Course Schedule
Date |
Topic / Class Activities |
Required Readings, Viewings and Assignments |
Jan 9 |
Welcome Overview of course
|
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Jan 14 |
Information seeking and behavior
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- Case, D.O.
(2012). Information behavior: An introduction. In Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (3rd ed.) (pp. 3-14). London: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Freely available via Google books
- Bohannon, J.
(2011). Searching for the Google effect on people's memory. Science, 333, 277.
Note: you should be prompted to log into the UNC Library's subscription using your ONYEN/Password
|
Jan 16 |
Information Seeking in Real Life
|
- Case, D.O.
(2012). Common examples of information behavior. In Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (3rd ed.) (pp. 20-42). London: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
|
Jan 21 |
Information organization: Categorization
-
Lecture slides [ppt]
- Lecture on information organization
- Categories (e.g. definition / categories of games
Card sorting exercise in class
|
|
Jan 23 |
Information organization: Classification, controlled vocabularies, metadata and facets
- Lecture slides [pptx]
- Everything is Miscellaneous video
- Lecture on metadata and use in faceted browsing
- In-class exercise: examine and evaluate several info organization schemes and hierarchies
- Look at LCSH
|
|
Jan 28 |
The research process
- Lecture slides [pptx]
- Types of research (exploratory, descriptive, explanatory)
- In-class activity: LA Times article (food labeling) based on research studies; track down original studies
|
-
Neuman, W.L. (2009)
. Understanding research. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Read part of chapter 1: What is Empirical Social Research, bottom of page 8 through page 22
|
Jan 30 |
Analyzing scholarly research publications
- Lecture slides [pptx]
- Research questions, literature review, qualitative and quantitative research methods, variables, data collection, and data analysis
|
-
Neuman, W.L. (2009)
. Understanding research. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Read part of chapter 2: Planning a Study, pages 25-43
- Handout: Analyzing Research Articles (you will use this to analyze the research article you select from list below)
|
Feb 4 |
Using large data sets
- Lecture slides [pptx]
- Overview of the General Social Survey
- What is it and who compiles it?
- Data collection method
- Variables, topics and themes
- Discuss Data to Story project
- Form project groups
|
Choose one of the following articles to read and analyze for Feb 11 - each study uses GSS data. Counts as one pop-quiz worth up to 2 points.
-
Ifcher, J. & Zarghamee, H. (2013). The happiness of ingle mothers: Evidence from the General Social Survey. Journal of Happiness Studies.
- Burke, S.K. (2010). Social tolerance and racial materials in public libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(4), 369-379.
- Sarkin, A.J., Groessl, E.J., Mulligan, B., Sklar, M., Kaplan, R.M., & Ganiats, T.G. (2013). Racial differences in self-rated health diminishing from 1972 to 2008. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35(1), 44-50.
- Irwin, K. & Berigan, N. (2013). Trust, culture, and cooperation: A social deliemma analysis of pro-environmental behaviors. The Sociological Quarterly, 54(3), 424-449.
- Yucel, D. (2013). Number of siblings and generalized trust. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 41(8), 1399-1408.
|
Feb 6 |
SPSS Lab with Dr.Cathy Zimmer
- **MEET IN ODUM COMPUTER LAB**
DAVIS LIBRARY, ROOM 219
Call Rachael's cell if you have trouble finding it: 714.926.1098
|
|
Feb 11 |
Debrief of GSS lab and project discussion
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DUE: Analysis of selected research article
-
Neuman, W.L. (2009)
. Understanding research. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Read part of chapter 2: Planning a Study, pages 44-57
|
Feb 13 |
SNOW DAY!
|
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Feb 18 |
Specialized info sources: Background Information
|
|
Feb 20 |
Specialized info sources: Statistics and demographics
|
|
Feb 25 |
Specialized literature databases
Search techniques (subject headings, Boolean, proximity operators)
Focusing a research topic - crafting a thesis statement
|
|
Feb 27 |
Citation indexes
Evaluating information
|
Midterm Exam [.doc] distributed in class - due Thursday, March 6 by 5:00 pm via email
|
Mar 4 |
ICE DAY!?! [class cancelled]
|
DATA TO STORY PROJECT: PROJECT PLAN DUE
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Mar 6 |
NO CLASS |
MID-TERM EXAM DUE BY 5:00 PM VIA EMAIL
|
Mar 11 |
Spring Break |
relax, no class!
|
Mar 13 |
Spring Break |
relax, no class!
|
Mar 18 |
SPSS Lab with Dr.Cathy Zimmer
- **MEET IN ODUM COMPUTER LAB**
DAVIS LIBRARY, ROOM 219
Call Rachael's cell if you have trouble finding it: 714.926.1098
|
|
Mar 20 |
Literature searching lab with reference librarian, Rebecca Vargha
- **MEET IN SILS LIBRARY LAB**
Manning Hall - 1st floor
Walk into the SILS Library, head to the left through the lab and into the instruction room
Call Rachael's cell if you have trouble finding it: 714.926.1098
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Mar 25 |
Citation analysis and "expertise"
|
|
Mar 27 |
Primary sources and archives
|
- Schmidt, L. (2011). Using archives: A guide to effective research. Society of American Archivists.
Please spend some time exploring one or more of these digital archives and collections and post your observations and questions on our discussion board in Sakai.
- UNC's Documenting the American South
digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs
- Duke Digital Collections
- Folkstreams
Amazing collection of documentary films relating to all kinds of American culture and people
- National Archives
Many people know the National Archives as the keeper of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. But they also hold in trust for the public the records of ordinary citizens for example, military records of the brave men and women who have fought for our country, naturalization records of the immigrants whose dreams have shaped our nation, and even the canceled check from the purchase of Alaska.
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Ap 1 |
NO CLASS
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Ap 3 |
Archives and special collections
- Fieldtrip to University Archives
MEET IN READING ROOM ON SECOND FLOOR OF WILSON LIBRARY
|
DATA TO STORY PROJECT: SEARCH LOG DUE
After an introduction to the special collections at Wilson Library, we will be handling and reading documents from the Federal Writers' Project Papers, 1936-1940. This collection contains the life histories of about 1,200 individuals, written by about 60 members of the project after one or more interviews with the subjects. Persons interviewed, many of them African Americans, described life in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Matt Turi, Manuscripts and Archives Research and Instruction Librarian, will be our host.
|
Ap 8 |
Online privacy
Pecha Kucha presentation format
|
-
Price, T. (2013, October 25). Big data and privacy. CQ Researcher, 23, 909-932.
- Singer, N. (2012). Your online attention, bought in an instant. The New York Times.
|
Ap 10 |
Information Access
|
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April 15 |
|
DATA TO STORY PROJECT: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
Online Privacy and Citation Format JEOPARDY!
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April 17 |
|
Data to Story Projects: PechaKucha Presentations
- Albert, Hunter and Kristian: Attitudes toward gun control, political and religious affiliations
- Alyssa, Sammy Jo, Stephanie and Sarah: Television viewing habits and health
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April 22 |
|
Data to Story Projects: PechaKucha Presentations
- Beth, Lauren, Luis and Brian R.: Political affiliation and race
- Whitney, Kate and Hayley: Pregnancy and children as a result of rape
- Ally and Annie: Incarceration and employment
- James, Austin, Brian L. and J.J.: Attitudes toward death penalty and abortion
- Kelsey: Multigenerational households
- Dan, Harris and Jenna: Happiness and college degree / major
- Sydney, Maggie, Jill and Dayton: Educational attainment and incarceration
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April 24 |
Wrap-up and review
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May 2
|
Final Exam 8:00 am
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