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Research Methods with Human Diversity Focus (INFS 2007)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3
Description:
This course introduces information literacy and research skills with a focus on anti-racist and human diversity issues. You will learn how to organize a strategy for finding information, how to use digital and print resources to locate information, and how to analyze and evaluate information found. Your research will focus on increasing your understanding of social, political, economic, and/or environmental inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous lands and people, and other communities of color. Your research will focus on the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations among racial and other marginalized groups in the United States and how inequality is maintained by redefining race and other social identities and structures.
Topical Outline:
1. Introduction to issues and theories concerning the production, organization and dissemination of information in a racially, culturally and economically diverse democratic society
2. Introduction to anti-racist, gender, queer, and other critical theories and how they are applied in critiquing systems of power and privilege in society.
3. Introduction to discipline based academic research and approaches with a focus on research in anti-racist, gender and queer theories.
4. Develop students' ability to employ appropriate search syntax to construct database searches to locate information on research topics related to the individual and/or institutional dynamics of unequal power relations among racial and other marginalized groups in the United States and how they can be overcome.
5. Develop students' ability to critically evaluate and analyze information to support academic research needs
6. Explore the ethical uses of information, including: academic honesty, intellectual freedom, copyright and plagiarism
Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify and articulate how knowledge is produced, organized and distributed in a racially, culturally and economically diverse democratic society.
2. Identify and articulate how information and knowledge is affected by social, political, economic, and/or environmental inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous lands and people, and other communities of color.
3. Analyze how individual and group differences shape our knowledge of unequal power relations among racial and other marginalized groups in the United States.
4. Determine the proper tool and search strategy needed to locate information related to the chosen research topic. Research topics will focus on individual and/or institutional dynamics of unequal power relations among racial and other marginalized groups in the United States and how they can be overcome.
5. Critically examine library-based research tools and classification systems while effectively applying them to the research process.
6. Critically examine information and determine its authenticity, credibility, intellectual content, bias, and explain how the information supports one’s research topic.
Prerequisites:
Placement into
ENGL 1110 or completion of
ENGL 0900 or
ENGA 0900 or
ESOL 0051
MnTC:
- Goal 2: Critical Thinking
- Goal 7A: Human Diversity | Goal 7B: Race, Power, and Justice