Ideology and Critical Self-Reflection in Information Literacy Instruction

Abstract

Information literacy instruction traditionally focuses on evaluating a source for bias, relevance, and timeliness, and rightfully so; this critical perspective is vital to a well-formed research process. However, this process is incomplete without a similar focus on the potential biases that the student brings to his or her interactions with information. This paper describes a case study of a semester-long information literacy course that utilized neo-Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser's figurations of ideology and ideological state apparatuses as a site of critical self-reflection for students and a method by which students could become empowered to recognize themselves as not just consumers, but shapers of discourse.

Keywords

• ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education; information literacy; critical information literacy; critical pedagogy; ideology; hegemony; praxis