LIBR 100
Fall 2022
Information Research
General Syllabus
Thursdays, 12:30-1:20
Rm. HE 602a
Instructors:
John Carey, jca0022@hunter.cuny.edu
Tony Doyle, tdoyle@hunter.cuny.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Course Description:
Information Research (LIBR 100) is a one-credit course for students who are interested in improving their research skills and in getting a handle on which information should be trusted. Researchers have vastly more information at their disposal than they can use. The challenge is to identify information that is both credible and relevant to your assignment, topic, or interests. Information Research will give you the tools to manage any level of research. As a one-credit course, Information Research is designed to have one-third the amount of work of a three-credit class.
Textbook: None
Topics covered:
1. Selecting a manageable, researchable topic
2. Choosing the right databases
3. Search strategies in databases
4. Evaluating sources for audience, credibility, point of view, bias, and conflict of interest
5. Finding relevant background information on your topic
6. Scholarly sources and peer review
7. Books and ebooks
8. Fake news and conspiracy theories
9. Open access and creative commons
Expected Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Identify research topics that are both worth pursuing and manageable.
2. Find relevant background information on a topic.
3. Use databases to find articles and books relevant to your topic.
4. Distinguish among different types of information sources, for instance, popular vs. scholarly sources
5. Analyze and evaluate sources as to purpose, credibility, point of view or bias, and possible conflict of interest.
6. Correctly cite and effectively annotate sources.
Breakdown for final grade:
|
Assignment |
Points |
|
In class exercises* and participation |
20% |
|
Homework |
60% |
|
Final exam |
20% |
* You will be permitted to miss three of these exercises without penalty.
Homework Assignments
1. Brief responses to the assigned reading. Due at noon in Bb for the class for which they have been assigned.
2. 150 word responses to the reading. There will be four of these: September 15, October 13, November 3, and December 8. These will be due at noon on Bb on their respective dates.
3. Finally, you will also be asked to compile four bibliographies consisting of three sources each, due September 22, October 7, October 27, and December 1. Each of the bibliographies will be of a different type of source: magazine articles, newspaper articles, peer reviewed articles, and books. In addition, all of your sources have to be on the topic that you will be submitting to Bb September 1, by noon. Your topic has to come from the list below.
* Affirmative action in college admissions or employment
* African Americans or Latinos and the police
* Alternative energy sources, for instance, solar or wind
* Automation, AI, and the future of work
* Climate change skepticism or denialism
* Conspiracy theories (excluding the JFK assassination), for example, the anti-vaccination movement, 9/11, climate change, school shootings, the so-called deep state, Qanon
* Coral reef bleaching/coral reefs and climate change
* Critical race theory
* An endangered species/habitat loss
* Free speech on campus
* Genetically modified organisms or crops
* Glacial melting/sea level rise
* Immigration (some specific issue, for instance, ICE or open borders; refugees; or choose a country)
* Industrial scale meat production
* Intersectionality
* An LGBTQ+ issue
* Nuclear power
* Privacy and big data
* Pseudoscience, for instance, homeopathy, astrology, creationism/intelligent design
* Standardized/high stakes testing
* Surveillance cameras and facial recognition software
* Vaccine hesitancy or anti-vaxxerism
* Voting rights in the US
* World population: Potential negative effects
How class will be conducted:
This is not a lecture class. In most sessions you will work on the skills that you need to become an effective researcher. Expect a good deal of group work. Class will begin with a brief quiz, either on the reading due for that week or on a topic covered the previous week. You have to be on time to take this quiz. No make ups without a compelling documented excuse. (See late work policy below for details.) Most classes will include at least one more exercise that you will hand in and be graded on.
There will be no class on September 29 (Monday schedule) and November 24 (Thanksgiving). Our last class will be December 8.
Late work and makeups: All assignments have to be submitted on Blackboard by noon of the due date. We will accept no late work without a legitimate documented excuse (for instance, serious illness or injury, death in the immediate family, arrest, court appearance). Please contact us before the assignment is due if you think that you won’t be able to hand it in on time. Also, you will need a legitimate documented excuse to make up any in class quizzes or exercises that you miss. All unexcused missed work will result in an F.
Please note: Incompletes will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances.
Rubrics: Specific rubrics on the assignments are posted in the left panel of Blackboard under Rubrics.
Communication: Occasionally we will want to get in touch with the whole class by email. We will address all emails to your Hunter account. If you’re not in the habit of checking your Hunter account, please have your emails forwarded from it to an account that you do check regularly. We will answer emails Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00, excluding holidays and breaks. Please do not send emails on a whim. Please make sure, before you send an email, that the question you’re asking is important or that it’s about an issue that you have genuinely been unable to resolve. If you have questions specifically about Blackboard or other questions about technology, please get in touch with the student help desk.
Withdrawals: Withdrawal is your responsibility and has to be completed by December 14 if you want to receive a W on your transcript. Otherwise, you’ll receive a WU for unofficial withdrawal. For other important withdrawal dates see https://hunter.cuny.edu/students/registration/academic-calendar/#future
Plagiarism and cheating: “Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.”
We expect all written work to be done independently. Plagiarism is any attempt to pass someone else's work, ideas, or research off as your own, through either unattributed direct quotation or paraphrasing. It's a kind of theft. Plagiarism on the homework assignments or the final exam will result in an automatic F for the assignment. In addition, we will report any cases of suspected plagiarism to the college's student disciplinary committee for possible further sanctions. Plagiarism doesn't pay: If you try it, you will almost certainly get caught.
ADA Policy
“In compliance with the ADA and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational access and accommodations for all its registered students. Hunter College’s students with disabilities and medical conditions are encouraged to register with the Office of AccessABILITY for assistance and accommodation. For information and appointment contact the Office of AccessABILITY located in Room E1214 or call (212) 772-4857 /or VRS (646) 755-3129.”
Hunter College Policy on Sexual Misconduct
“In compliance with the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Hunter College reaffirms the prohibition of any sexual misconduct, which includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, and gender-based harassment retaliation against students, employees, or visitors, as well as certain intimate relationships. Students who have experienced any form of sexual violence on or off campus (including CUNY-sponsored trips and events) are entitled to the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights for Hunter College.
a. Sexual Violence: Students are strongly encouraged to immediately report the incident by calling 911, contacting NYPD Special Victims Division Hotline (646-610-7272) or their local police precinct, or contacting the College's Public Safety Office (212-772-4444).
b. All Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct: Students are also encouraged to contact the College's Title IX Campus Coordinator, Dean John Rose (jtrose@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-650-3262) or Colleen Barry (colleen.barry@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-772-4534) and seek complimentary services through the Counseling and Wellness Services Office, Hunter East 1123.
CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct Link: http://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/la/Policy-on-Sexual-Misconduct-12-1-14-with-links.pdf”