LIS 201: Information, Technology & Organizations (Fall 2002)
Caroline Haythornthwaite, GSLIS, UIUC
This is one of two required core courses for the
Information Studies MinorThis course explores information – where it is found, how it flows, how it is used, how its presence affects how problems are viewed and further information collected. Our definition of information is broad and includes consideration of data, information and knowledge We examine social aspects of information gathering, use and dissemination in organizations and the way in which this influences and is influenced by information technology (IT) and communication technology (ICT). We look at how social, organizational and/or societal views and practices affect the design, implementation and use of information and its accompanying technologies. Our focus on information, technology and organizations leads us to examine how computer-based systems are used to support information collection, processing, and exchange, and the way social aspects of information combine with technical aspects of information technologies in organizational settings. Our perspective falls generally under the category of "social informatics" and more specifically "organizational informatics" (For more on social informatics, see http://www.slis.indiana.edu/SI/).
To address this area we draw from many disciplines, bringing together work on: rational and natural approaches to organizations and information; computers in the workplace; computer-supported cooperative work; computer-mediated communication; formal and informal information systems and their support through IT and ICT; distributed work; computer-supported collaborative learning; and virtual workplaces and telework.
The preconceptions we carry about how information is (or should be) organized and used greatly affect both how it is used and how technologies are designed to support information and the work of organizations. We pay attention to images and metaphors of organizations and technology in this course and examine: how our image of the role of technology affects how we perceive its place in an organization, and how we design, choose and implement technologies to support that image; how and why information is important to an organization; information processes in organizations and the technologies that support them; how an organization's technology affects its information gathering and use, and its connections to external organizations, agencies or institutions; how organizational, technological and societal factors affect information processing goals.
The course is offered regularly in the Fall. Syllabi for 201 for current and previous semesters can be found here:
LIS201: Information, Technology, and Organizations (Fall 2002)
LIS201: Information, Technology, and Organizations (Fall 2001)
LIS201: Information, Technology, and Organizations (Fall 2000)
LIS201: Information, Technology, and Organizations (Fall 1999)