ENGL 584 Q - Topics Discourse and Writing - Economies of Literacy

Campus: Urbana-Champaign

Description:

Focuses on the modes of inquiry central to writing research. The course topic will vary each term and may address such issues as cognitive research and writing, ethnographic research and writing, and discourse analysis and writing. Course Information: Same as CI 569. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in writing studies or consent of instructor.

Special Instructions:

Overview - This course examines two domains of knowledge that are increasingly put into conversation with one another: economics and literacy studies. Education is considered a building block of the economy. Meanwhile, the economic constraints on attaining literacy are becoming more and more profound. Course texts will examine both how literacy and education scholars have understood economic theory as well as the economic motivations behind people-s pursuit of literacy. Topics include: the information economy, for-profit colleges, the notion of high and low skills, the student loan crisis, the rise of writing over reading, unofficial economies, language brokers, and migration. Students will be able to choose their final project for the class, whether a traditional seminar paper or proposal for further study. Required Texts - Karl Marx, Capital, Vol. 1; Deborah Brandt, The Rise of Writing; Sara Goldrick-Rab, Paying the Price; Catherine Prendergast, Buying into English; Mike Rose, The

Option 1

Course Level: Graduate

Credit: 4

Term(s): Spring