Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies launches new minor

August 30th, 2024

Enhance your Purdue experience with a minor in Information Studies offered through Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies. It is more than just a supplementary credential; rather, it is designed to provide students with invaluable insights on how to navigate our increasingly complex information landscape. 

Students throughout all academic disciplines can take advantage of and benefit from this new opportunity. Courses for the minor touch on historical, cultural, and ethical dimensions of information—key contexts to consider in all fields of study when learning how to disseminate information. 

Students who complete the Information Studies minor will be equipped to:

• Navigate the information environment to make evidence-based decisions in professional and academic contexts. 
• Examine the role of information in ethical, societal, historical, and cultural contexts to address real-world situations. 
• Determine the significance of information-focused opportunities and challenges such as intellectual property, misinformation and disinformation, artificial intelligence, security, and privacy. 
• Apply various approaches to research using data, including techniques from data management, data science, digital humanities, and other methods.
• Reflect in an informed and critical manner on information infrastructures and practices. 

Specific course requirements cover trending topics ranging from data ethics, misinformation dynamics, online culture, intellectual property, and the transformative effects of technological innovation, which are all trending points of discussion in today’s interconnected, technology-driven world. 

Required courses for the minor include:

Required foundation course (3 credits)

ILS 100 Introduction to Information Studies

Choose one of the following courses (3 credits)

ILS 300 Information, Culture, and Society

ILS 301 Data Foundations, Tools, and Applications

Choose courses 10000 level or higher (6 credits)

Any ILS 10000–59999 OR

MGMT 110, MGMT 175, IDIS 201

Choose course(s) 30000 level or higher (3 credits)

Any ILS 30000–59999 OR

BCHM 421 OR CHM 513

View the list of ILS courses here: https://infostudies.purdue.edu/course-listing/ 

Whether pursuing careers in industry, non-profits, entrepreneurship, government agencies, cultural organizations, or furthering studies in graduate programs, the skills garnered from this minor will serve as a cornerstone for lifelong success.

Visit infostudies.purdue.edu/minor-in-information-studies for additional information, email infostudies@purdue.edu for minor-related questions, and contact your academic advisor to officially enroll in the Information Studies minor.