Studying Information Policy in 2025: A Doctoral Learning Community Conversation

This short communication describes an information policy doctoral seminar at Dominican University's School of Information Studies in spring 2025 which spanned the first 100 days of US President Donald Trump's second term in office, a fortuitous time to be so highly attuned to information policy issues. In a conversational format, the instructor and three students reflect on learning goals, values, and evolving research interests. Given our diverse backgrounds and prior knowledge, we offer a multi-faced perspective on how our close examination of historical context amplified our understanding of current events. We share key insights about how the course shaped our perspectives on the contemporary information policy environment and informed us of future avenues to explore. By sharing our experiences, we hope library and information science (LIS) educators see the enduring value of seminar-style courses and the topic of information policy as the focus for doctoral-level coursework.