Rhetorical, Semiotic and Ethno-cultural Foundations of Information Transfer and Communications This course focuses on the complex relationships among information systems, and human communications and behaviors. By using rhetorical, semiotic and ethnographic approaches this course describes and analyzes systems of meanings, contextualizes information systems or informational situations, and grounds for informing actions and objects. The course explores four major questions: (1) What are the ethno-cultural, sociological, and psychological effects of the rapid development of technological innovations historically on information systems and communications for decision-making and problem solving? (2) What are the implications of living in a culture that values technology as a solution to most of its problems for digital natives and digital immigrants? (3) How does rhetoric, semiotics and ethnography clarify the technology-human communication interface and provide a foundation for systems of meanings for different generations in multicultural settings? (4) How and what do humans communicate in face-to-face and mediated communications? Topics include: situated rhetoric, ethno-cultural analysis and semiotics as a bridge between rhetoric and ethnography, hate speech leading to hate acts (speech act theory), language and action affairs, and frames and semantic (meaningful) structures. 3 Credits