This essay focuses on the philosophical and conceptual underpinnings of a program of
study in Social Informatics. We examine foundational concepts and analytical tools,
ideas worked out by Rob Kling and others about the key components of an ICToriented
education (even when the intent of their discussion was not pedagogical). Our
intention is to assay Kling’s program of critical inquiry for a Social Informatics
education that prepares information professionals to respond appropriately and
ethically in their future careers. We do not to recommend the adoption of specific
courses for a Social Informatics education. We had also planned to identify those
components of a Social Informatics education that I-schools and library and information
science schools have incorporated in their program offerings to determine how much
progress has been made to adopt a critical perspective on the relationship between
technology and people. However, this proved to be nearly impossible; we discuss our
limited findings based on our initial exploration. Our concluding remarks address
additions to the Kling perspective on a Social Informatics education that we would like
to see and offer some thoughts on ways to support a Social Informatics education for
information professionals.Indiana Universit
