Looking for a course to add to your Fall 2018 schedule? Check out these one credit courses taught by librarians from the Research & Library Instruction Department designed to help you improve critical thinking, develop sharper research skills, and gain a broad knowledge of resources available at your University of Iowa Libraries.
For more information about University of Iowa Libraries courses contact Kathy Magarrell at 319-335-5093 or kathy-magarrell@uiowa.edu.
ULIB:1001: Library Research in Context: Find the Good Stuff Fast (1 Credit; Online)
Library Research in Context is an activity-based course that develops an understanding of how library resources can be used to support individual courses of study. Designed primarily for sophomores and juniors, the course introduces students to the basic research process, helps them to develop critical thinking skills and to learn how to integrate information skills and concepts to accomplish academic work, and beyond.
Instructor: Dan Gall, daniel-gall@uiowa.edu
ULIB:2001: Being Responsible Online: From Social Media to Academic Research (1 Credit; Online)
Introduction to ethical issues surrounding online information; using information as researchers or creating information on a social networking site; issues of privacy, reliability, and intellectual property; skills to navigate online information responsibly and knowledgeably.
Instructor: Tim Arnold, timothy-arnold@uiowa.edu
ULIB:3001: Library Strategies for International Research (1 Credit; October 9 – December 4, 3:30-5:05p.m., Main Library Room 4037)
This course teaches skills for gathering and using information that are required for international jobs, for upper-level international studies coursework, and for individual international research.
Students will develop a familiarity with a variety of research and popular materials (such as government information, or human rights resources); become experts in at least one academic research database (such as journal, newspaper or statistical databases); and enhance their critical thinking skills. The class will feature small group activities, short student presentations, and an individual research consultation with the instructor.
Instructor: Brett Cloyd, brett-cloyd@uiowa.edu
ULIB:022: Using Twitter for Research (1 Credit; August 20 – October 15, 2:30-4:05pm, Main Library Room 1015)
Since its release in 2006, Twitter has transformed the way we communicate. Twitter has been used for everything from toppling governments to celebrity shade battles, but we are still in the early stages of determining how to use this service as a powerful tool for research. In this course, you will have the opportunity to research a subject of your choice. Want to research Kim Kardashian’s marketing techniques? That’s totally fine. Online bullying? Great topic. Game of Thrones fan community discourse? Love it. Fake news? Yes, please! Really. Any subject. The goal of this course is to collect and analyze a subject-centered collection of tweets. In order to develop this collection, we’ll start by examining some peer-reviewed Twitter research, and then take a step-by-step approach to assembling and analyzing your collection. We will discuss interacting with application programming interfaces (APIs), communicating with the computer at the command line, collection development methodologies, and qualitative and quantitative social media research methods. This course would be useful for anyone who wants to understand how to conduct research using Twitter, but it would be particularly useful for majors in Political Science, Linguistics, Economics, Marketing, Computer Science, Communication Studies, Business, Global Health, Journalism & Mass Communication, International Studies, or anyone who wants to develop their skills in a foreign language.
Instructor: Tim Arnold, timothy-arnold@uiowa.edu
CSI:1200: First Year Seminar: Young, Scrappy and Hungry: Exploring the World of Broadway’s Hamilton (1 Credit; Restricted to new first-year undergraduates)
Do not throw away your shot…to immerse yourself in the cultural phenomenon that is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Grounded in hip-hop, and embracing the intersection of history and theatre, it has captivated audiences since it opened. What is it that resonates with such a wide and diverse fan base?
In this course, students will be asked to critically examine themes represented in the musical as well as related topics such as Hamilton fandom and its influence on popular culture. Topics may include race/ethnicity, gender, politics, historical accuracy, musical influences or composition, parallels to current events, etc.
Each class period, through video clips, short readings, and in-class activities we will explore all things Hamilton. Student interests will drive the content. Grades will be based on class participation, brief class assignments, and class “conversations.”
Instructor: Janalyn Moss, janalyn-moss@uiowa.edu