INFO-619 Information and Human Rights
3 Credits
As information technologies make information more available, people rely and expect information to support their social interactions, education, employment, civic participation and other aspects of their lives and to view information as a de facto right. This course will provide students with in-depth understanding of information as a human right and will equip them to understand how to use and communicate law, technology, professional standards and information sources to promote information rights and equitable access to users. The course will begin by exploring the right to information as human right by examining the legal and ethical support it information rights. We will examine how information affects social, cultural, economic and legal structures and improves people's lives. Similarly, we will answer these questions by examining cases in both the United States and abroad and providing tools to assist specific communities. The course will explore the importance of information to humans political, social and economic rights through a series of past and current case studies.