INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Dr. Jenna Hartel
Office Hours: Thursday, 2:00-3:00, iSouth (45 Wilcocks Street, office #324)
Contact: jenna.hartel@utoronto.ca
Class meeting time for Fall 2009: Wednesday, 9:00-12:00 (Section 1) & Thursday, 9:00-12:00 (Section 2)

Course Description

INF 2305 focuses on identifying and understanding what is “informational” in any setting. Students will develop sharpened vision to discern informational patterns, that is, an ability to trace what Bates (1999) calls the “red thread” of information pervading life. To this end, the course involves a fusion of information theory and ethnographic method that is then applied by each student to an independent Research Project. In weeks 1-3, theories, models, and concepts will be introduced from the literature of Information Seeking and Use (ISU). In weeks 4-6, students will learn the fundamentals of ethnographic research. In weeks 7-9, three Featured Contexts—the Home, Serious Leisure, and 12-step Recovery— will be profiled and considered as exemplar information experiences in context. As the semester unfolds, students will refine their observational and analytical skills through an exploratory, ethnographic Research Project about the information experience within a context of personal interest or career relevance. Weeks 9-12 feature training in ethnographic analysis and writing, and presentations of Research Projects by students. A Blackboard course website will provide an online environment for peer review and discussion outside of class time.

Please contact Professor Hartel for a complete copy of the syllabus that includes additional details on readings and assignments.