Course offerings

This course provides an overview of the major subject areas, ideas, concepts, and theories of Information Studies and introduces the basics of research, publication, and academic conventions in Information Studies. Prerequisites: Admission to the doctoral program and consent of the graduate advisor.

An overview of the nature and purposes of research, and common methods and methodologies in information studies.

An overview of concepts, results, and perspectives from philosophical, social science, humanistic, design, and technological disciplines that provide important underpinnings for information studies.

Deception is a fundamental feature of human interaction, and contemporary technologies have reshaped how it is produced, spread, and detected. This course examines that shift. We begin by reviewing theories and concepts from psychology and interpersonal communication (e.g., Truth-Default Theory) on how deception works and how people decide what and whom to trust. We then turn to how the affordances of contemporary technologies alter or sustain these dynamics, drawing on cases such as scams, manipulated media, and deceptive online self-presentation. Throughout, the course considers populations that may be especially vulnerable and what can be done to build resilience. Students apply these concepts through in-depth case studies in class and complete an original case study of a form of technologically mediated deception in a domain of their interest.