Ph.D. Minor in Social Informatics
Overview
Social Informatics (SI) refers to the interdisciplinary study of the design, uses and consequences of information and communication technologies (ICT) that takes into account their interaction with institutional and cultural contexts. Social Informatics research examines the roles of technologies in social and organizational change and the social shaping of ICT. SI work can be labeled as studies of the social impacts of computing, the social analysis of computing, studies of computer-mediated communication (CMC), information policy, and “computers and society.” SI research and SI courses are organized within diverse fields, including information systems, telecommunications, journalism, information science, and political science.
SI researchers study the processes, policies and consequences of ICT design, development, and use. One key goal of the field is to shape ICTs and policies relevant to them in order to enhance human communication and lead to more acceptable technological developments at organizational and social levels.
The Ph.D Minor in Social Informatics at Indiana University consists of four courses (12 credits), one of which is a required foundation course and three which are selected from an approved list of courses as described below. Please note that a student minoring in SI cannot include classes from his or her home department in the Minor.
Students who complete the Ph.D. Minor in SI at Indiana University must demonstrate proficiency in a set of courses that examine the design, uses, consequences and/or policies of ICT use in social, cultural, or institutional contexts. The SI Ph.D. Minor emphasizes theoretical and methodological issues, as well as substantive issues.
Director and Steering Committee
The SI program is overseen by a Director and a Steering Committee consisting of two other faculty with interests in SI. The Director is Dr. Howard Rosenbaum (SLIS). The Steering Committee is made up of Dr. Chris Ogan (Informatics/Journalism) and Dr. Harmeet Sawhney (Telecommunications).
Faculty
Please see the RKCSI Faculty at Indiana page for a list of Indiana University faculty who teach courses involving SI.
Requirements for the Ph.D. Minor in Social Informatics
The student must submit a written proposal to the Steering Committee describing a detailed course of study. The proposal should explain the student’s focus of study, its relationship to SI, the relationship of proposed SI courses to the overall program of study, and the likely dissertation topic or area. While the SI Ph.D. minor is likely to be completed before a student develops a detailed dissertation proposal, it is expected that the dissertation will address issues related to social informatics. If a student is interested in a course that is not on the approved course list, he or she can petition the Director and Steering Committee to have the course included as part of the Minor.
The student should propose an SI Ph.D. minor advisor. The complete proposal must be approved by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee must also attest that the approved course of study has been completed successfully. Students seeking the Ph.D. Minor in SI must obtain the approval of their Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The range of courses listed on the RKCSI Courses at Indiana page is designed to enable students to construct a program for the Ph.D. Minor in SI that is relevant to their primary research interests. This program of courses should include some courses that have strong theoretical and/or methodological content, as well as substantive issues. Students who propose taking “topics courses” (such as L597, R601 and S601/602) as electives to help satisfy these requirements must satisfy the Steering Committee that the particular course they wish to take is relevant to the subject matter of SI. Further courses will be added to the list on an ongoing basis at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
Specific Course Requirements
Required Foundation Courses (3 credit hours)
Students must take at least one of the following courses:
- J530 Issues in New Communication Technologies
- L564 Computerization in Society
- T551 Communication, Technology, and Society
Elective Courses (9 credit hours)
Students seeking Ph.D. Minor in Social Informatics must complete an additional three courses (9 hours). These additional courses must be selected from the courses listed on the RKCSI Courses at Indiana page that are specifically identified as approved for the Ph.D. Minor. The elective courses should be taken from at least two departments or schools other than the student’s home academic unit. SI is developing rapidly at IU, and we expect that additional doctoral level courses will be offered each year. Students can propose that their minor include other SI courses that are not included on this list or that are on the list, but have not yet been formally approved for the SI minor. Such proposals should include syllabi and other detailed information about the course.
Form
Click here (38 KB) for a form to complete for the Ph.D. Minor in Social Informatics. This must be signed by your Social Informatics Minor advisor and the Director of the Doctoral Minor Program in Social Informatics.
