PhD in Information Science - Indigenous Knowledge in Seattle United States | University of Washington

Through academic coursework and hands-on practicum experiences, doctoral students build a robust grounding in information science, mastering how to pinpoint key challenges and investigate solutions with scholarly rigor. Learners gain comprehensive understanding of the breadth, historical roots, methodologies, challenges, and conceptual foundations that characterize the iSchool's distinctive cross-disciplinary perspective on information studies. Our Ph.D. candidates arrive with diverse professional histories and educational foundations spanning fields like information science, social sciences, computer science, library science, legal studies, and IT.

The iSchool's Indigenous knowledge scholarship emphasizes the importance of ethical community engagement and relationship cultivation with Indigenous populations. Employing multiple research approaches, including collaborative inquiry models, scholars from various disciplines investigate how information, knowledge systems, technology, and Native community priorities intersect. This work yields tangible outcomes, such as assessing how digital tools affect Indigenous knowledge preservation, analyzing community decision-making processes, and studying the safeguarding, conservation, and application of Indigenous knowledge in both community and institutional settings.