Syllabus
We will meet from 1100-1215 each Tuesday & Thursday, normally in Manning 014.
The description of this class states ...
Examines information in society for selected nations/cultures. Compares institutions, processes, and trends in the globalization of information management in the face of barriers of language and culture.
Yet as we approach the idea of "information in society for selected nations/cultures," we must first ask ourselves how we know, or think we know, other nations and cultures.
Accordingly, in INLS758 this semester, we will spend a fair amount of time reading about and discussing how we even approach the intersection between the nations and cultures we are familiar with and the nations and cultures we may not be as familiar with.
This will be less a "how-to" class and more a "why" class. There are no pat answers, but there are topics that deserve wide-ranging exploration.
We will spend most of our time discussing topics related to the idea of information in society (by asking ourselves what that means).
Introductory sessions
Our first week will be an exploration of what we think we know of other nations and cultures. We will see if our understandings and perceptions are supported by facts.
How do we understand the other?
We will then move into six sessions in which we consider the question above. To do this, we will consider how our image of "the other" is built and ponder if it is an accurate image. We will read about how our own culture defines other cultures for us. We will take this topic as an opening to several other cultural areas - the Middle East (a term which, in itself, is composed of cultural preferences and attitudes) and Europe.
Do we operate from the same terms of reference?
We will follow this with six sessions during which we will consider whether or not our cultures themselves have conditioned us to look at the world in different ways. We will use Richard Nisbitt's The geography of thought: How Asians and Westerners think differently – and why as our principal guide. We will take this topic as an opening to several other cultural areas such as East Asia and South Asia (two terms that, too, carry some cultural baggage).
Is culture dependent on our tongues?
With that as background, we will move into the consideration of the role of language in cross-national and cross-cultural information flow. We will use Nicolas Ostler's Empires of the word: A language history of the world as our principal guide. During this part of the semester, we will touch upon cultural and language areas such as East and South Asia, as well as the Francophone and Lusophone countries. We will also consider the impact of "Globish."
How do we relate to place & space?
Here we will consider nationality and nationalism. We will use Yi-Fu Tuan's Space and place: The perspective of experience as our principal guide. Continuing on from our previous topics, we will look at Africa, Latin America, and other American nations/cultures. As part of this, we will also consider immigration within and immigration from without.
This will primarily be a reading, reflecting, lecture and discussion class. As will become very apparent, we all have backgrounds and knowledge that the rest of the group will benefit from. We will try to explore in class and online any relevant topic members of the group which to pursue. Depending on other people's schedules, we may hold some classes outside of Manning Hall and we may well have some guest speakers.