BWP3 Information and Society

Prof. Dinneen • Winter Semester 2023/24

Description

In this course students learn about the background and current landscape of the information society. In doing so we will examine the role of information and technology in shaping today’s society from various social, societal, and ethical perspectives, and will analyse relevant factors in technology, policy, and politics. Upon completion of the course, students will have a broad understanding of the need for and development of ethical information services and governance and will be able to characterise scholarly perspectives on particular challenges of the information society and explain how they are addressed by information institutions and research.

Delivery Modes and Languages

BWP3 consists of in-person seminars (HS) on Tuesdays and in-person lectures (VL) on Wednesdays, each starting at 16:15 and ending by 17:45. Please find the room location and further details on the course Moodle page. The VL consist primarily of lectures with some integrated class discussion, whereas the HS consist of student presentations and various discussion activities, some of which require students to prepare in advance. Students are expected to attend both VL & HS.

Language requirements

The course will be conducted primarily in English. Please note that students’ varied linguistic backgrounds, skills, and challenges have been considered in the design and delivery of course materials and in the review of assessments; generally, linguistic performance will not be assessed! Written assignments (e.g. the ‘MAP’) may be submitted in English or German.

Schedule

Note: this schedule is subject to change. Please refer to the course Moodle for the most current schedule.

Week	HS (Tues)	VL (Wed)
1	Introductions, course overview Discussion: info & society	What is information?
2	Activity: big questions	The information society
3	Activity: paper discussion	Information culture
4	Activity: writing tutorial Discussion: info & ethics	Information ethics
5	Student presentations	Data ethics
6	Activity: data ethics case studies	Fake news and censorship
7	Student presentations	Artificial intelligence
8	Student presentations	Cybercrime and Surveillance
9	Student presentations Discussion: info & governance	Information and globalisation
10	Student presentations	Digital sovereignty and regulation
11	Student presentations	Sustainability
12	Student presentations	Equity and diversity
13	Student presentations	Activity: LIS initiatives
14	Activity: MAP outlines	Course review

Assessment

	Leistungspunkte	earned by
Hauptseminar (HS)	4	Participation: presentations, discussion (incl. preparation)
Vorlesung (VL)	2	Participation: discussion (incl. reading / preparation)
Modulabschlussprüfung (MAP)	4	Submission of Fachartikel (essay)

HS Participation

Presenting & actively discussing according to the following requirements will earn the 4 Leistungspunkte:

Presentations should briefly introduce one narrow topic relevant to the VL from the week prior (e.g. a presentation about VL6 happens in HS7) and then provide deeper relevant details according to the student’s interests (e.g. professional, scholarly, personal interests) and with reference to scholarly literature and reputable press. Presentations should last maximum 20 minutes and end with (a) a clear conclusion and (b) 3 open-ended questions to stimulate class discussion. A script may be used. The presentation schedule will be decided at the start of the semester. Note: it is permissible – and efficient – to write the MAP essay on the same topic as your presentation!
Discussions and activities in the HS meetings serve to introduce new course themes or present the results of short assignments. To earn the LP, students are required to attend and actively participate in the majority of such events, as well as participate in the discussion portion of other students’ presentations.

VL Participation

Actively and respectfully participating in the majority of class discussions will earn the 2 Leistungspunkte.

MAP Essay

The MAP Fachartikel is an essay with original synthesis and argumentation using suitable evidence and reasoning to support a coherent and novel thesis about a topic covered in the module. After a brief introduction the author should deeply analyse the chosen topic, give support for their thesis, and then – importantly – end by discussing what, if anything, the LIS field can do to have an impact on the topic (broadly construed). The essay should be ca. 6.000 to 10,000 characters (excluding spaces) and therefore ca. 3 to 5 pages, in APA7 style, in English or German. Footnotes and endnotes must not be used (neither for citations nor for content).

Readings and Resources

Readings and resources (e.g. videos, podcasts) will be provided on Moodle prior to each week. In addition to assigned readings, students are expected to select (according to their interests) and review 2-3 supplementary resources each week from the course bibliography.

Last revised: 06.11.2023