IT and STS

Assignment Title: Science and Technology Studies Article Evaluation.

Participation: Individual.

Due date: 21 February 2001.

Format: Formal 750-1000 word essay in APA final manuscript format modified for the web.

Submission Method: Published as a Webpage in your account at GSLIS.

Maximum points: 5.

Introduction: Information technology (IT) has had a large impact on our culture and the way we conduct business. Through research, science and technology studies (STS) address this impact and provide us insights into the benefits and problems technology brings with it. Library and information science (LIS) professionals are not only a part of the society that feels that impact, but they are also often IT drivers IT drivers who can either help or hinder its application. One IT tool that is available to LIS professionals is the World Wide Web. Experience with the use that tool through online Webpage publication is important to LIS professionals. This assignment combines a professional evaluation of an article addressing STS concerning IT with the experience of publishing a Webpage on a UNIX server.

Goals: The goals of this assignment are to:

• Help you to become acquainted with scholarly sources in the cultural study of information technologies.
  
  
• Increase your understanding of cultural critiques of information technologies with our existing knowledge of IT.
  
  
• Gain experience in writing an informed reaction to and assessment a chosen article.
  
  
• Gain experience publishing on the World Wide Web using a UNIX based server.

Tasks:

1. Choose one article related to information technology published since 1985 in the following paper journals:

   Daedalus
   Information,Communication, and Society
   Science, Technology, & Human Values
   Social Problems
   Social Studies of Science
   Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
   Technology and Culture

2. Write a 750-1000 word essay evaluating the article and answering the following questions:
   
   a. Considering the background class material on STS and IT, and the material you have read for other class assignments, what is the author's major theoretical orientation? Your answer should be about two (2) paragraphs long.
   
   b. In your opinion, what is the single strongest part of the paper? What is its single weakest part? Your answer should be about two to three (2 -3) paragraphs long
   
   c. What particular insight, observation, perspective, or approach in the paper is of benefit to understanding IT in the context of Library and Information Studies? Why? Your answer should be very explicit and specific and addressed in the remaining space in your essay.
   
   
3. Publish your paper on the World Wide Web using your account on the GSLIS Fiat UNIX server as follows:
   
   a. The filename must be sts.html.
   
   b. The paper must include either: (1) an image from the article (an illustration, an important section, etc.) or (2) if for some reason you are not able to make an image from the article, an image of the copyright page of the journal. If the journal is intended to be used only in the library, you might want make a copy of the page and scan it to produce the image for your paper. If the journal is found online as well as in print, you may make a copy of the image or copyright page and put it into your paper. Be sure to provide citations for the image and in your reference list.