Foundations of Literacy

Catalog description

This graduate-level course examines literacy as both a cognitive process and a sociocultural practice, preparing reading specialist candidates to engage in informed, equitable, and research-based instruction. Candidates study literacy through historical, cultural, and theoretical lenses; analyze core linguistic components such as phonology, semantics, syntax, morphology, and pragmatics; and study major theorists whose work has shaped traditional and critical perspectives on literacy. The course contrasts ideological and skills-based orientations to literacy, explores the reciprocal nature of reading and writing, and investigates key models and approaches—including the Simple and Active Views of Reading, Structured Literacy, and Balanced Literacy—with attention to their effectiveness for diverse learners. Emphasis is also placed on asset versus deficit-centered frameworks, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and the role of motivation and engagement in fostering meaningful literacy development. Through field-based observations and critical projects, students develop skills to critically analyze media representations of literacy instruction and design comparative critiques of classroom models. The course culminates in reflective work through which candidates articulate an informed and socially conscious philosophy of literacy instruction.