ISI 5160 - description, goals, outcomes

Course Description

This course introduces students to the variety of ethical issues they will need to address as information professionals. It is a required course for all students in the Information Policy specialization. Addresses major ethical concerns currently confronting our information society and the application of moral and ethical values involved in information and technology-related incidents faced by today’s information professionals and agencies.

After a brief overview of ethical theories and their application to moral issues and ethical codes of conduct for the information professions, the class will focus on particular issues that are most salient to information professionals, such as intellectual property and ownership of data/information, privacy and security of data/information and individual rights, access to information/censorship, access to information technology, effects of computerization on the work environment, and effects of computerization on democracy and government.

Course Goal

To develop students’ theoretical and applied knowledge of moral reasoning and decision-making through consideration of major ethical issues in contemporary government, library and other social /informational settings.

ALA Competencies

1. The ethics, values, and foundational principles of the library and information profession.
2. The role of library and information professionals in the promotion of democratic principles and intellectual freedom (including freedom of expression, thought, and conscience).
3. The legal framework within which libraries and information agencies operate. That framework includes laws relating to copyright, privacy, freedom of expression, equal rights and intellectual property.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

· Make informed ethical decisions in information environments;
· Articulate and analytically apply core concepts underlying moral reasoning in professional settings;
· Articulate the historical and contemporary foundations of the core values of the information professional; and
· Know and be capable of addressing a wide range of issues and debates surrounding information access and information technologies from individual, organizational and other policy perspectives.

Course Textbooks

Rachels, J. (2007). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 5th or 6th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, available from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. A copy is also on reserve at Morisset.
Gorman, M. (2000). Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago: American Library Association. On reserve at Morisset.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants

textbooks and readings

ISI 5160 - Required Texts

Rachels, J. (2007). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 5th or 6th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, available from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. A copy is also on reserve at Morisset.

Gorman, M. (2000). Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago: American Library Association. On reserve at Morisset.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants.

ISI 5101 - Required Text

Leedy, P. & Ormrod, J. (2009). Practical Research: Planning & Design (9th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Available from Amazon.ca OR

The other option is to buy directly from Pearson. For that specific book, the link is here. Students can click on the link 'Buy from MyPearsonStore.' If they register, they can benefit from a discount and have no shipping fee.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants.

how to reach me

classroom: 200 Lees avenue, room 163
mcavanag[at]uottawa[dot]ca

tel: (613) 562-5800 x 7376
my office: 200 Lees avenue, room 157-C

office hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays
13:00 – 14:00 or by appointment

academic integrity and interaction

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ regulations on Examinations and Grading and on Academic Fraud can be found here.

You are responsible for understanding and adhering to these policies under all circumstances.

submitting assignments - the fine print

All assignments are due in-class at 830 am, unless otherwise specified. All assignments must be professional in appearance. Spelling and grammar will be considered in the marking process. Extensions will only be granted with appropriate documentation (e.g., a doctor's note), in advance of an assignment's due date. Late assignments will be assessed a penalty of 10% of the value per day (i.e., if the assignment value is 40 marks the late penalty will be 4 marks per day).

Late assignments must be submitted to the instructor, directly, or to the SIS office (for date/time stamping of the assignment). Some late assignments will not be accepted (e.g., an assignment submitted after other students' assignments have been returned). Marks are raw scores that are totalled at the end of the course and converted to University of Ottawa’s grading scale.

Late assignments which may become missed assignments without prior agreement according to these terms will result in a score of zero for that portion of the course evaluation.

Assignments must follow the author-date & reference list systems outlined in the APA Style

acceuil | welcome

Welcome to my teaching and learning blog to be used as the primary information site for these courses being offered for the first time in the fall / 2009.

ISI5101 Research applications in information studies (Th 830-1130)

ISI5160 Ethics, values and information dilemmas (T 830-1130)

You will find the basic course information here and throughout the term, I will post information and updates as we progress.

Students in both courses will be able to access all materials.

This blog is developed as an experiment, so please bear that in mind throughout the semester!