MCCCD Program Description

Information in a Post-Truth World

Course: IFS201

First Term: 2018 Spring

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Development of critical thinking skills in using information. Exploration of how information can be used as a tool or a weapon. Explanation of the role of information as a consumer and creator. Recognition of the impact of culture and worldview on how information is understood, created, and disseminated.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Analyze how the method of information delivery changes the interpretation of its message. (I) 2. Determine the scope of the investigation, including the need for a process that includes inquiry, discovery, persistence, and serendipity. (II, III) 3. Differentiate between various information delivery systems and best practices for using and applying them. (III, IV) 4. Illustrate that information has several dimensions of value, including legal, economic, social, and cultural. (IV, V) 5. Evaluate information with informed skepticism and recognize that various communities may acknowledge different types of authority. (IV) 6. Synthesize and communicate information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. (VI)

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. History and Structure of Information A. Issues of access to information 1. Information access as a human right 2. Digital divide in the U.S. and abroad including social, economic, and political dimensions of gender, racial, ethnic, and/or linguistic minority groups B. Information architecture II. Information Needs Analysis - Question Formulation A. Appropriate scope of investigation B. Synthesis of multiple sources C. Assessment of information gaps or weaknesses III. Information Tools and Research Strategies A. Information Tools and Systems 1. Free and fee-based sources 2. Methods and perspectives on inquiry B. Strategic Searching and Information-seeking Behavior 1. Search language (e.g.) controlled vocabulary v. natural language 2. Critical thinking IV. Authority and Context A. Evaluation criteria 1. Cultural and social basis of authority 2. Objective indicators of authority B. Roles in content creation 1. Academic integrity and plagiarism 2. Information contributors and consumers 3. Social media V. Information has Value: Economic, Legal, Social, and Cultural Issues A. Ethics and attribution B. Censorship and freedom of speech C. Information control 1. Government information policies 2. Copyright and intellectual property 3. Commodification of personal information 4. Privacy vs. national security 5. Propaganda VI. Information Presentation A. Content organization and media manipulation 1. Stereotypes 2. Disguised advertising 3. Unequal representation in media B. Oral and written communication standards

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: April 25, 2017

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.