Info 218: Concepts of Information

As people ordinarily use the word, "information" is a loosely connected collection of notions, rather than a single coherent concept. In this course, through readings, discussions, exercises, and lectures, we'll examine various 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 the public sphere, the media, the political process and political science, economics, organization studies, and just plain search? We'll also explore the implications of the range of conceptions for "information studies" and "the information society"?

Classes:

Tues 12:30-2
Thu 12:30-2

Room:

205 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

GEOFFREY 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 10:30-12:00 (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 i218-request@ischool.berkeley.edu with the following
command in the body of your email message:

subscribe

You'll receive a confirmation message to which you must respond with the key provided.

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 i218-owner@ischool.berkeley.edu.

Grading: The course grade will be based on a final paper, along with participation in class discussions and assignments. The paper will involve a discussion of the role played by the notion of information in texts drawn from the student's field of interest. We'll work with students to decide on a paper topic,  they'll present an outline in the eleventh week of the class.

Papers are due by 8pm on May 15. Authors of papers received after that date will be given an incomplete.