User:Highcroft/Pre-requisites for a course on ICTs

Pre-requisites for a course on ICTs

This is an experiment in the use of Wiki's. The purpose of this experimental article is to allow my students to collaborate and assist with the creation of a pre-course reading package for TSES 4005 Information: Technology and Society, a course offered at Carleton University.

What I heard in class... "Yes there should have some sort of pre-reading but NOT a pre-requisite course because that could exclude a lot of potential students. It might be necessary to spend the first 2-3 weeks bringing everyone up to speed on the history of computing and some of the math and technology. THIS is where I NEED help figuring out what is needed..."

I have snipped and pasted and then edited out some portions of the course outline to give you a starting point. Have at it!

Pat

Information Technology and Society - TSES 4005A 0.500 Credits)

“Investigation of the human and social impacts of electronic information and communication on our working, educational, and personal lives from various disciplinary perspectives; problem issues and competing values in the creation, manipulation, dissemination, and control of information are identified; resolution initiatives encouraged.”

Course Context

This course is mainly about information literacy. We are continually bombarded with information, be it e-mails, signs, lectures, news, etc... As consumers of information, we collect raw data, assemble, analyse, parse, sift, mine, manipulate and interpret it for use in our personal and professional decision-making processes. Accurate, reliable, timely and sufficient information is necessary and critical to solving problems and making good decisions. We will explore the art and science of information by examining the very nature of information itself, the theory(ies) of information, how information is gathered, by whom, how information is processed to give it meaning, how information is used and occasionally mis-used, and how information is (or should be) safeguarded. Several case studies and learning exercises will be used to illustrate key concepts and build competency with information.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this course, you should be familiar with and able to apply the following concepts:

- The theory of information including one or more generally accepted definitions of “information” - types of data/information such as; analog, binary, digital, primary, secondary, metadata, operational, derivative, environmental, economic, physical, biological (including DNA and genetic coding, memories and nerves), communications model, and semantic content. - The “Information Cycle” and the “Intelligence Cycle” - methods for solving problems and making decisions, including the “Scientific Method”, “Sequence of Logical Analysis”, and a method for handling “wicked problems” - Trust (or lack of trust), such as police record checks for volunteers and divulging personal credit information - “access to information” concerns pertaining to information collected by governments and businesses, and accountability challenges presented by privacy and secrecy concerns. Conflicts and resolution initiatives in the public sector (e.g. Privacy Commissioner) and private sector - The concept of “OCAP” (Ownership Control Access Possession), and intellectual property (patents, copyright) - Recent topics in information such as Wikileaks and its impact on national security and diplomatic communications; electronic medical records, Snowden and the NSA, the role of the Communications Security Establishment Canada Required readings and textbooks

Additional readings will be identified in class. Some course material may only be presented in class and will not be made available through cuLearn or other means. (You are encouraged to provide an e-copy of your seminar presentation and I will post to cuLearn.) Attending class is the best way to ensure you have all the readings and course materials.

Recording by any means of lectures, seminars and guest lecturers will only be permitted if the meeting leader agrees. As we will discover, copyright is an important concept and we should respect the rights of others when it comes to their information.

Key Dates

08 January - first meeting 07 February – book or journal articles review due 17-21 February - Winter Break - classes suspended 04 April - last class, review, take home exam distributed 26 April - Take home exam due

Evaluation (Grading) Scheme

Although TSES has a tradition of requiring a book report, a personal research paper, active participation in a group project, and a final exam from each student, we will deviate slightly this semester from this tradition. Because the size of the class is relatively small (23 students registered as of 27 Dec 2012), this lends itself nicely to the seminar approach to learning. Your class participation and seminar presentation(s) are recognized as a significant contribution to your final grade. Similarly, you are expected to do the assigned readings in addition to reading a couple of books and several journal articles which are also recognized as well.

Generally speaking, you should submit your work electronically. <deleted>

Book review or journal article reviews - 20%. Due at the start of class on 07 February. You are expected to select and read a book or an academic journal article related to the course themes. You will provide a critical review of the ideas presented in the book or the three journal articles. A length of 800-1000 words is appropriate although you may submit a longer review according to your analysis of the topic(s).

Seminar – 20% - In lieu of a group project, we will use the seminar approach to learning. You are expected to select one of the topics starting at Week 3 and no later than Week 12, and prepare a 30-40 minute presentation in which you will outline the key points from the readings, your analysis, and a conclusion/summation. Your presentation should go beyond the strict limits of the readings for this class and you may introduce material from your degree/discipline if you wish. Your classmates are expected to have done the required readings and come to class prepared to critically evaluate the author(s)’s claims. You should have several questions prepared to encourage discussion.

Participation – while you are expected to be present in class, having read the required readings, prepared to discuss those readings with your classmates. I recognize that you may occasionally have other priorities and cannot attend class. However, when you are in class, you are expected to provide a few well thought-out comments and critical interventions.

Assigned Reading Summaries - 20% - As I have found over time, readings are something that not everyone looks forward to. As a result, some students don’t come to class prepared. To encourage you to do your readings, you may submit a summary of the reading (one page is probably enough) before class. There will be about 25 opportunities. Each summary that is submitted before class starts will receive 1 mark towards your final grade up to a maximum of 20%.

Personal research paper - 20% - Select a topic related to the course objectives and content, and prepare a 20 page paper exploring and analysing the topic. Due the last day of classes.

Final exam - 20% - The final exam will be a take-home exam. The exam questions will be revealed in class on the last day of class. The exam will be “open book”. I will ask you for suggestions on possible exam questions a couple of weeks before the end of the course. Questions raised in class may be used as basis for final exam questions. You are encouraged to integrate ideas from other courses you have taken into your exam answers. University deadlines supercede mine.

Acceptable research methods:

Given that this is a course about information and its impacts, you are encouraged to explore and use the various information sources at your disposal. The University Library is an excellent place to start. You should use peer reviewed hardcopy and electronic journals where possible to ensure an appropriate level of quality and accuracy assurance. You may use un-regulated sources such as Wikipedia providing you do a “consistency check” with at least two other reputable sources. All sources must be identified and cited properly - I suggest “Chicago Style” (Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 7th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007). See also the next section on Academic Integrity.

Academic Integrity:

The university’s academic integrity policy can be found in the undergraduate calendar, which is found online at http://www1.carleton.ca/studentaffairs/academic-integrity/ and in greater detail at http://www1.carleton.ca/studentaffairs/ccms/wp-content/ccms-files/academic_integrity_policy.pdf.

“Carleton University is a community of scholars dedicated to teaching, learning and research. Sound scholarship rests on a commitment to a code of academic integrity that stresses principles of honesty, trust, respect, fairness and responsibility. The University demands integrity of scholarship from all of its members including students. The quality and integrity of academic work is paramount in achieving student success.

The University states unequivocally that it demands academic integrity from all its members. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form is ultimately destructive to the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to those students who pursue their studies honestly. The integrity of university academic life and the degrees conferred by the university is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of scholarship. Conduct by any person that adversely affects this process is a serious matter. Students who violate the principles of academic integrity through dishonest practices undermine the value of the Carleton degree. Dishonesty in scholarly activity cannot be tolerated. Any student who violates the standards of academic integrity will be subject to appropriate.”

Accommodation

You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request, the processes are as follows:

Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the Student Guide (http://www2.carleton.ca/equity/ccms/wp-content/ccms-files/Student-Guide-card-09.pdf).

Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the Student Guide (http://www2.carleton.ca/equity/ccms/wp-content/ccms-files/Student-Guide-card-09.pdf Equity Services website).

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send me your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with me to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled exam (if applicable).

Class Schedule: (as planned as of 28 December 2013)

Week 1 - Wednesday, January 08, 2014 course outline, introduction to the theory of information, the Information Cycle (and the Intelligence Cycle if time permits), decision-making - Gleick pp3-12 - Floridi Introduction and Chapter 1 41648 origins of language, messages, redundancy - Gleick pp13-27 - Floridi Ch 2 Wednesday 15 January Language, meaning, semantics, Rosetta Stone, transfer of information - Gleick pp28-50 - Floridi Ch 4) Friday 17 January Dictionaries, spellings, meanings - Gleick pp51-77 Wednesday 22 January Numbers, the concept of “Zero” and other values as information - Gleick pp78-124 - Floridi Ch 3 Friday 24 January Telegraphs, Weather and Code - Gleick pp125-167

Wednesday 29 January Telephony, pre-computers, binary calculations, metadata - Gleick pp168-203 Friday 31 January – Information technology, an emerging theory about information, analog computers, digital computers, programming, hiding/finding signals in background noise - Gleick pp204-232 Wednesday 05 February Patterns, redundancy, compression, fidelity, entropy - Gleick pp219-232 Friday 07 February cybernetics, logic, the brain, nerves, memory, game theory, predictableness, “Can machines think?”, Turing Test, Babbage, a bit of psychology - Gleick pp233-269 Wednesday 12 February “Maxwell’s Demons” and entropy - Gleick pp269-286 Friday 14 February to be announced 17-21 February Reading Week - University closed Wednesday 26 February Biology, nerves, memory, DNA; replication, verification, correction - Gleick pp287-309 - Floridi Ch. 6

Friday 28 February Memes and other social phenomena - Gleick pp310-322 Wednesday 05 March Randomness (revisited) - Gleick p324-354

Friday 07 March Classical physics, quantum physics, energy, states, Schrodinger’s Cat - Gleick pp355-372 - Floridi Ch. 5 - “The Big Bang Theory” clip on “Schrodinger’s Cat” Wednesday 12 March Libraries - Gleick pp373-397 Friday 14 March Evolution or revolution, printing press, Internet, “overload, glut, anxiety and fatigue”, noise, filtering, coping - Gleick pp398-412 Wednesday 19 March Problem Solving and Decision Making - Scientific Method, “Sequence of Logical Analysis”, Wicked Problems, Tools and Techniques Friday 21 March Ownership Control Access Possession (OCAP), Intellectual Property, issues and problems http://www.library.carleton.ca/copyright

http://www1.carleton.ca/edc/new-faculty-and-contract-instructors/information-for-new-carleton-instructors/assembling-course-materials/

Wednesday 26 March Access to Information, Privacy, Security and Secrecy, Ethics, Wikileaks

Friday 28 March The business of information, credit reporting, affinity cards - marketized, commoditized, commercialized

Wednesday 02 April Techne and Phys - Cyborgs and human-information interfaces and the future, “Foresight” - Floridi - Wikipedia “Foresight”

Friday 04 April review, final questions, take home exam released - Gleick – Epilogue)

� Optional Readings

None of these are required reading and nothing in this list will be examined unless you choose to use something from this list in your seminar. However, if your appetite is whetted, then you may wish to read one or more of these books which expand on the themes of this course.

Brockman, John (ed), Is the Internet changing the way you think? The Net’s impact on our minds and future, Harper, 2011

Carr, Nicholas, The Big Switch - Rewiring The World, From Edison to Google, W.W. Norton, 2009

Davies, Paul and Niels Henrik Gregersen (eds), Information and the Nature of Reality, From Physics to Metaphysics, Cambridge, 2010

Diamond, Jared, Guns, Germs and Steel, The fates of human societies, Norton Books, 1999, especially Chapters 1 and 12 and possibly 13

Frank, Christopher J. and Paul Magnone, Drinking from the fire hose, Making smarter decisions without drowning in information, Portfoli/Penguin, 2011

Friedman, George, The Next 100 Years, Anchor Books (a division of Random House), 2010

Goldsmith, Jack and Tim Wu, Who controls the internet, illusions of a borderless world, Oxford, 2006

Giglioli, Pier Paolo (editor), Language and Social Context, Penguin Books,1972

Hamilton, Dwight, Inside Canadian Intelligence, Dundurn Press, 2006

Hawkins, Jeff and Sandra Blakeslee, On Intelligence, How a new understanding of the brain will lead to the creation of truly intelligent machines, St. Martin’s Press, 2004

Homer-Dixon, Thomas, The Ingenuity Gap, VintageCanada (a division of Random House of Canada), 2001

Homer-Dixon, Thomas, The Upside of Down, VintageCanada (a division of Random House of Canada), 2007

Iyengar, Sheena, The Art of Choosing

Kelly, Kevin, What Technology Wants, Viking, 2010

Klingberg, Torkel, The Overflowing Brain, Oxford University Press, 2009

Levitt, Steven D. and Stephen J. Dubner, Super Freakonomics, HarperCollins, 2009

Levitt, Steven D. and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics, HarperCollins, 2005

Penn, Mark J. with E. Kinney Zalesne, Microtrends, Twelve (Hachette Book Group), 2007

Pinker, Steven, The Language Instinct, How the Mind Creates Language, HarperCollins, 1994

Qualman, Erik, Socialnomics, How social media transforms the way we live and do business, John Wiley & Sons, 2009

Searle, John R., Making the Social World, The Structure of Human Civilization), Oxford University Press, 2010

Stross, Randall, Planet Google, Free Press (a division of Simon & Schuster), 2008

Tapscott, Don and Anthony D. Williams, MacroWikinomics (Rebooting Business and The World), Penguin Canada, 2010

Tavris, Carol and Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (but not by me), Harcourt Books, 2007

Vedral, Vlatko, Decoding reality, the universe as quantum information, Oxford, 2010

Wardhaugh, Ronald, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, Blackwell Publishers, 1992

References

Gleick, James, “The Information: a history, a theory, a flood”, Random House, Toronto, 2011

Floridi, Luciano, “Information, A very short introduction”, Oxford University Press, 2010.

External links

• example.com

http://www.carleton.ca/