Draft Syllabus, August 20, 2006

DRAFT, August 20, 2006
SYLLABUS: INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND LIBRARIES
Fall, 2006
University of Wisconsin—Madison
SLIS


Dr. Martha M. Smith (Dr. Marti)
Dean of Library and Educational Services
Alvernia College
Reading, PA
19607
610-796-8395
Email: marti.smith@alvernia.edu
Or msmith@infoethics.org
Blog: http://infoethicist.blogspot.com/



Course Learning Objectives

1. To understand the First Amendment as it pertains to censorship of information in general and
libraries in particular.
2. To understand the conceptual and practical bases of intellectual freedom and the core
philosophical principles of anti-censorship adhered to within librarianship.
3. To understand and be able to apply intellectual freedom policies (particularly those of the
American Library Association) to daily life and professional practices.
4. To understand the history of contemporary censorship in American libraries.
5. To become familiar with the positions of pro-and anti-censorship coalitions.
6. To be familiar with cases of censorship, controversies that have received media attention (art and
censorship, censorship of violent music lyrics and children’s TV, hate speech, flag burning), and
patterns of bookbanning.
7. To be familiar with the issues of access to government information and copyright.
8. To be familiar with censorship issues concerning sexual materials and pornography (including pornography on the internet).
9. To be familiar with internet filtering initiatives and laws, particularly as pertaining to libraries.

Texts:
Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom Manual. 6th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002.

(Optional) Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald and Dawn B. Sova. 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.

(Optional) Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. The book and the movie. Note that they are different.

Assignments and Grade Percentages:

10 Reading Reflections and Responses—5% each (50%)

Banned Book Assignment and Engagement in Discussion (10%)

Editorial Assignment/Short Story Assignment and Critiques (10%)

Electronic Pathfinder or Blog and Critiques (30%)

Optional: Wikipedia contributions


Class Schedule (Detailed readings and assignment instructions will be provided soon.)

9/ 5: Week 1: No assignment due.

9/11: Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due.

9/18: Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.

9/25: Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.

10/2: Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

10/9: Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.

10/16: Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.

10/23: Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.

10/30: Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.

11/6: Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

11/13: Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.

11/20: Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due.

11/27: Week 13: Reading Reflection 19 due.
12/4 and 12/11: Week 14 and 15: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

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Brief Draft--Weekly Reading Assignments

Week 1: Preview the Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition; ALA, Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org ; American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org ; Creative Commons


Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due. Why is Intellectual Freedom So Important Today?
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 1:
Fahrenheit 451 (optional)

Reading Reflection 1: How does the history of the struggle to defend intellectual freedom inform our learning for today? Use specific examples from the readings. What are the issues of most interest to you?


Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2.1-17
Fahrenheit 451

Reading Reflection 2: Select two or three of the readings on interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and explain the real life situations where these interpretations would apply. Also suggest why some people would have objections to these interpretations and how you might find a practical solution in real life. Remember that the Library Bill of Rights describes the ideal. In everyday life, we all make decisions about how to apply these ideals to our own situations.


Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2 and the USA Patriot Act

Reading Reflection 3: Consider the Library Bill of Rights in light of the USA Patriot Act. How do librarians make the case for patriotism by defending the open and private access to a wide variety of information in our collections? Note the specific content in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Should these documents be displayed in libraries?


Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.


Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.1-6
See also The American Civil Liberties Union; the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and other key web sites.

Reading Reflection 4: The Freedom to Read documents like the Library Bill of Rights are challenged by the USA Patriot Act and by the various bills and laws that seek to address patron privacy, children’s use of the Internet, and intellectual property right, particularly copyright. Based on your reading and thinking, create a list of five to eight answers to frequently asked questions that could be used by a public library staff. For example, “Why don’t we give parents a list of books read by their children?” Anther example: “Can the homeless sleep in the library? Take a bath? Cook?” (See also IFM, Part 4.5)

Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.7-11
Search for relevant articles in the library and information science databases.

Reading Reflection 5: In addition to the readings from the Intellectual Freedom Manual, look for Internet Use Policies in your area or in another familiar setting. Identify the common features and the find out what problems are faced in real life practice?


Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 4
See also the Social Responsibility Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

Reading Reflection 6: The Office of Intellectual Freedom has been involved in many legal cases over the years. Look at the OIF website and note the scope of the current cases. To what extent should local librarians (including yourself) become involved in the legal and political issues before us today? Should librarians run for office? Write letters to the editor? Participate in protests?


Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 5
Family Friendly Libraries
Focus on the Family
Lester Asheim, “Selection not censorship.”

Reading Reflection 7: Using the principle of selection not censorship, of inclusiveness not exclusiveness, consider how to present the case against censorship to library boards, city/county government, religious groups, and other community groups. What have you learned from the readings.


Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.


Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Reading Reflection 8: Using the LIS literature, find three articles from the last fifteen years that describe successful campaigns against censorship.
Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due. Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom
Creative Commons
Digital Millennium Copyright Act


Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due. The Digital Divide and Intellectual Freedom.
Reading Reflection 10:


Week 14 and 15: E-pathfinder/Blog due.