SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES
SLIS 5445 HISTORY AND
CULTURE (ETHNOGRAPHY)
OF YOUTH INFORMATION SERVICES AND SYSTEMS
SYLLABUS
© Elizabeth Figa 2006
http://courses.unt.edu/efiga/Figa
The 5445 course and its content
are copyrighted and may not be reprinted, revised,
reformatted, or refactored for distribution or publication in any form or venue
without permission of the author or the University of North Texas.
WELCOME TO THE CLASS!
Hello! I am Elizabeth Figa the professor and author of the WebCT course SLIS 5445 History and Ethnography of Youth Information Services and Systems.
SLIS 5445 History and Ethnography of Youth
Information Services and Systems Course Description
History of youth services librarianship.
Users and designers of youth information services and systems. Theory and
methods of ethnographic (cultural) evaluation of youth information services and
systems. Current trends and research in youth information services and
systems.
COURSE OVERVIEW
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"Rather than simply train students
to be competent, successful practitioners, |
An understanding of the history and evolution of youth services librarianship will provide library managers and youth services librarians a grounding in a great library tradition. In current practice, ethnographic work is becoming increasingly important at key points in the development, implementation, and evaluation of new information services/systems. In this instance, the term "systems" pertains broadly to the holistic integration of people, technology, and information services and the term "ethnography" pertains broadly to the study of culture or cultural impact. My goal is to consider the contingencies of information-based work practices as situated in particular times and places and toward developing a deeper understanding of user-sensitive information services/systems design. In other words, understanding what are we doing to support information use by youth and the who/what/when/where/how/why about youth as consumers of information services. The information professional with a "bi-lingual" background in ethnography and information services and systems development in the youth area will be increasingly in demand and will be capable of making valuable contributions in meeting the information needs of this special population. Therefore, this course will offer a three-pronged approach:
1. An understanding of the historical perspectives of youth services librarianship, and
2. The application of cultural theory toward an understanding of library and information services and systems for youth and the use of ethnographic methods to develop, implement, and evaluate them.
3. A deep exploration of the current trends in the area of youth information services and systems.
OBJECTIVES
· To understand the purposes and uses of historical and ethnographic study and analysis in general.
· To develop a greater understanding of the central developments in the history of youth services librarianship.
· To develop a holistic understanding and view of youth information services and systems.
· To understand how cultural influences (race, gender, age, community culture, etc.) impact the use and design of youth information services and systems.
· To develop skills in ethnographic theories and methods to develop, implement and evaluate youth information services and systems.
· To examine current trends in the area of youth information services and systems.
Course Access
This course is presented entirely online via WebCT Technology. The course begins
the first official day of classes in the semesters in which it is offered.
Registered students will be uploaded into the student database and can access
the course using their
UNT EUID and PASSWORD beginning on the first day. Course modules will be
timed and are explained in the full course syllabus and course calendar. An
important note about course access: At times, the overnight uploads of
the student database, which is done by Student Records and the WebCT Divisions,
takes longer than anticipated or has technical problems. Please do not be
alarmed if you do not have access to the Storytelling course the first or second
day of class or if your access is suddenly problematic. Your faculty and
teaching assistants anticipate access problems and we will work with the
uploaded data to ensure every student has access as soon as possible. If you
are registered for the class and experiencing access problems, please consult
the WebCT Student Guide at
http://courses.unt.edu/webct/vista/student/index.htm. If you need
further assistance, please send an email to Elizabeth Figa or one of the
teaching assistants at the email addresses listed below. Please be patient with
us -- your access to the course is our highest priority! You will not get
behind in the course the first few days and you can read ahead in your text and
the course reading packet.
ASSIGNMENTS
This course is designed to be a "thinking" course with participation in class activities, exercises, and forum discussions taking on a high priority. There will be purposeful "doing" in this course as well but I am extremely interested in stimulating ideas and understanding about this important topic through discussion and the process of discovery.
All assignments submitted for this course must be original work done for this course. No dual submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to or from a different class, is permitted. All students are required to submit the final course assignment. Students who fail to submit the final assignment will receive an (I) Incomplete for the course. The Incomplete grade (I) will be changed to a letter grade once the final assignment is submitted for computing into the final point total.
Assignments/Grading Criteria:
Please see the Assignments Icon on the course home page for
details about the following assignments:
1. Full participation in all class
activities, exercises, forum discussions, etc.
(30% of grade)
2. Historical Research Paper: Topic of your choice on the History of Youth
Information Services and Systems.
(20% of grade)
3. Ethnographic Fieldwork Project.
(30% of grade)
4. Ethnographic "Current Trend" Presentation: Topic of your choice on a
Current Trend in Information Services and Systems for Youth.
(20% of grade)
Grading Parameters
This course requires a high level of participation. Assignments are staggered with even regularity. Students should notify the instructor at the earliest convenience of an emergency or changing situation that may effect assignment deliverables -- all due consideration will be given. In extreme cases of extended absences for medical purposes, a doctor's letter may be requested.
Priority is given by the faculty to expeditiously return assignments with grades and meaningful comments; student assistance with submitting assignments on due dates will facilitate this. Late papers are not accepted. If a student absolutely cannot meet a deadline and notifies the instructor in advance, late assignment grading will be negotiated with generosity. Without this notification or an extension by the instructor, late assignments receive a zero.
Incomplete:
The Graduate Catalog
http://www.unt.edu/catalogs/ describes and explains grading policies.
A grade of Incomplete (I) will be given only for a justifiable reason and only
if the student is passing the course. The student is responsible for
contacting the instructor to request an incomplete and discuss requirements for
completing the course. If an incomplete is not removed within the time
frame agreed upon by instructor and student, the instructor may assign a grade
of F. Incompletes are rarely given unless for a medical emergency.
Withdrawal
The Graduate Catalog
http://www.unt.edu/catalogs/ describes and explains withdrawal
policies and deadlines. The UNT semester course schedule lists specific
deadlines. A grade of Withdraw (W) or Withdraw-Failing (WF) will be given
depending on a student's participation and grades to date. Please note that a
student who simply stops participating and does not file a UNT withdrawal form
may receive an F.
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Elizabeth's Office
Hours: |
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Elizabeth's Accessibility and Responsiveness
Parameters: I will generally be actively in the class every day Monday - Friday. I will generally take off all-day on Saturday so if you have questions about assignments (generally due on Sundays), please catch me during business days. By general practice, I will return to the class on Sunday afternoon/evening. For occasions that I am away at a conference or doing consulting, I will post messages to the class. |
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS
Students are highly encouraged to order in advance: 1) the required text, and 2) the required course reading packet (if there is one.) See below for ordering materials.
Required Texts:
1. READINGS FROM: Imagination and Scholarship: The Contributions of Women to American Youth Services and Literature. Edited by Karen Patricia Smith, Library Trends, 44(4)679-895, Spring 1996. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Students can access the free, full-text of the Spring 1996 issue; both are through the Libraries homepage at www.library.unt.edu .
The first way is through the online catalog, which has a link on the Libraries homepage:
1. Select the link for UNT Library Catalog.
2. Do a journal title search for Library Trends.
3. Select the full-text link for Library Trends through the Student Resource Center Gold Edition (last link in list of 4)
4. Once within the resource, go to page 22. The articles from the Spring 1996 issue are records #424-433 (finishing up on page 22).
5. All of the articles are full-text in HTML.
The second way to access the articles is also through the Libraries homepage:
1. Select the link for Electronic Resources.
2. In the left-hand panel, select the link for e-journals.
3. Search for Library Trends.
4. Select the link for Library trends through the Student Resource Center Gold Edition package (last link of three).
5. Once within the resource, go to page Page 22, finishing up on page 23; articles #424-433. (finishing up on page 22).
6. All of the articles are full-text in HTML.
2. Lyddie. Katherine Patterson. Puffin Publishers. ISBN: 0140373896
Text Book Ordering Suggestions (see a - c)
a. Order Directly from the Publisher (highly recommended for of
deliver speed and cost):
b. Order either book and or packet from
the UNT Bookstore (contact them for pricing and shipping times):
http://shop.efollett.com/htmlroot/storehome/universityofnorthtexas413.html
Credit orders (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) for Library Trends may be placed by phone: 1-866-244-0626; fax: 217-244-9910.
c. Order
from another online bookstore (contact them for pricing and shipping times):
www.bn.com
www.efollet.com
www.amazon.com
www.collegebookzone.com
www.textbooksatcost.com
www.varsitybooks.com
www.classbook.com
3. Required Text: Current Citation Manual of your choice. Students are required to have a citation manual for this course -- you may choose the manual of your choice. The nature of this course requires citation usage in several assignments and you will be served in good stead to have a manual that you own to use as a ready reference tool.
SELECTED RECOMMENDED MANUALS (CHOOSE ONE):
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.). (2003). New York: Modern Language Association of America.\
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (6th ed.) (1996). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Required Movies:
1. 
SONGCATHER (2001) Rated: 
An historical fictional drama about a musicologist and educational life for women and children in 1800s England and America.
2. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING.
A. GORILLAS IN THE MIST (1988) Rated:
A non-fictional drama about an anthropologist conducting population
field research.
OR CHOOSE
B.
KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE (1999) Rated:
A fictional comedy about an anthropologist conducting population field
research.
TECHNOLOGY
Required Course Technology
Reliable Internet access is required. WebCT is the course management software used at UNT, and WebCT recommends that you use either of the following browsers (note that some versions of each browser are not supported):
You can check how well your browser works with WebCT by going to the following page: http://courses.unt.edu/webct/vista/student/index.htm. Once on that page, click on How do I set up my browser and computer settings?.
This course requires that students have computing technology and equipment
specifications as follows:
1. Hardware. See the
SLIS Technology Requirements for hardware components to
support WebCT.
2. Streaming Media Player. To view the storytelling videos of guest
artists, you will need to have a streaming video player with speakers to hear
the audio. The free utility RealPlayer may be downloaded by going to
http://www.real.com and looking at the lower right hand frame for an
icon that says, "Real Player, Free Download and to install:
http://service.real.com/faq/downloadfaqs/rap00907v.html. There is a
link toward the bottom of this page under "Important Notes" that lists the
minimum technology requirements to support RealPlayer. Make sure your computer
meets these requirements before downloading. If for some reason, it does not
work, you can try to download an older version of RealPlayer from:
http://proforma.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html. Windows
Media Player is the default for streaming video that comes with Windows 98,
2000, NT, and ME and is NOT recommended for use in this course.
3. Required Technology and Software. Please see also the Required
Technology and Software Icon on the course WebCT home page for details.
ADA INFORMATION
Any student with a disability that will require accommodation under the terms of federal regulations must let the instructor know on the first day of class and present a written accommodations request to the instructor by the second week of class. Copies of the University of North Texas Policy on Disability Accommodations are available through the main office. Questions or concerns about discrimination on the basis of disability or about equal educational opportunities for persons with disabilities should be directed to Cassandra Berry, Equal Opportunity Office, Room 203, Administration Building, 565-2456. Information concerning specific accommodations to provide equal opportunities is available from Steve Pickett or Jane Jones, Office of Disability Accommodation, Suite 324, Union, 565-4323.
THIS NOTICE WAS SENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND PROGRAMS OFFICE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS. REFER ANY QUESTIONS OR BROKEN LINKS TO THEM:
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR F-1 STUDENTS
To read INS regulations for F-1 students taking online courses, please go to this website http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm and select the link to "8 CFR 214.2(f)" in the table next to "F-1." Paragraph (f)(6)(i)(G)
A Final Rule with clarifications on the restriction can be found in a pdf file located at http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/fr121102.pdf Within this document, refer to Section IX on page 9 with the subject header "Online and Distance Education Courses."
To comply with immigration regulations, an F-1 visa holder within the United
States may need to engage in an on-campus experiential component for this
course. This component (which must be approved in advance by the instructor) can
include activities such as taking an on-campus exam, participating in an
on-campus lecture or lab activity, or other on-campus experience integral to the
completion of this course.
If such an on-campus activity is required, it is the student's responsibility to
do the following:
(1) Submit a written request to the instructor for an on-campus experiential
component within one week of the start of the course.
(2) Ensure that the activity on campus takes place and the instructor documents
it in writing with a notice sent to the International Advising Office. The UNT
International Advising Office has a form available that you may use for this
purpose.
Because the decision may have serious immigration consequences, if an F-1 student is unsure about his or her need to participate in an on-campus experiential component for this course, s/he should contact the UNT International Advising Office (telephone 940-565-2195 or email international@unt.edu) to get clarification before the one-week deadline.
Policy on Academic Misconduct:
Plagiarism
and
cheating
* Read
Carefully -- This Policy will be enforced *
SLIS Academic Misconduct Policy
SLISAcademicMisconductPolicy_4_15_2005.pdf
Campus Policy
I support and will enforce the University of
North Texas policies concerning academic misconduct. Please consult the
University of North Texas Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities
including the
Code of Student Conduct which include
the following text:
Categories of Misconduct
Misconduct for which students are subject to discipline falls into the
following categories:
Acts of Dishonesty, including but not limited to:
. The term "cheating" includes, but is not limited to:
(a) copying or any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or
examinations,
(b) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor
in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other
assignments,
(c) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty member, staff member or student of the university, or
(d) dual submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to a different class without express permission from the instructor(s).
(e) any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage.
2. Academic dishonesty -- plagiarism. The term "plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to:
(a) the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement and
(b) the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.
Cheating and disciplinary action for cheating is
defined by the UNT Policy Manual Code of Student Conduct and Discipline.
Cheating is an act of academic dishonesty. It is defined and will be handled as
follows: "Plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books, notes,
or otherwise securing help in a test; copying tests, assignments, reports, or
term papers; representing the work of another as one's own; collaborating,
without authority, with another student during an examination or in preparing
academic work; or otherwise practicing scholastic dishonesty."
"Academic dishonesty matters may first be considered by the faculty member who
may assign penalties such as failing, reduction or changing of a grade in a
test, course, assignment, or other academic work, denial of a degree and/or
performing additional academic work not required of other students in the
course. If the student does not accept the decision of the faculty member,
he/she may have his/her case heard by the academic department chairperson or
head for review of his/her case. If the student does not accept the decision of
the academic department chairperson, he/she may then follow the normal appeal
procedures listed in Disciplinary Procedures."
Dr. Figa's Penalties for Academic Misconduct
1. First offense in this course:
2. Second offense in this course:
THE THREE COURSE UNITS
13 CHAPTERS
ONLINE CHATS ARE SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT THE
SEMESTER
AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN ADVANCE.
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UNIT ONE -- HISTORY Consult the Assignments Page for all Dates Chapter
1
Chapter 4 |
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UNIT TWO -- ETHNOGRAPHY Consult the Assignments Page for all Dates Chapter
6 Chapter
7 Chapter
8 |
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UNIT THREE -- CURRENT TRENDS Chapter
10 Chapter
11 Chapter
12 Chapter
13 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COURSE CONTACT:
Elizabeth G. Figa, Ph.D.
University of North Texas
School of Library and Information Sciences
Information Sciences Building, Room 216
P.O. Box 311068
Denton, TX 76203-1068
Voice: (940) 565-2187
Fax: (940) 565-3101
Email:
efiga@lis.admin.unt.edu
WWW:
http://courses.unt.edu/efiga/Figa
END OF THE SYLLABUS