LSC 541: Social Science Information

Social Science Information
LSC 541
Spring, 2004

Dr. Donna L. Gilton            Course Time: M 3:30-6:15
9 Rodman Hall                    Meeting Place: Rodman Hall
(401)874- 4630                    E-mail: dgilton@uri.edu

LSC 541 is designed to introduce students to research and other issues in the social sciences, as well as some of the more specialized information in this area. This course will emphasize these aspects of history, geography, political science, law, economics, sociology, anthropology, folklore and popular culture, communications, and psychology.

     -History, development and parameters of the field
     -Research
          -Traditional and emerging areas of research
          -Research methodologies
     -Information needs of
          Academic researchers
          The general public
     -Librarianship in the specific field
     -Materials in the field
          -The most important materials
          -How to select materials

A number of occupations and professions, such as business management, education, library science, social work, and public administration draw heavily from the literature of the social sciences and attempt to apply this literature. This course will investigate some similarities and differences in how academics and practitioners in these fields do research, create their own literature, and attempt to apply this literature "in the real world".
Last, this course will look at the impact of new areas of study on the social sciences. We will investigate the creation and development of new disciplines, in general, as well as the formation of new interdisciplinary departments and research institutes in fields such as area and ethnic studies and social issues such as peace studies or conflict resolution.

RELEVANCE OF LSC 541 TO OTHER COURSES AND TO THE FIELD
1. It is a necessary course for all future librarians planning to specialize in any area of the social sciences.
2. It is an important and useful course for most students specializing in adult reference services in public or academic libraries, especially for those focusing in the social sciences and the humanities. It will supplement Library Materials in the Humanities and similar courses.
3. This course will serve as a foundation for more specialized LSC courses in law librarianship, business reference, and government publications.

REQUIRED TEXTS
Herron, Nancy (general editor). The Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Guide to Selected Sources. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2002.
Other readings, as assigned.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Li, Tze-chung. Social Science Reference Sources: A Practical Guide. New York: Greenwood, 2000. Ref Z 7161 Al L5 2000
Webb, William H. and Associates. Sources of Information in the Social Sciences. Chicago: ALA, 1986. Z 7161 WZ716 1. S666 1986. (On reserve.)
Other readings, as assigned.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. Social Issues in the Social Sciences            20%
     Choose a social issue important to our society, today. (We will list some on the board.) As you learn about the literature of history, geography, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, one profession, and at least one new discipline, check indexes, abstracts, handbooks, encyclopedias, and other sources to determine the following:

           a. Is my subject covered by the discipline or profession, at all? If so, in what ways?
           b. What aspects of my topic do scholars in different fields focus on?
           c. What kinds of research methodologies do they bring to the subject?
           d. What conclusions do they reach?
           e. What can this ultimately mean to average citizens?

Keep a brief note on this every week as you do your readings and learn your sources. A paper summarizing all of this will be due on April 26, 2004 the last day of class.

2. Law Project 30%
Find laws related to either an ongoing social issue or to an event in the news. (You may also pick a subject of personal interest to you, but check with me, first.) Find and analyze legislation, regulations, and court cases that relate to each other and on your subject. Also, Shepardize at least one court case to see if the law is still in effect.

Due: Feb. 23, 2004

3. Oral Research Report          20%
     Do an oral research report in one of these areas:

     a. A TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE, such as
          history                              sociology
          geography                        anthropology
          political science               communications
          economics                        psychology
          folklore or popular culture

     Look at Dissertation Abstracts and /or professional journals in the field and report on the following:

          -What are the major subdivisions of the discipline?
          -On what topics are people doing research?
          -What methodologies are they using to do this research? (Emphasize this.)
          -What affect may this research have on society?

     b. A PROFESSION THAT DRAWS ON SOCIAL SCIENCE LITERATURE
          Examples would include:
               Library science
               Social work
               Public administration
               Urban planning
               Public health

     Look at Dissertation Abstracts and professional journals to determine and report on the following:

          - What are the major subdivisions of the profession?
          - From what traditional discipline(s) do they draw on as the foundation of their literature?
          - What are academics in the profession doing research on? What are practitioners doing research on? What are the major problems that the profession is trying to solve?
          - What methodologies do researchers in the population use to do their research? What fields are they drawn from?
          - What are contributions of the profession, in terms of research results and methodology that are unique to the particular profession?
          - How does the professional literature compare to that of education? Library science or another field?

DUE: When field is discussed in class

4. Electronic Sources in the Social Sciences and Professions: A Lecture and Demonstration 20%
Choose a traditional discipline, a new discipline, or a profession that will be covered in this course. Describe and show major electronic information sources related to your discipline or field. These can be in the form of Internet sites, online databases, and CD-ROMs and other formats. You should also pass out a brief, annotated bibliography (or webliography) on these sources.

DUE: When field is discussed in class

5a. The Research Institute          10%
     Choose a major social problem or issue to investigate as part of a committee. Find out the following:

          (1). Has anybody started a research institute to address this problem? Where is it (or are they) located? What is the history of the institute(s)? What are their activities? Who works for the institute(s) and what disciplines are they from?
          (2). Are there academic departments (such as "Peace Studies") that address the issue you are looking at? What disciplines do the professors from the department come from? What else can you say about that department and similar ones?
          (3). Considering Keresztesi's theory, at what stage would you say your field is in? Is it simply a field with a few committed scholars? Or is it becoming an established discipline? What organizations support your area? What is the state of the written literature? Are there newsletters, professional journals, texts, encyclopedias, etc.?

     Form a committee with 1-3 other classmates to investigate your field or issue. Divide up the work described above, but keep a diary of your activities and findings to pass in. Before April 23, 2002, meet once or twice as a committee to pull your findings together. Also, in one meeting, pretend that you are trying to establish a research institute on your topic at URI. How would you go about the process of doing this? Which professors would you approach to be part of the institute? Where may you apply for funds? What would you like to see as the result of our institute's activities? You will be asked to report on all your activities as a committee during our last two class sessions. Your own diary and results will also be due April 19, 2004.

5b. Development in Studies          10%
     Form a committee of several students to investigate women's studies, African-American studies or a similar discipline. Read books about the discipline in question and consult reference tools to find out the following:

     (1). Schools offering concentrations in this field - emphases, courses given, etc.
     (2). Professional organizations in the field, their philosophy, publications, and
activities
     (3). The state of the literature in the field - existence of newsletters, periodicals, books, periodicals, etc.
     (4). Where the field currently is in its development, according to Keresztesi's theory.

     Divide up the work among yourselves, but be sure to keep a diary and a fist of individual findings to pass in. Combine your findings among yourselves and report your joint findings to the class by April 19, 2004.

COURSE OUTLINE
Library Materials in the Social Sciences
LSC 541

Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Introduction to the Social Sciences

Required Reading:
     Herron. "General Social Sciences." pp. 3-44

Recommended Reading:
     Webb. "Social Science Literature" pp. 1-62

Supplementary Reading
     Li. "Social Science in General." pp. 1- 155

Monday, January 26, 2004
History

Required Reading:
     Herron. "History". pp. 173-194

Recommended Readings
     Li. "History." pp. 292-316
     Webb. "History." pp. 63-148

Monday, February 2, 2004
Geography

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Geography." pp. 395-431

Supplementary Readings
     Li. "Geography." pp. 269-290
     Webb. "Geography." pp. 149-212

DUE: Research in Geography (oral reports)
          Electronic Resources in Geography

February 9, 2004
Political Science

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Political Science." pp. 47-92

Recommended Readings:
     Li. pp. 350-386
     Webb. pp. 503-584
DUE: Research in Political Science
          Electronic Resources in Political Science

February 16, 2004
Law

Required Reading:
Herron. “Law and Justice” pp. 195-233

Recommended Reading:
Li. pp. 318-348

Assignment: Law project

February 23, 2004
Economics

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Economics." pp. 93-120.

Recommended Readings:
     Li. "Economics.' pp. 216-236
     Webb. "Economics and Business Administration." pp. 213-233, 238-245

DUE: Law project
          Research in Economics (oral report)
          Electronic Resources in Economics

March 1, 2004
Business

Required Reading:
     Herron."Business." pp. 121-171

Recommended Readings:
     Li. "Business." pp. 178-215
     Webb. "Economics and Business Administration." pp. 233-238, 245-274

March 15, 2004
Sociology

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Sociology." pp. 259-285

Recommended Readings:
     Li. "Sociology." pp. 415-445
     Webb. "Sociology." pp. 275-331

DUE: Research in Sociology (Oral report)
          Electronic Resources in Sociology

March 22, 2004
Anthropology

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Anthropology." pp. 235-257

Recommended Readings:
     Webb. "Anthropology." pp. 332-402
     Li. "Cultural Anthropology." pp. 159-177

DUE: Anthropology Research Reports
          Electronic Resources in Anthropology

March 29, 2004
Folklore and Popular Culture
Communications

Required Reading:
     Dorson. "Concepts of Folklore and Folklife Studies." in Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction. pp. 1-50. On reserve. GR65.D57
     Muherji and Schudson. "Introduction: Rethinking Popular Culture." in Rethinking Popular Culture. pp. 1-61. On reserve. GN3 5 7. R48 1991
     Herron. 'Communication." pp. 433-454.

Recommended Reading:
     Fishwick. Common Culture and the Great Tradition. On reserve. E l69.1.F544 1982 (Browse.)

DUE: Folklore and Popular Culture Research Reports
          Communications Research Reports

April 5, 2004
Psychology

Required Reading:
     Herron. "Psychology." pp. 347-391

Supplementary Readings:
     Li. "Psychology." pp. 387-413
     Webb. "Psychology." pp. 403-454

DUE: Psychology Research Reports
          Electronic Resources in Psychology

April 12, 2004
Education and Other Professions

Required Readings:
     Herron. "Education." pp. 289-345
     Van House, Nancy and Stuart A. Sutton. "The Panda Syndrome: An Ecology of LIS Education. " Journal of Education For Library and Information Science. v. 37 no.2 Spring, 1996 pp. 131-147.

Recommended Readings:
     Li. "Education." pp. 237-267
     Webb. "Education." pp. 455-502

DUE: Research in the Professions
Electronic Resources in the Professions

April 19, 2004
The New Disciplines and the Social Sciences

Required Readings: (All on reserve)
          Keresztesi, Michael. "The Science of Bibliography: Theoretical Implications for Bibliographic Instruction." in Theories of Bibliographic Education. On reserve. Z711.2.T49

          Garcia. "The Discipline of Chicano Studies." in Chicano Studies: A Multidiplinary Approach. pp. 1-18 E184.M5C455 1984.

          _____. "Future Chicano Studies Research." in Chicano Studies .. pp. 253-266.

          Alkatimat. "Introduction. " in Introduction to Afro-American Studies: A People's College Primer. pp. 1-28 El 84.7.15 7 1986

          Hull and Smith. "Introduction: the Politics of Black Women's Studies." in ... But Some of Us are Brave. El 84.7 A44 pp. xvii-xxxiv.

          Butler. "The Difficult Dialogue of Curriculum Transformation: Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies. " in Transforming the Curriculum: Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies. HQ 1181.U5T73 1991 pp. 1-19.

          Paludi. "Feminism and Women’s Studies in the Academy. " in Foundations for a Feminist Restructuring of the Academic Disciplines. HQ 1180.F68 1990b pp. 1-37.

          Richardson. "Introducing Women's Studies." in Thinking Feminist.-Key Concepts in Women's Studies. HQ11 54.T475 1993 pp. 1-26.

          Bowles. "Is Women’s Studies an Academic Discipline?" in Theories of Women's Studies. HQ1180. T48 1983
pp. 32-45.

          _____. "Women's Studies as an Academic Discipline: Why and How to Do It." in Theories of Women’s Studies. pp. 46-71.

Recommended Readings: (For committees. Also on reserve.)
          Robinson. Black Studies in the University. E 184.7 B55

          Kilson. Black Studies: Myths and Realities. El 84.7 B 5 7

          Blassingame. New Perspectives on Black Studies. El 84.7 B57

          Asante. Kemet, Afrocentricity and Knowledge. E I 84.7A83 1990

          Conyers, James L. (ed.) Africana Studies: A Disciplinary Quest For Both Theory and Method. E184.7 A315 1997

          Harris, Robert L. Black Studies in the United States: Three Essays. NY: Ford Foundation, 1990

          Anderson, Talmadge. Black Studies: Theory, Method, and Cultural Perspectives. E185.B583 1990

          Hall, Perry A. In the Vineyard: Working in African American Studies. E 184.7.H24 1999

          Aaron, Jane and Sylvia Walby. Out of the Margins: Women’s Studies in the Nineties. NY: Falmer, 1991

          Reimharz. Feminist Methods in Social Research. HQ1180.R448 1992

          Hinds. Working Out: New Directions for Women's Studies. HQ1180.W69 1992.

DUE: Summaries of the Research Institute and _____ Studies Committees
          Research Institute and _____Studies Diaries
          Electronic Resources in the New Disciplines

April 26, 2004
Way Beyond 2001?: the Future of the Social Sciences

DUE: Summaries of the _____ Studies and Research Institute Committees
Written Report: Social Issues in the Social Sciences