Information Studies
Information Literacy and Research Skills (INFS 1000)
Total Credits:
2
Lecture Credits:
1
Lab Credits:
1
Description:
This course is an introduction to information literacy and research skills, including how information is produced, organized and disseminated within a societal context. You will learn how to organize a strategy for finding information, how to use print and digital sources to locate information, and how to analyze and evaluate information found. This course fulfills the information literacy graduation requirement for students seeking an A.A. degree.
Prerequisites:
Placement score into
ENGL 1110 or completion of
ENGL 0900 or
ENGA 0900 or
ESOL 0051
MnTC:
Goal 2
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Necessary Illusions: Media in the Information Age (INFS 2510)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3.00
Lab Credits:
0.00
Description:
This course explores the theories and definitions of the "Information Age" from a critical perspective. You will examine the myths surrounding the Information Age and place it in the context of advanced industrial capitalism. You will focus on the implications of mass media ownership by large corporations, the influence of the public relations industry, the role of privacy and surveillance in a free society, and the history and role of the alternative press.
Prerequisites:
ENGL 1110 or ENGA 1110.
MnTC:
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Alternative Knowledge: How Radical Ideas Are Communicated in Society (INFS 2520)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3
Description:
This course examines the role of dissident knowledge in shaping and influencing a democratic society. You will be introduced to communication theories; the role of propaganda and consent in a democratic society; and how "mainstream" and "alternative" ideas shape our world views. The course will expose you to specific dissident communities and ideas from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries in the areas of politics, economics, and cultural and religious life.
Prerequisites:
ENGL 1110 or
ENGA 1110
MnTC:
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Ideas, Censorship and Politics (INFS 2600)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3
Description:
This course provides an introduction to print culture and the role of print media in the cultural and political life of communities throughout the world and throughout time. You will explore intellectual history and the role of the printed word in shaping culture. You will explore concepts such as censorship, bibliocide and libricide (the destruction of books and libraries), and the history of scholarship and knowledge production.
Prerequisites:
ENGL 1110 or
ENGA 1110
MnTC:
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Common Knowledge: A Critical Examination of Intellectual Property (INFS 2610)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3.00
Description:
This course provides a cross-cultural and historical examination of how common knowledge and intellectual property are transmitted. You will explore concepts of information sharing and creation across various media and disciplines, investigating historical linkages between copyright and culture. You will compare and contrast western and other global cultures in how they regard and treat knowledge in all its forms, as well as its relationship to the public commons.
Prerequisites:
ENGL 1110 or ENGA 1110.
MnTC:
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