Curriculum – Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies (PhD)

INST 800 – The Engaged Intellectual: An Introduction to Research and Academic Work (3 credits)

This course explores a series of issues that confront academics who work in research universities. The course is an “Introduction to Research,” but the process of research is more than a recipe of rote analytical procedures. The course examines academic life with a particular focus on what it means to undertake research, teaching, and service. By the conclusion of the course, students will have a better understanding of what tenure-track faculty do and how they work in academia, and of how they intend to structure their own professional careers.

INST 801 – Theoretical and Epistemological Foundations in Information Studies (3 credits)

Pursuing a doctorate in information studies involves the scholarly examination of the interaction between people, information, technology, and society. There are, however, as many ways to examine the interaction of people, information, technology, and society as there are researchers and ways of understanding what counts as evidence and knowledge in different components of the field. Students will be introduced to the diverse scholarly traditions that comprise information studies. Students will explore why there are so many ways of knowing and methods of discovery within the field, in order to help them identify the social theory and methods that will support their path through information scholarship.

INST 802 – Pragmatic and Methodological Foundations for Information Studies (3 credits)

Information Studies’ eclectic interdisciplinary is both its greatest strength and its most significant weakness. As an increasingly multi/inter/trans/non-disciplinary intellectual community, Information Studies embraces a wide variety of conceptual frameworks, theories, methodological approaches, and intellectual traditions. As such, it is able to bring many different intellectual perspectives to bear on the complex, nuanced, phenomena that are its focus. The variety in the intellectual toolbox of Information Studies is central to its ability to avoid reduction of its focal topics to trite, simplistic characterizations. However, Information Studies’ paradigmatic richness places particular burdens on the individual researcher. Framing research agendas, motivating research questions, conducting literature reviews, selecting methods, and even arguing for particular conclusions is complicated by the number of alternative approaches available to the Information Studies scholar. Faced with this complexity, it is tempting to select a single paradigm and “be done with it” – and in doing so forego a primary strength of the interdisciplinary field.

INST 828 – Proseminer: Developing Knowledge and Practical Skills for a Successful PhD (1 credit)

PhD students are required to complete two proseminars while enrolled. Proseminars offer a flexible approach to exposing and reinforcing important concepts, tools, and information that will help students be successful in the program. They are meant to complement and extend important concepts covered in coursework and prepare students to be successful both during their studies and in obtaining a job following completion of their PhD.

• What it means to do research in an iSchool
• The many shapes research can take
• Transforming an idea into a viable research project
• Practical skills (reading academic texts, note taking)
• Mental health and work/life balance
• Community building with your cohort and other PhD students

Within one year of reaching candidacy (typically in the third year of study), students will enroll in a second proseminar that will cover topics related to the dissertation and future careers, including:

• PhD career paths (academia, industry, policy, and more)
• Dissertation project management
• How to complete academic peer review
• Mental health and work/life balance
• Writing for different audiences

Below is a sample schedule for PhD students. This is meant purely as an example and is not a replacement for advising. Students must work closely with their advisors to develop a course program that best addresses their needs and interests.