Westminster Seminar WSM 101 G – Fall 2015
Syllabus:
Sources of the Flood: The Genesis of the Information Age
Instructor – Neil Hunt Office – Westminster Hall – Room 225
Phone – 592-5286 Email – Neil.Hunt@westminster-mo.edu
Office Hours – Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1:00-2:00. Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30-11:00.
Class Location– Newnham Hall–Room 20 Class Time – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11-11:50
“We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by
synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it,
and make important choices wisely.” E.O. Wilson, in Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge.
Course Description
Everyone agrees that we live in the Information Age. You’ve lived your whole life surrounded by and
immersed in information to a degree that no prior generation can come close to matching. That bare fact,
however, is quite difficult to conceptualize. How can we, today, understand the changes that created our
world where information is so widespread that we can take it for granted? How does your experience
differ from those of previous generations? Just how different are things for you?
This course will explore how information has evolved, and how it has become increasingly central to our
experience. We will discuss and touch upon a variety of disciplines, including history, computer science,
mathematics, physics, anthropology, biology, and philosophy.
This course will fulfill the Tier I requirement for Westminster Seminar.
Seminar – \ˈse-mə–ˌnär\ – From the German seminar and the Latin seminarium. A class at a college or
university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students.
Seminar Goals and Objectives
1. Understanding Information
a. Defining terms
b. The Information Explosion, before and during.
c. Basic Information Theory
2. Written and Oral Communication
a. Comprehend and evaluate sources in written form.
b. An Oral Presentation
3. Development of Critical Thinking Skills
4. Adjusting to Westminster Academics
a. Study Skills & Time Management
b. Self-evaluation of habits and personal best practices.
5. Handling Your First Semester
a. Understanding the rules of the game.
b. Discovery and sharing of options and opportunities.
c. Awareness of college and campus resources.
Texts:
Our required text will be The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick. Other texts will be
provided by the instructor.
Course Assignments
Writing Assignments
Reflective Essays:
Students will respond to reading assignments or presentations with short essays evaluating and reacting
to the information presented, which may be assigned to be written inside or outside of the class period.
Students are encouraged to closely examine the material, and their own assumptions underlying their
acceptance or distrust of anything they are presented with. Grading will be based on demonstrating a
clear understanding of the material and application of the principles discussed in class, as well as on use
of standard grammar, syntax, and style. Assignments should be typed. The exact format of the
submission of assigned materials may vary from assignment to assignment, but they will always be
submitted in digital form. They are due by 8:00 AM on the due date.
Discussion Points
Some readings will not have an essay assignment attached to them. For these readings, students may be
asked to submit a short description of a point from the reading they found interesting and worthy of
discussion. These will also be due by 8:00 AM on the due date. They will be weighted at 20% of the value
of the Reflective Essays.
