Bastian / Yakel (15 July 2004) ICA Vienna 6
generally indicate overall subject matter treated, they do not reveal actual knowledge
conveyed. Furthermore, Elizabeth Earle Preston reported significant discrepancies between
courses as listed n the SAA Education Directory and those reported on websites.
18
Carol Couture's study of archival education internationally and the International
Council on Archives (ICA) Section on Archival Education (SAE) report on What Students in
Archival Science Learn both served as models which we adapted for the present research.
19
Couture's study provided a basis for analyzing the placement of archival programs, the types
of archival courses, and the subject matter within courses. The ICA / SAE study, under the
direction of Masahito Ando, Feng Huiling, Irena Mamczak-Gadkowska, Silvia
Schenkolewski-Kroll, and Theo H.P.M. Thomassen, produced a report on the readings used
in archival education courses internationally.
20
This latter study identified the frequency with
which specific readings were used and which archival education programs had assigned the
reading. While there was little analysis of usage patterns and interrelationships between
programs, this work represents a significant snapshot of readings assigned in different
archival courses.
These early studies of archival education have paved the way for the current study.
The present article adopts and expands on these methodologies in an effort to get at what
knowledge is actually being presented in archival education courses. Our hope is that this
brings us closer to understanding what we are teaching as well as provides basic evidence to
aid discussions of improving graduate level archival education.
Methodology
Our research questions were:
