Selected philosophical issues in library and information science. Development of a critical analysis of the social context of information, for continued intellectual and professional growth.

Canadian communications theorist Harold Innis contended that technology influences and shapes methods by which we interact. It also influences social, political and economic formations. This course will examine major communications theories as well as case studies from the perspective of emerging technologies from antiquity to modernity. The perspective will be historical.

An introductory course for people who want to know about the theory and operation of popular culture. Library students facing, investigating and (perhaps) serving a market-driven culture require theoretical and practical tools in order to work in this world. Students will become confident about performing analyses of popular culture production.

This course examines the business of writing, editing, distributing, and marketing of books and other media. During the course students will examine all types of publishing—scholarly, government, trade, professional, and personal in various formats. Students should acquire a critical understanding of publishing issues and how they relate to librarianship.

This course examines the evolution of libraries from the Ancient Times to the Present. Library history is studied through cultural and technological developments in western and non-western civilizations. Cultural aspects include emergence and spread of literacy, political and social transformations in societies. A wide range of technological innovations that affected preservation and distribution of knowledge is discussed. Among those are invention of writing systems, invention of paper, codex, printing press, and the Internet. The course aims to provide opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to library practice and services.

This course examines the role of libraries in democracies, seeking to close the gap between rhetoric and practice. Major theories and trends on the public sphere and civil society are introduced. We will learn to critically read institutional documents. Through examination of case studies and critical reflection we will explore how libraries can develop, sustain, and defend democratic principles.