IS CORE COURSES
Introduction to database technology concepts and architecture. Explore data types and reading/writing database layout descriptions. Discussion of database ethics and privacy concerns. Comparison of different database systems a user might encounter including RDBMS, XML/RDF/JSON, NOSQL, and Graph database systems. Labs involving common database tools and exercises in SQL.
Lecture/Disc MWF 1:00-1:50pm 53 iSchool Evans, Craig
Prerequisite: Students should be comfortable using computers; IS 205, or CS 101, or CS 105, or CS 125, or ECE 120, or permission of instructor.
Explores the way in which information technologies have and are transforming society and how these affect a range of social, political and economic issues from the individual to societal levels.
This course introduces students to the field of Social Informatics. Social Informatics analyzes the ways in which people interact with information technologies. This includes attention to a range of social, political and economic issues from the level of the individual to that of society. The class also explores connections between different social contexts and the creation and use of information technologies. Issues covered in this class includes: perspectives on digital media use, surveillance and privacy, intellectual property and copyright law, the collection and use of “big data,” the social impact of algorithms, and work and information technologies. Throughout these topics, the class considers the range of experiences of different groups as well as the intersections of power and identity with information technologies. Students will use critical thinking skills to reflect on their own experiences.
Lecture TR 2:00-2:50pm Knox, Emily
or
Lecture MW 11:00-11:50am Kendall, Lori
and
Disc R or F Various starting at 10am
General Education: Social & Behavioral Science
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing Preferred
In this course we will critically examine the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) are shaped by -- and help to shape -- social relations of race and gender; and we will extend our review to other categories of identity and exclusion as well, such as age, ability, geography and ethnicity. We will also explore the various benefits and burdens of the "information society" and how these are socially distributed, and conduct case-studies of policies, practices, and programs designed to enhance opportunities and/or mitigate disadvantages through the creative or disruptive use of ICTs. Visit Website for Additional Information.
*Course will count for ‘IS 308’ in the IS curriculum* CRN 67932
Lecture/Discussion W 2:00-4:50pm 53 iSchool David Mussulman, Instructional Technology Facilitator with Engineering IT
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Restricted: Until Nov. 22 by noon to Students who have met with IS Advisor and intend on transferring into BS/IS major (form will be emailed to students prior to registration for requests)
Explores cultural ideas about computers, including hopes and fears about the effects of computers on our lives. Will analyze images of computers in fiction and movies. The course will also examine hackers, online subcultures, and other computer-related subcultures, and the integration of computers into various cultural practices.
Upon completion of this course, students will understand the effects of computers on our collective and individual lives, be able to analyze how computers are depicted in popular culture, and describe various computer-related subcultures. Topics include: history and human culture; the history of computers and the global Internet; “new media” and meaning; digital technology and the culture of education; new media and storytelling; comics and narrative art in the digital age; intellectual property, creative expression, and the concept of the remix; copying, curation, and collection of new media art; generation demographics and information technology; hackers, hacker culture, and hacktivism; Internet regulation history and controversies; Wikileaks, journalism, and government secrecy; “cyberspace” and the cyberpunk subculture.
*Course will count for ‘IS 309’ in the IS curriculum* CRN 66789
Lecture/Disc TR 11:00am-12:20pm 12A iSchool Duffy, Damian
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Restricted: Until Nov. 22 by noon to Students who have met with IS Advisor and intend on transferring into BS/IS major (form will be emailed to students prior to registration for requests)
IS ELECTIVE COURSES
Broad introduction to the nature, capabilities, and limitations of computing. Topics range from the way data is represented and stored, to the way today's computers work, to the general ideas of algorithms and computational efficiency, to the future of computing. Covers "Great Ideas" across various areas of the field, including, for example, cryptography and internet security, problem solving, modeling and simulation, and artificial intelligence.
In addition to class meetings, students must take a weekly 2-hour laboratory. The lab sessions will augment the weekly material with coordinated explorations, as well as focus on gaining practical skills such as building web-pages, use of multimedia, database design and query languages, and simple programming exercises in a high-level language. This course is not a programming course.
Lecture MWF 9am-9:50am 2079 Natural History Building Hopping, D.
Labs T, W, or R 4-5:15pm or 5:30-6:45pm
Pathway: All
Data Science Discovery is the intersection of statistics, computation, and real-world relevance. As a project-driven course, students perform hands-on-analysis of real-world datasets to analyze and discover the impact of the data. Throughout each experience, students reflect on the social issues surrounding data analysis such as privacy and design.
Lecture MWF 12-12:50pm Lincoln Hall Theater ?Instructor
Lab/Disc W 2-3:50pm or 4-5:50pm, or F 8-9:50am, 10-11:50am, 2-3:50pm, or 4-5:50pm
Pathway: Data Analytics/Data Science
General Education: Quantitative Reasoning I
How do communities contribute to transformative, world-changing innovations? Why is their participation indispensable for fostering change? And what makes change ultimately transformative across diverse spaces and time? Community Innovation explores how engagement with interdisciplinary communities and collaborations, as well as histories of globally-changing local innovations from the Illinois were critical to fostering and sustaining new social and technical practices across space and time.
TBD Lecture/Disc Days Times Location Chan, Anita
Pathway: Information & Society
The ability to communicate effectively in multiple types of media is a crucial part of literacy in our society. In this course, students will explore the intersections of various media: print, film, images, sound, etc. Students will consider the ways in which writing--as an object and as a practice--is shaped by multimodal interactions. Also integrates practical activities with broader theoretical issues in order to provide effective strategies for designing multimedia presentations, projects, and texts that integrate photography, video, and sound.
Lecture TR 9:30am-10:45am 9 Gregory Hall
Lecture TR 11:00am-12:15pm 9 Gregory Hall
Lecture TR 12:30am-1:45pm 9 Gregory Hall
Lecture TR 2:00pm-3:15pm 9 Gregory Hall
General Education: Advanced Composition
Prerequisite: Composition I should be complete
Restriction: Registration in this course is restricted to Informatics minors, students enrolled in one of the majors in the College of Media, or students majoring in English, Rhetoric, or Creative Writing, until Nov. 15 at 12 pm.
Pathway: All
Examines issues of Human Computer Interaction and the design of better computer interfaces. This course will introduce you to many of the principles and practices behind user experience focused design, specifically interaction and interface design. When a person uses a web site, application, device or other multimedia or information resource they often have only the interface to tell them what the product or service has to offer and how they can make use of it. We're interested in examining the factors that determine usefulness, usability, and enjoyment during these experiences.
An incomplete list of take-homes from this class:
-Assemble ideas into proposals to bring to life with hardware and software prototyping tools
-Critique, test and report on real examples of interfaces
-Explore the principles and processes behind user interface design
-A first foray into graphic design and affordance-driven communication
-Practice multiple styles of publication for deliverables
-Learn about issues of interactive information systems from a cross-disciplinary perspective
-Grapple with some important political and ethical issues of design, including accessibility
-Gain familiarity with open source and proprietary software
Lecture/Disc TR 11:00am-12:20pm FabLab Ginger, Jeff
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Pathway: HCI/UX
Restricted: Until Nov. 22 by noon to Students who have met with IS Advisor and intend on transferring into BS/IS major (form will be emailed to students prior to registration for requests)
Join us for an introduction to web design and development! Learn to build interactive web interfaces for real-world situations, using powerful software tools and resources. Topics include programming with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP; graphic design and layout for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices; and creating engaging, accessible experiences for users.
This course provides an introduction to the technologies behind the Web. Topics covered include: hypertext, hypermedia, the history of the Web, the role of Web standards and their impact on the development of Web resources. The course introduces principles of Web design and usability. Students will gain an understanding how the Web works and how to design, construct, evaluate, and maintain Web-based materials.
Lecture/Disc MW 11:00am-12:20pm FabLab Hopping, D.
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Pathway: HCI/UX
Restricted: Until Nov. 22 by noon to Students who have met with IS Advisor and intend on transferring into BS/IS major (form will be emailed to students prior to registration for requests)
The emphasis of this course is on developing an understanding of top down video game design using the various design methodologies and tools introduced in class. Students will form small groups (4-6) and work on their own design within a selected genre (to be determined at the beginning of the semester). Areas of focus include high level design vision, audience evaluation, User Interface and its impact on the design, iteration of a series of design documents (high, medium and low level) and the team dynamics of communication, critique and integration. The goal of the class is to have the small teams use the concepts and the tools taught in class to create a complete design document that will be cataloged for later use.
Lecture/Disc TR 12:30pm-1:50pm 432 Armory Cermak, D
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Pathway: Information & Society
This course is a foray into game studies via makerspace production mediums. Students will study the role of play, tinkering and gaming in design, research and innovation and be challenged to learn a variety of makerspace production tools and techniques to create games. This course will include three major components (1) physical board game design, (2) introductory computer game design and (3) investigation into the narrative themes, artistic production, interaction mechanics and culture that make games engaging. During the course, students will prototype both playable board and video games, followed by iterating through to a final version of a game of their choice. Class will meet in the CU Community Fab Lab in Art Annex II. Students who have taken a different makerspace class before are encouraged to enroll.
Section A CRN 65142
Lecture M 3:00pm-3:50pm FAB Lab Studio 2
Lab M 4:00pm-5:50pm FAB Lab Studio 2
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Pathway: Pending
This course is an exploration of the history, function, and meaning of community and education-oriented makerspaces. Students in this section will evaluate emergent makerspace curricula for learning in formal environments, like schools, as well as informal settings, like libraries. Their work will culminate in helping to plan and execute a makerspace activity workshop with our community partners. In order to prepare them to do this they will be familiarized with several methods of teaching and learning rapid prototyping and iterative design techniques. This will include emphasis on a variety of computer-driven tools and mediums, such as e-textiles, 3D scanning/printing, electronic cutting and small board electronics. Class will meet in the CU Community Fab Lab in Art Annex II. Students who have taken a different makerspace class before are encouraged to enroll.
Section B CRN 62684
Lecture T 3:00pm-3:50pm FAB Lab Studio 2
Lab T 2:00pm-2:50pm FAB Lab Studio 2
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Pathway: Pending
The emphasis of this course is understanding the video game development process as seen in current Game Studios. The course will focus on key elements of the process including each phase of the development timeline, scheduling, prototyping, iteration, QA, game builds and player research. Students will form small teams (4-6 with the goal of using the concepts taught in class to create a video game from a catalog of pre-existing designs. Considering the limited time frame of the semester, the state of the final product is not as important as understanding the game develop cycle.
Section DC CRN 68730
Lab/Disc. TR 2:00pm-3:20pm 432 Armory
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing. Preferred: Knowledge of a programming engine (preferable Unity) is desired, but not a prerequisite.
Pathway: Pending
Narrative AI, Propaganda & Election Interference In this humanities-informed social science course, we will explore the global interrelationships between information technologies and political, social and cultural processes. As we investigate the historical and sociocultural background of AI-driven election interference across national borders, we pay particular attention to the relationship between Russia (including the former Soviet Union) and the U.S. and EU nations. Topics to be addressed include Cold War era research into suggestibility, and psychological manipulation, the development of narrative Artificial Intelligence technologies, and the deployment of chatbots as the engine for propaganda campaigns, the targeted manipulation of social media, and election interference.
Section GIU CRN 69281
Lect./Disc. TR 11:00am-12:20pm 182 Armory
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing.
Pathway: Pending
For students who want to learn about solving problems common in data sciences but have little or no programming experience. The class is asynchronous (students can access material on-line but within specified timeframes) and taught online. Data Science lies at the intersection of statistics and computer science and focuses on extracting information from data. This class will immerse students on topics of software construction, design, programming paradigms and the semantic and syntax of the Python language and then focus on some of the necessary workflows to move raw data into information. The class will explore common Python modules (libraries) used in data science, natural language processing, statistics, mathematics, data management (acquiring, cleaning, reshaping, organizing, persisting) and visualizations.
Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing.
Restrictions: Students who have completed INFO 490 RB Foundations of Data Science or INFO 490 RB2 Advanced Data Science should not register for this course as it will be considered duplicate credit (which does not count towards graduation).
Pathway: Pending
Evaluation, selection and use of books and other resources for children (ages 0-14) in public libraries and school media centers; explores standard selection criteria for print and nonprint materials in all formats and develops the ability to evaluate and promote materials according to their various uses (personal and curricular) and according to children's various needs (intellectual, emotional, social and physical).
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: Information & Society
Evaluation, selection and use of books and other resources for young adults (ages 12-18) in public libraries and school media centers; explores standard selection criteria for print and nonprint materials in all formats and develops the ability to evaluate and promote materials according to their various uses (personal and curricular) and according to young adults' various needs (intellectual, emotional, social and physical).
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: Information & Society
Fundamental principles of the art of storytelling including techniques of adaptation and presentation; content and sources of materials; methods of learning; practice in storytelling; planning the story hour for school and public libraries and other public information settings; and audio, video, and digital media.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: All
This course provides a deep hands-on sociotechnical dive into technology including electronics, software, and networks culminating in a holistic understanding of networked information systems. The course also explores the methodological landscape of networked information systems including theoretical assumptions, research methods, and research techniques. Throughout, students will be introduced to, and make active use of, skillsets, frameworks, and standards employed by a wide range of information professionals in selecting, co-designing, appropriating, and innovating-in-use networked information systems. $130 Course Fee
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: All
Covers common data, document processing, and programming constructs and concepts. Focuses on problem solving and abstraction with a programming language. By the end of the course students will be able to design, develop and test a moderately complex computer program to manage full text, bibliographic records or multimedia. The course prepares students for working with applications in data analytics, data science, digital libraries, text mining and knowledge management. No prior programming background is assumed.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: All
The course provides students with both theoretical and practical training in good database design. By the end of the course students will create a conceptual data model using entity-relationship diagrams, understand the importance of referential integrity and how to enforce data integrity constraints when creating a database. Students will be proficient in writing basic queries in the structured query language (SQL) and have a general understanding of relational database theory including normalization.
Prerequisite: IS 206 highly recommended. Junior Standing.
Pathway: All
The course examines various ways that information technologies are and might be used in museums and other cultural heritage settings. Museum websites, visitor apps, interactive exhibits, and uses of digitized and federated collections are explored. Students gain an introduction to Design Thinking by working on a final project that involves the development of a novel computational resource. Students are encouraged to approach class topics from their individual backgrounds in the humanities, sciences, or social sciences.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
Pathway: Information & Society
Studio-based learning methods, which are common in art and architectural education, are used to help students address a real-world problem or 'case'. Working in teams and mentored by the instructor and experts, students will learn how to 'be a professional' in an environment in which process is as important as project. During the term, students will participate in a cyclical process of design creation, presentation and critique culminating in a final presentation during the final day(s) of class of the finished proposal/design of how to address the case. Assumes experience in community engagement within a social justice framework.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
In this immersive and experiential course, students consider "playfulness" as a key aspect of design methodologies and practices. Looking closely at the philosophical, social, and relational dynamics of play from multiple disciplinary angles, students will explore how playful approaches to design thinking and other design methodologies can encourage collaboration, engagement, and emergent, transformative solutions to a range of challenges that face us in our rapidly-changing, information-based culture. The course aims to build student competency in design methods through a sequence of project experiences arising from a deep consideration of play.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to fundamental theories, methods, technologies and applications of social computing. Students learn about this emerging discipline from two perspectives: First, basic principles of collective information production and processing, and methods for studying these principles. Topics include prediction markets, games with a purpose, open-source software development, social media, social networks, information visualization, and online games. Second, socio-technical aspects of the design and usage of respective technologies. This includes participation, privacy and security. Students learn how to solve problems in social computing in a systematic and rigorous fashion. At the end of the course, students will be able to design, manage and execute social computing projects for scholarly and commercial use, and to critically assess work in this area.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
