Welcome and course description

The field of second language literacy can be characterized as an interdisciplinary field of study that uniquely overlaps with fields such as applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, intercultural rhetoric, literacy studies, bilingual education, anthropology, composition studies and various teaching and learning theories. Although most of the discipline building activities and scholarship within the second language literacy field have taken place in US-based contexts (especially classroom contexts), with the advent of cultural globalization, internationalism, and multilingualism, there is now a growing movement towards a more critical and institutional understanding of second language literacy in multiple contexts. As scholars begin to explore a deeper theoretical knowledge of the social, cultural and political aspects of literacy, the field of second language literacy has gained a more critical momentum. It is now agreed that being able to read and write in a second language does not only include acquiring certain linguistic codes, it also includes acquisition of discourse features, rhetorical moves and a new identity (ies) that will help the individuals participate in multiple literacy activities in the era of internationalism and globalization. .
With this in mind, this course introduces graduate students in the C&T program to the ways in which second language literacy is learned and ways in which individuals are socialized into various literacy activities in multiple languages. This course will provide you a space to become critical language educators who will perceive literacy as situated, material, ideological and historical. Finally, the materials and the class discussions will encourage students to critically examine and problematize several language ideologies, such as “monolingualism,” “purism,” “English-only” movements and “standardization,” as these apply to second language literacy learning and socialization of minority students.

This course will have a number of goals:

1. Examining the dominant schools in second language reading and writing pedagogy;
2. Understanding current theory and research about becoming literate in a second language;
3. Understanding how literacy works in a multiliterate and multicultural globalized world;
4. Developing a broad understanding of literacies, their importance in contemporary society, culture, and economies;
5. Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and interpretations, and engaging in scholarly dialogues and interdisciplinary conversations about second language literacies;
6. Becoming more aware of critical second language literacy and see difference in literacy practices as a resource rather than a deficit;
7. Developing advanced skills in written and oral expression;
8. Improving the teaching of second language literacy (i.e., reading, writing, speaking and other media connections).