School of Information Management & Systems.   Spring 1997.   M. Buckland.

Infosys 101: Information Systems.    Assignment 4: Essay.     Revised deadlines 4/22/97.

By "essay" we mean a half-sized term paper reporting on any mutually acceptable topic that has to do with information, information systems, and their impact on the individual and/or society. I use the word "essay" to mean that this is more than a report: It should not only report on your topic but also include your thoughts about this topic.

Part A: Half -page outline of intended topic ASAP - Now overdue.
Also, by April 24, send a brief e-mail note of what your topic is to the class at is101@sims.berkeley.edu
Part B: Three page written progress report (or at least some evidence of progress!) by May 1.
Part C: Final essay due in to me and a short (e.g. 15+ line) summary of what you found that interested or surprised you to the rest of the class - is101@sims.berkeley.edu - by Monday May 11 latest.
Class discussion of each topic as time allows.

Length of essay: About 8 pages, single-spaced, more or less, plus a separate one page summary. Name, date, and numbered pages, please. No binders. Sources to be correctly cited. Summaries may be distributed or put on reserve. Nine hours a week should be devoted to this 3 unit course. Deducting class time, required readings, other exercises and assignments, the balance should be devoted to this essay. That investment of time should determine the result, not any target number of pages. Main problem in the past has been excessive delay in selecting a topic. Suggestion:   Think in terms of preparing an explanantion for a student like you who didn't take the course.

Where to look for material depends on the topic. The exercises have been intended to help you increase your ability to find material. See Exercise 11: Finding sources. Here are some general tips. Previous students have found useful material in newsapapers, magazines, MAGS and other MELVYL databases, and on the Internet. For a broad-to-specific approach, try starting in reference in area of, say, the MOFFITT or the MAIN libraries, looking in whatever seems a suitable subject area, e.g. H Social Sciences, Q Science, QA76 Computing, or T Technology. There is usually an encyclopedia that can be useful.

International Encyclopedia of Communications. 10989. MOFF Ref P87.5 I5 1989
Encyclopedia of the History of Technology. MOFF Ref T15 E53 1990
Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. MAIN Ref / Bib Z1006.E57
Information Science Abstracts. MAIN Z699 A1 D6
Library Hi Tech Bibliography, 1986- e.g. "Cultural impact of information technologies", "Ethics in the Information Age" and "Privacy in the Information Age".
Prentice-Hall Enyclopedia of Information Technology 1987.

Another approach is to start by looking very narrowly in MELVYL's databases. If you don't know what subject headings to use, try searching for words in titles, using FI TW or generic keyword FI KW and then use DISPLAY LONG to see what subject headings are being used. Refer to Exercise 4 for searching the World Wide Web.

Past topics include: Employee and consumer privacy. Information systems and U.S. culture. Wireless portable communication and its impact. Privacy and access to information. Cyberpunk as a literary movement and a subculture. Image integrity in the digital age. Information technology and organizational / business organization. Information technology and elementary education. Privacy and electronic monitoring in the workplace. Social issues on the information superhighway. Impact of television. (Revised 4/22/97)