FRASER UNIVERSITY

Spring Semester 2003

EDUC 341 - 3

Anneke van Erik

Literacy, Education and Culture

Office:

Phone:

E01.00

E-mail: aavanenk@sfu.ca

Tuesday 16:30-19:20

PREREQUISITE:

60 credit hours

DESCRIPTION

Literacy has been an important tool in the formation, preseveration and transformation of culture, and it

continues to be the central vehicle for education. This course looks into various contexts in which and ends

to which people use (and have used) written language, with an emphasis on specifically educational settings

and purposes. The aim is both to introduce course participants to an understanding of literacy as a

complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, and to engage them in developing a more politically informed

approach to literate practices in education.

We will look at various accounts of literacy's historical development and its consequences for individuals

and communities. A major focus of the course will be on the way in whch literacy is ideologically

constructed, and participants will be encouraged to explore the attitudes towards reading and writing that

underpin popular discourses, educational research, pedagogical practice, and personally held views.

EVALUATION

Reading journals (brief summary and response to assigned readings) - 25%

Final Paper/Project - 50%

Participation (including a brief presentation; short weekly assignments; contribution to

discussion) - 25%

Response logs will be peer-reviewed, essays/projects will be evaluated by the instructor, and participation

will be self-evaluated. Students are invited to contribute to class activities by suggesting or supplying

relevant articles, video or audio material, etc. Projects may involve forms other than traditional written

essays (e.g., video, hypertext), and the uses of computer-based tools

is encouraged.

REQUIRED READINGS

Manguel, A. (1996). A History of Reading. Toronto, ON: Toronto: Knopf.

Selected articles.