Info 218: Concepts of Information

As it's generally used, "information" is a collection of notions, rather than a single coherent concept. In this course, we'll examine conceptions of information based in information theory, philosophy, social science, law, economics, and history. Issues include: How compatible are these conceptions; can we talk about "information" in the abstract? What work do these various notions play in discussions of literacy, intellectual property, advertising, and the political process? And where does this leave "information studies" and "the information society"?

Classes:

Tues & Thurs, 9:30-11

Room:

110 South Hall

Instructors:

PAUL DUGUID, School of Information

Phone: (510) 643-3894 (but email is surer:)
duguid-at-ischool-dot-berkeley-dot-edu
Web Page

GEOFF NUNBERG, School of Information

Phone: (510) 643-3894 (but email is surer:)
nunberg-at-berkeley-dot-edu
Web Page

Office:

203A South Hall

Office Hours:

Duguid: Wednesday 1-2:00 (by appointment)

Nunberg: Tuesday 2:00-3:00 (by appointment)

Email List:

Whether you're enrolled or auditing, you should subscribe to the email list for the course, i218@ischool.berkeley.edu. Messages sent to this email go to everyone on the list.

I-School students can subscribe by adding "i218" to their list of subscriptions on their preferences on the school intranet.

For outsiders to subscribe, send an email to Majordomo@ischool.berkeley.edu with the following
command in the body of your email message:

subscribe i218

You'll receive a confirmation message to which you must respond with the key provided. If you are sending the email from an account other than the one you want to subscribe from, the message should read:

subscribe i218 username@address.domain

To unsubscribe, use the same procedure using the word "unsubscribe." If you ever need to get in contact with the owner of the list (if you have trouble unsubscribing, or have questions about the list itself) send email to <owner-i218@ischool.berkeley.edu>.