Course Description

The focus of this foundation course is on the basic concepts, policies and technologies related to the development of the information society. The course traverses a wide range of social, legal, moral and economic issues facing society at large and the information professional in particulars. The course covers areas such as the information explosion and its implications for society; the relationship between information and communication; information infrastructure and key IT policies in Singapore such as IT2000 and Library 2000 reports; digital libraries, electronic publishing and intellectual property.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the concepts, policies and technologies related to the development of the information society.
2. Understand the social context in which information is created, disseminated and used.
3. Understand key documents on information policies such as IT200, Library 2000, Internet and E-commerce.
4. Understand social, legal, moral and economic issues, which affect the work of the information professionals.
5. Understand the value of information to society and its effect on productivity and creativity.
6. Understand the effect of communication technology on information transfer
7. Understand the role of information in the knowledge-based economy.