“[Critical information literacy] takes into consideration the social, political, economic, and corporate systems that have power and influence over information production, dissemination, access, and consumption.”
– Lua Gregory and Shana Higgins, Information Literacy and Social Justice (2013)
Accessing, evaluating, and creating knowledge in an era of “fake news” and “post-truth politics” can be challenging, to say the least. Studying critical information literacy, as defined above, can help prepare us to participate meaningfully in the creation and dissemination of knowledge worldwide. Many of us have already learned useful skills to help us evaluate the reliability, relevance, currency, authority, and purpose of a wide range of sources. Critical information literacy asks us to build on those skills, adding such skills as interrogating access to information, contemplating the role media literacy plays in our intellectual and civic lives, and considering (more fully) audience responses to information.
As members of the Colorado State University community, such work will help us meet important student learning goals* like 1) developing sophisticated strategies for reading, evaluating, synthesizing, and using sources in support of a claim, 2) reflecting critically on how we synthesize, communicate and create knowledge, 3) engaging thoughtfully with alternative perspectives, and 4) becoming more critical and creative users of emerging technologies. This work will also help us to actualize our Principles of Community by exercising the skills we need to enact fairness, equity, inclusivity, respect, and justice as we work toward advancing our own and others’ knowledge.
Questions to consider as you read, evaluate, and synthesize the research presented below:
* See Student Learning Outcomes and Content Criteria descriptions for CO3XX courses
*** indicates Top Recommendation
*** indicates Top Recommendation
*** indicates Top Recommendation
The PDF version of this guide is available below:
This resource was compiled and composed by Dr. Kelly Bradbury, Colorado State University Upper-Division Composition Administrator.
Connect with library staff via chat, email, phone or text.
