GE INFORMATION LITERACY GOALS & COMPETENCIES:

AREA D - SOCIAL SCIENCES

Course Descriptions

GE Program and Area Distribution  | Area Competencies

Assignment examples   GESS101      GESS102    another GESS101 example

GOAL I: Student understands how information in the social sciences is defined by experts, and recognizes how that knowledge can help determine the direction of their search for specific information.

Competencies learned:

  • Student knows how social scientists communicate, research and publish.
  • Student can formulate a research question and form an appropriate search strategy for the assignment at hand.

GOAL II: Student understands the importance of the organizational content, bibliographic structure, function, and use of information sources in the social sciences.

Competencies learned:

  • Student is familiar with the basic information sources present in the social sciences (print & electronic).
  • Student can evaluate information in the social sciences and the media's presentation of social science research in terms of the author's credentials, timeliness, bias, etc.
  • Student knows the difference between and can create a bibliography, footnotes, references in the style used in the social sciences.

GOAL III: The student can identify and use appropriate information from information sources or information systems used in the social sciences.

Competencies learned:

  • Student can determine what type or kind of information resources their research requires and is aware of the implications of using those resources. Student knows when to change the topic or direction of their search.
  • Student can construct a search query using Boolean logic.
  • Student can use OPAC's and knows how to locate controlled vocabulary appropriate for the social sciences.
  • Student can use electronic resources,  paper indexes, bibliographies, etc., in the social sciences to locate other information sources and are able to select the appropriate tool for their research needs.
  • Student can read bibliographic records in the social sciences, especially those found in electronic information resources.

GOAL IV: The student understands the way collections of information sources in the social sciences are physically organized and accessed.

Competencies learned:

Student knows how the social science collection at CSUSM is organized and can locate materials in the collection.

Student knows that major social science institutions and collections exist nationally, regionally and locally and is aware that access and organization to these places may differ.

Student knows when it is appropriate to use interlibrary loan and other document delivery systems.

Student can locate social science information sources on the Internet.

GE Program and Area Distribution  | Area Competencies

-Adapted from ACRL's Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction by

Donna M. Ohr and Gabriela Sonntag