Course Description

[ Lit Home | Description | Schedule | Participation | Projects | Resources | Webboard ]
 
"We don't notice the technologies of literacy because we treat our literacy technologies as natural and inevitable: How else could one write except with a pen and paper, or a typewriter? But when we look at literacy cross-culturally, or historically, it becomes difficult to ignore the means and the media by which people communicate. That we often conceive literacy without mentioning its technologies tells us mostly that these technologies are deeply embedded in our daily practices" (from Bruce, 1998, New Literacies).
This seminar explores what it means to be information literate in today's world. We will examine a number of information literacies, from print to multimedia, from stand-alone to networked, and discuss a variety of themes that have been affected by new communication and information technologies, such as community, the political sphere, and education. We will also investigate transformations in the meaning of literacy in the digital age and explore social, historical, ethical, and epistemological issues.

Questions for the Seminar

The seminar is organized around three broad questions that presuppose changing conceptions of literacy: (1) Past: How has literacy evolved along with the technologies of its day? (2) Present: How do technological, linguistic, political, and economic forces shape literacy practices today? (3) Future: What is the future for literacy?

Activities

Activities in the course include readings each week, discussions in class and on a class web board, several writing assignments, and a group project.
 

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
 

page last modified:  [an error occurred while processing this directive][an error occurred while processing this directive]