Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

In this unit, 'literacy' is the focus of study. But 'literacy' is defined here as more than just reading and writing; it is reconceptualized as a social practice. New Literacy Studies (NLS) examines new kinds of 'literacies' and 'texts' in a variety of 'contexts'. From in-school literacy to out-of-school literacies, print texts to multimodal texts, school texts to popular culture/media texts, NLS explores and challenges teachers to re-think and re-design new pedagogies in schools of the 21st century

Objectives

Upon successful completion of the unit, students should have developed a critical perspective of the literacy crisis debate and the variable sociohistorical, political and cultural contexts that determine how literacy as a concept is defined and understood. Students should have become more critically informed of how to bridge in-school and out-of-school literacies and re-design literacy pedagogies that will engage the students they teach. Finally, students should have the knowledge to conduct literacy related classroom research.

Assessment

Essay (2000 words) 20%; Research Proposal (1000 words) 15%; Literacy Research Paper (5000 words) 65%

Chief examiner(s)

Assoc. Prof. Paul Richardson

Contact hours

3 hours per week