PREREQUISITES:
MAS students: Completion of the MAS Core courses, plus permission of the instructor.
MLIS and Dual students: Some electives can be taken in conjunction with the MLIS Core courses; consult with the MLIS Program Chair for recommendations.
GOAL: The goal of this course is to provide students with the expertise needed to locate, interpret, evaluate, create, and adapt policy relating to information and communication technology issues. In particular, students will become adept at recognizing how various levels of policy implicate other levels of policy (e.g., a local privacy policy, a national privacy law, and an international trade treaty).
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
- Explain the relationship between values (ethics) and information policy [2.1, 4.1]*
- Describe the purpose of information policy [2.1, 4.1]*
- Analyze the relationships between policy, information, and information tools in different contexts [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 4.1]*
- Explain how political, social, economic, and technological changes have influenced information legislation and regulation [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1]*
- Demonstrate familiarity with current Canadian information policy issues [1.1, 5.1, 5.3]*
- Contrast and compare recent information policy initiatives in other countries [1.1, 5.1, 5.3]*
- Articulate how differences in societal values may translate into conflicting information policies [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 5.1, 5.3]*
- Illustrate how policy tensions may lead to contention in and amongst nations, organizations, and/or individuals [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 5.1, 5.3]*
- Interpret policy and policy review documents for a particular context [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1]*
- Develop and propose localized policy strategies in response to a contemporary information issue such as freedom of information, information access and distribution, copyright, or privacy. [1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1]*
* Course objectives are stated in terms of student learning outcomes and reference the iSchool Statement on Graduate Competencies.
CONTENT:
- Ethics and Western Political Philosophy;
- Values & Technology & Information Policy
- Information Policy and Stakeholder Analysis
- Privacy: Ethical conceptions of privacy; privacy and information tools
- Privacy & Freedom of Information
- Privacy, Anonymity, Pseudonymity & Forgetting
- Censorship
- Intellectual Property/Copyright
- Traditional Knowledge in Contemporary Times; Revisiting Universal Values
- Information Policy in Information Organizations
- Information Professionals Action & Advocacy
- Information Policy, Business and Politics
- Current issues relating to information policy & technological infrastructures: e.g. cybersecurity & surveillance