This course examines the notion of community within cultural heritage institutions and the larger framework of cultural informatics. Particular emphasis is placed on social media as a tool for communication, engagement, and action. Topics include communities and digital commons, user studies, diverse populations, media studies, digital identity, social networks, information ecologies, social media adoption and use, community building, social advocacy and activism, and technology in the service of democracy.

Community Building & Engagement Syllabus (Spring 2015)

Assignments

• Twitter discussion (20%)
• Case study (40% final report, 10% each monthly deliverables)

Topics

1. Introduction
2. User Studies and Communities
3. Online/Offline Communities
4. Research Methods & Ethics
5. Research Conferences
6. Community Informatics
7. Strategies for Community Building
8. Social Media: Theory and Demographics
9. Research Day
10. Resistance to Social Media
11. Social Media in LIS Environments
12. Civic Engagement & Political Action
13. The Information Society
14. Case Study Workshop