IST 501: Integrative Theories and Methods of the Information Sciences and Technology


  Fall 2009


Instructor: Dr. C. Lee Giles




Time and Place:  Monday: 2:30-5:30 PM, IST 201.

Office Hours:  2-3 PM, Tuesday or TBA, 311A IST.  If for some reason office hours are canceled, an email notification will be sent out with a replacement date.


Course Overview
:

This course provides an overview to the integrative aspects of the fields which comprise the information sciences. The course has three broad objectives. First, the course serves as an overview to the theories, models, findings, research methods and research-related issues that frame the multiple fields of the information sciences. Second, the course provides students a set of integrative techniques and models. Finally, the course provides students a means to begin formulating researchable topics and questions.

IST 501 is designed as the introductory course for research-oriented graduate students who are interested in pursuing research in the various fields that comprise the information sciences. The specific focus is a critical integrative treatment of the

Students should also get a broad understanding of the research and scholarship that exists in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.


Grading:  

Student Performance Evalution   

Class Participation
 15 points
Research Report
 35 points
Summaries & Exercises
 30 points
Research Presentation
 20 points


All assignments unless stated are individual assignments.

Late Policy: All requiremented documents are hardcopies and are due at the start of class on the date assigned. Starting right after the required submission date, 1/3 of the grade will be deducted for every day tardy until no grade is available.

For more information on any of the above, please contact Lee Giles.


Email
: All email to the instructor about this class should contain "IST501" in the subject line.  For example, the subject line might read "IST501: Question about ....".  Email without this information might be deleted by spam filters or placed in a folder to be read at a later date.  Email with the appropriate identifier will usually be read within 24 hours of being received.


Texts:
  No text is required. Digital copies of papers, chapters and online material will be used. Chapters will be drawn from an advanced copy of a textbook in progress, Information: A Fundamental Construct, written by Bob Allen at Drexel.


Handouts, Syllabus, Schedule:
  This schedule is subject to change. Please check it on a regular basis for assignments. All classes will have online handouts. It is the student's responsibility to download that material.


Student Homepages: Graduate student homepages help promote discussions and collaborations.


Course Materials and References: Course materials can be found here. There will also be links on the schedule.


Acknowledgements!