International Council for Media Literacy

Bridging Academia to Action

International Council for Media Literacy
Bridging Academia to Action

The Critical Cultural Literacy Model

by

Abstract

In 2021 I wrote the article “Tell Me Sweet Little Lies: Racism as a Form of Persistent Malinformation” for Project Information Literacy. The piece argues that information and media literacies (along with several other literacies) are needed to combat stereotypes, implicit biases, and racism, all of which are ultimately forms of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. In this brief video essay, I would like to expand upon the critical cultural literacy model (CCL) that is introduced in “Sweet Little Lies.” The CCL contains multiple literacies, literacies chosen to deal with issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (EDISJ). CCL can enhance the teacher/librarian dialogue around EDISJ and be used as a pedagogical tool.

Keywords

Critical Cultural Literacy, Information Literacy, Media Literacy, Cultural Literacy, Emotional Literacy, Historical Literacy, Racial Literacy, Political Literacy, Metaliteracy

Key Quotes

Critical cultural literacy:

  • The concept of meta literacy encourages us to use all of the good parts of the various literacy models and use them in conjunction, and not within silos.
  • Critical cultural literacy is a type of pedagogy, one that is anti-racist, anti-oppressive, community-based and empowering. It is also indigenous focused social justice and advocacy based. This type of pedagogy is about action. It is about doing.

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  • Nicole A. Cooke
    Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and a Professor
    University of South Carolina
    Nicole A. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and a Professor at the University of South Carolina. Her research and teaching interests include human information behavior, critical cultural information studies, and diversity and social justice in librarianship. She was the 2019 Association of Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award recipient and the 2021 MLK Social Justice Award presented by the University of South Carolina. She has edited and authored several books, including Information Services to Diverse Populations and Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-truth Era.

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