Brief Details of New Courses (2017)

  • We have an exciting set of course offerings that will allow you to get the most out of your summer. You can find the courses listed below. I appreciate your patience as we update the information in Banner.
  • We added four new courses this summer. SLIS is a leader among programs in library and information science that now offers courses in Digital Government, Digital Inclusion, Information Security and Geographic Information Systems. These four courses examine contemporary issues for student in both library science and information science. These courses will count as an elective for both the LIS and MIS programs.


    • Brief Details of New Courses:

      Special Topic – Information Security

    Dr. Gabriel Peterson will offer Information Security. This course provides timely understanding of strategies and practices that individuals and organizations must make to protect the data and information communicated through networked environments. As our digital ecosystem grows, we rely on secure networks in all aspects of our daily lives. This impacts how we use mobile devices, access and use software as a service applications, store our data, collaborate and so on. Recent news of vulnerabilities are a profound reminder of the need to know the latest in how to protect our digital ecosystems. Dr. Peterson, a SLIS expert in network and communication systems, will lead this summer course. As a student, you can expect to learn about contemporary issues as personal privacy protection, information security, operating system security, encryption, authentication, web privacy and anonymity, and wifi security. The course will examine these issues in a way that you will learn more about the technology and practices and best practices in how to protect a networked environment while balancing legal, political, ethical and moral issues.

      Special Topic – Digital Government

    Dr. Adrian Brown will offer Digital Government. Dr. Brown is an expert in digital government strategies and recently completed her dissertation at the University of Illinois at Chicago examining the impact of emerging approaches for citizen engagement. In the course, students examine the strategies, practices, and technologies of electronic government. Governments worldwide are integrating computer-based technologies into the centerfold of public administrative reforms to digitize the delivery of services and the process of governing. E-government relies on IT to automate and transform the processes to serve citizens, businesses, governments, and other constituents. The course focuses on understanding models of delivering services through IT-enabled processes, open government, security issues, technologies, and evaluation. The course will feature emerging topics on Smart Cities and Internet of Things and the development of next generation broadband Internet networks. Lessons learned in the course can be applied to public organizations, public libraries, international libraries that provide government services, nonprofit organizations, and civil society.

      Special Topic – Digital Inclusion

    Dr. Adrian Brown will offer Digital Inclusion. Dr. Brown has also researched extensively on-going strategies in the United States to improve digital inclusion through her role evaluating the Department of Commerce’s NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program and other research examining broadband adoption programs in Chicago. With significant challenges in overcoming the digital divide in communities, organizations that SLIS studies and serve, particularly community anchor institutions and libraries, are on the front lines to improve access to digital technology, expand digital literacy, and serve as catalyst to develop new services and applications. In this course students The nature and scope of the digital divide; barriers to Internet access and use; implications for lack of access; and survey current policy interventions. Student projects will provide service-learning opportunities to help national and local organizations to assess the digital needs of the community and to develop digital inclusion strategies. This course offers essential knowledge for future library and information science leaders to address digital literacy issues. At the end of this course, students will understand:

    Define and characterize the digital divide
    The factors contributing to the divide
    Understand common methods to measure access
    Social, political, and economic implications for Internet access (or lack thereof)
    The implications of technological policy on access
    Survey and understand the implication of various interventions
    The role of libraries in bridging the divide and in digital inclusion strategies

      Special Topic – Geographic Information Systems

    Dr. Dewayne Branch will offer Geographic Information Systems. Dr. Branch brings expertise in GIS with his technical skill in computer science and decision analysis coupled with is policy analysis expertise examining statewide GIS policies. GIS are methods used to visualize, question, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends. GIS and geospatial methods are used to improve the quality of information to assist with many aspects of our daily lives. The infusion in social media platforms, search engines, data science and visualization, and digital ecosystems has made using GIS an essential information tool and skill for future library and information science leaders. SLIS is among a small number of LIS programs offering GIS. In this course, students will learn analytical methods for using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and will apply these methods to community-based issues, local and national government, and civil society, as well as participatory methods using GIS. This is a hands-on course with weekly labs and service learning projects. Students will learn these concepts using ArcGIS. No prior knowledge is needed.