ALS 1200

Information Chaos: Navigating Today's Information Landscape

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

In 1987, a weekday edition of the New York Times contained more information than the average person was likely to encounter in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England. Now more than 30 years later, it is hard to imagine how much more information we encounter in our daily lives. Access to quality information is at the heart of an informed and engaged citizenry, yet as more information floods the information landscape, worrisome information also spreads. What makes information worrisome? What makes it valuable? This course includes the theoretical, methodological and practical concepts and skills needed to understand and evaluate today's vast information landscape. The course will focus primarily on information systems in the U.S., although several prominent examples of international information systems will also be included.

When Offered Fall, Spring.

• Compare various information types that exist and articulate the value(s) and problems(s) of each.
• Recognize the structural and ideological differences between various information systems (I.e., News sites, academic databases, federal repositories, etc.) that produce and disseminate information.
• Translate complex research questions into a search strategy with appropriate search tools and platforms.
• Apply various assessment tools to evaluate the credibility of information.
• Utilize citation management software to organize information conceptually and thoughtfully.
• Demonstrate understanding of attribution by properly citing the work of others.

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