Courses

(Below is one sample course that has been offered in the last few years)

Studying talk in social interaction
This course takes up the question of how we use language to communicate and introduces students to the methods and findings of a particular qualitative way of analyzing social interaction called "Conversation Analysis." We will examine video- and audio-recorded, naturally occurring conversations to learn how to look beyond the taken for granted answers to questions about how and why we talk and behave as we do. You will learn about the underlying structures of conversation that make it possible for us to accomplish mundane (and not so mundane) activities of everyday life - agreeing and disagreeing, complaining, complimenting, teasing, telling stories, etc. We will also discuss how we construct our identities and relationships through our ordinary talk.

This course examines the philosophy and creative leadership of school library programs. Using a case study approach our explorations include the planning and evaluation of a school library program, as students explore the transformational role of the school librarian as leader of a learning culture and institutional change.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Relate studies in change and transformational leadership to the success and impact of schools and school libraries.
• Analyze the context of the school library services through a scan of a specific community and school.
• Develop and write a strategic plan for the school library, including personas, vision and mission statements, goals and objectives, and an action plan.
• Evaluate the impact of and potential for a school library program in a school's learning culture.
• Respond to emerging trends and develop proficiency in using digital tools for productivity, creating, curation, collaboration, communicating, and managing workflow in the K12 environment
• Strategically address practical problems, critical and ethical issues, and policy matters in a school setting, paying particular attention to issues relating to access, participation, diversity, and inclusion
• Build a personal learning network to promote continual professional growth and engage in interconnected communities of practice.
• Develop strategies for advocay, engagement, and innovative leadership and growth in the K12 school learning culture and in the larger context of the profession.