LIS 592 - Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility in Librarianship
Course Outline -- Assignments & Evaluation -- Tentative Timetable -- Readings & Resources
Course Outline
Course Outline 2009
Instructor:
Professor Toni Samek
E-mail: toni.samek@ualberta.ca
Phone: 780-492-0179
Office Hours:
Room 3-15 Rutherford South
Thursdays 1 pm – 2 pm; or by appointment
Calendar Description:
Examines the central concepts of intellectual freedom and social responsibility and the range of related issues impacting different types of libraries.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
ü analyze, evaluate, and articulate the complexities of intellectual freedom and of social responsibility as multi-dimensional and contested concepts;
ü consider theoretical frameworks for examining the library as part of a larger network of cultural production, regulation and ideology (e.g., deconstruction, Marxism, feminism) and the roles that intellectual freedom and social responsibility play therein;
ü analyze how the library and information studies discourse on intellectual freedom and social responsibility interplays with other discourses such as cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, women's studies, law, communication technologies, publishing, business, reading research, and so on;
ü contextualize the ethos of intellectual freedom and social responsibility in professional discourse in terms of when it emerged, how it evolved, and where it is heading;
ü critically evaluate professional issues and core values related to intellectual freedom and social responsibility from various standpoints, e.g., public, school, academic, government, corporate, personal, professional, child, youth, adult, class, race, gender, cultural, and literary canons;
ü identify and discuss issues, trends, theories, practices, challenges, opportunities, threats, history, research, and key resources from the standpoint of intellectual freedom and social responsibility in Canadian (and other) libraries;
ü identify and discuss library association rhetoric (e.g., position statements) on and related to intellectual freedom and social responsibility;
ü communicate effectively policy positions on intellectual freedom and social responsibility, through both oral and written means;
ü state key concepts in media response training and media relations management; and,
ü understand Canadian library and information professionals' roles in promoting and advocating for intellectual freedom and social responsibility.
Course Content:
The course examines the central ethic of intellectual freedom and social responsibility in librarianship and the wide range of issues impacting different types of libraries. Attention is given to the history, research, policy, and resources on these topics within a framework of fundamental questions about the theory and practice of cultural production, access, and regulation in relation to professional and institutional roles.
Methods:
Lectures, guest lectures, seminar discussions, readings, case studies, group work, media presentation(s), student presentations, and individual critical reading entries.
Relationships:
Pre-requisite: LIS 501 (or permission of instructor).
Course Outline -- Assignments & Evaluation -- Tentative Timetable -- Readings & Resources
Last updated on December 1, 2008
