Designing a Writing Intensive Course with Information Literacy and Critical Thinking Learning Outcomes

Purpose: This article describes the process of redesigning the American Cultural Studies 499 course in order to integrate information literacy and critical thinking outcomes into specific assignments. Since this research and writing proficiency course at Western Washington University has traditionally been taught by a librarian with background in the discipline, the article also considers the challenges in communication between librarians and discipline instructors about the concepts of information literacy and critical thinking. Methodology: Reviews of the literature on information literacy across the curriculum and on partnerships between librarians and discipline instructors will be combined with an analysis of the structure of the 499 course and the relevance of various sets of learning outcomes to the course. Originality: Several proponents of information literacy across the curriculum have considered the challenges in communicating the importance of information literacy to discipline course instructors who usually emphasize “critical thinking” rather than information literacy. Since, this 499 course has always been taught by a librarian, this article can view this issue from the perspective of a librarian who is also the discipline instructor for this writing proficiency course. Practical Implications: With more pressure on higher education to demonstrate the relevance and benefits of educational programs, this article has the potential of enhancing communication among librarians and discipline instructors by considering the continuum between information literacy and critical thinking and the advantages of embedding information literacy or library research training into writing intensive courses.