W-09 The Global Merits of Information Literacy from an Ecocritical Approach in Addressing Current Sustainability Issues for Second Language Learners

Abstract

The American educational goals for this 21st century stems from the proclamation by President Obama (October 1, 2009). Specifically, President Obama states that "rather than merely processing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any given situation." As a call to action, respective educational leaders of America are implementing ways to address the inclusion of information literacy within existing educational curricula. While addressing recent key environmental concerns, this paper will also touch upon some ideas to standardize English literacy requirements at the Japanese university levels. By doing so, this may elevate and heighten critical thinking levels among Japanese students to realize the immediacy in preserving our Earth's biodiversity and in supporting ecological standards in the "greening" of our environments. As educators, this standardization would contribute in developing more eco-answers to the pressing questions that demand our attention for more global awareness.