ReadingCourses

The nature and acquisition of literacy across the lifespan--emphasizing what literacy is (multiple views including psychological and sociocultural) and how it is acquired (or “emerges”, or “develops”, sometimes with difficulty) throughout the lifespan. Core courses for the domain are:
- RDG781: Literacy learning and development across the lifespan
- RDG782: Psycholinguistics and the reading process

Literacy and schooling--emphasizing how we think about the practical, interactional, and institutional aspects of literacy. The focus is schooling and schooled literacy and institutional practices like instruction, assessment, differential treatment, classification, organization of instruction for children with difficulties, curriculum, teacher education, in schools and other institutions. Core courses for this domain are:

RDG756: Texts and teaching in literacy learning
RDG757: Research on preparing literacy teachers

Literacy and society--emphasizing how literacies are situated social and cultural practices, includes critical social theory, critical literacies, sociological perspectives, anthropological perspectives, social policy perspectives, and the entanglements of literacy and society such as class, gender, disability, and culture. Core courses in this domain are:

RDG710: Literacy as Social Practice
RDG711: Literacy as Social Reproduction and Transformation

Cross-domain courses. You are required to take a minimum of two courses from the department in each domain, although you may designate a “cross-domain” course to fulfill one of the required two courses in any given domain. The domain in which you designate the course will depend primarily on the emphasis you have taken in the course in projects and optional readings. New courses developed by department members will be designated as fulfilling particular domain requirements. All courses address historical aspects and critical reading of research. The cross-domain courses are:

RDG762: Current Research in Literacy

RDG773: Seminar in Reading Disability and Related Disorders

Special topics courses. These occasional courses might include, for example, the History of literacy research. The department will designate these as core courses in specific domains.

The department recognizes that circumstances can arise in which a non-core course, within or outside the department, might partially fulfill the requirements for a particular domain, though it has not been designated as a core course. In consultation with your advisor, you may petition the department to have the course so designated.

2. Other Coursework in Reading

In consultation with your advisor, you may select appropriate coursework with an ERDG prefix (600- and 700-level courses).

3. The ERDG 890 Independent Study option is intended for projects designed to meet needs of students in advanced programs. For the project, students are required to provide objectives, describe the nature/scope, and explain why an existing course/seminar will not meet the objectives of the independent study. Independent studies are intended to provide an opportunity for students to research and write about a particular topic or issue. They are not to be used as ongoing tutorial sessions with faculty or to work on comprehensive exam documents. Non-native speakers may petition through the advisor to have a reduced full-time courseload for the first semester.