average on the required writing assignments. If the student does not earn a "C" average or better on the required writing assignments, the student will not earn an overall grade of "C" or better in the course, no matter how well the student performs in the remaining portion of the course.
Course Schedule
Please see the detailed course outline at http://marty.cci.fsu.edu/ifs2118/outline.html
The following list is provided for quick reference:
Part 1: The Information Age
- Week 01: Making Sense of the On Demand World
- Week 02: Group Exploration 1
- Week 03: Unlimited Access to Funny Pictures of Cats
- Week 04: Group Exploration 2
Part 2: The Surveillance Society
- Week 05: Surviving the Big Data Deluge
- Week 06: Group Exploration 3
- Week 07: You Wouldn't Download a Car, Would You?
- Week 08: Group Exploration 4
Interlude
- Week 09: Interlude Week -- TBD
Part 3: The Service Economy
- Week 10: If You Aren't Paying For It, You're the Product
- Week 11: Group Exploration 5
- Week 12: The Dark Side of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Week 13: Group Exploration 6
Part 4: The Connected World
- Week 14: Shaping the Future of a Connected Humanity
- Week 15: Who Needs Humans, Anyway?
University Attendance Policy
The attendance policy for this course is consistent with Florida State University policy as stated in the Bulletin. Your regular attendance at class meetings is expected, and you are required to participate in class discussions. All students are expected to abide by this attendance policy.
Accommodations will be made for documented illness, deaths in the immediate family and other documented crises, calls to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities in a way that does not penalize students with a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
University policy requires all students to attend the first class meeting of all classes for which they are registered. Students who do not attend the first class meeting of a course for which they are registered will be dropped from the course by the academic department offering the course. To enforce this policy, instructors are required to take attendance at the first class meeting and report absences to the appropriate person in their department. For further information, consult the FSU General Bulletin at: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/apdefault.htm.
Class Communication Policy
You are required to check your official FSU email accounts and the course blogs or discussion boards regularly. It is highly recommended that you use your FSU email accounts for all course-related emails. Emails to the instructor must have a subject line that includes the number of the course. You should set up your email account so that your full name accompanies each email (i.e., emails should come from John Smith, not from js44f). Emails that include neither your name nor the course number will not receive a response.
Copyright Statement
Some materials in this course may be copyrighted. They are provided in compliance with the provisions of the Technology, Education, And Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act: http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/archive/
Academic Honor Policy
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University's expectations for the integrity of students' academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to "be honest and truthful and [...to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University." (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, available online at http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy/.)
Americans with Disabilities Act
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
- Register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and
- Send a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class.
Please note that instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodation to a student until appropriate verification from the Student Disability Resource Center has been provided.
This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternate format upon request.
For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the
Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/
Sexual Harassment Policy
It is the policy of the University that its employees and students neither commit nor condone sexual harassment in any form. For more information, see: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/info/university_notices.htm
Hardware and Software Requirements
A list of all hardware and software requirements for students participating in School of Information courses can be found at the following location: http://ischool.cci.fsu.edu/academics/online/requirements/
Student Eligibility for an Incomplete Grade
Incomplete ("I") grades will not be assigned, except in the case of exceptional unforeseen circumstances that occur within the last three weeks of the semester and your work has otherwise been satisfactory (C average).
Syllabus Change Policy
This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advanced notice.