Literacy(then) ≠ Literacy(now) : Dimensions and Definitions of Contemporary Literacy
It is easy enough to make the mistake of assuming that “literacy” means the same thing to everyone. After all, doesn’t it mean the ability to read and write?
Or is it more complicated than that? For example, it seems that every time American society identifies a skill that people lack, there are calls for increased “literacy” in that skill (computer literacy, information literacy, emotional literacy, health literacy, news literacy, visual literacy). What does “literacy” mean in those contexts?
And even if one holds to the narrower (“reading and writing”) definition of literacy, does it mean something different in different times and places? What exactly is “reading” or “writing”? How might new tools for thought and expression change what it might mean to be “literate”?
This panel will explore the concept of literacy in the contemporary media environment, particularly as artificial intelligence (and calls for “AI literacy”) raise new questions about how technological change might be altering the nature and purpose of literacy.
Panelists
Tiffany Petricini, Ph.D., is an Associate Teaching Professor in Communication at Penn State Erie. She co-chairs Penn State’s Joint Standing Committee on Responsible and Effective Use of AI. She also leads Penn State’s Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice (AICoP) and the Humanities Institute’s Phenomenology Collaborative Colloquia. Her publications reflect interests in phenomenology, interpersonal communication, technology, philosophy, ethics, and media ecology, including her book Friendship and Technology. Tiffany has been an invited speaker on "Spark" on CBC Radio One and the SUNY Plattsburgh at the Ethics Institute. She also serves as the social media expert for NBC affiliate WFMJ 21 News.
Matt Thomas, Ph.D., comes from Seattle and was educated at the University of Southern California and the University of Iowa. He has taught at the University of Iowa, Coe College, and Cornell College. He now teaches in the Communication, English, and Media department at Kirkwood Community College, where he also works in the Writing Center, and serves as the Internet Officer of the Media Ecology Association.
This event will take place from 6 PM to 9 PM Friday, January 16 at the historic Players Club in Gramercy Park.
Registration is free, but all attendees must be registered in order to gain admittance to the club. This includes any guests you might want to bring with you.
The program will take place in the Library on the 2nd floor of the club. Please note that, as an historic 19th century landmark, the site is not handicap accessible. Dress code is business casual and is strictly enforced, including no sneakers, shorts, ripped jeans, or t-shirts.
