Literacy is an individual competence that is critical for social participation. It is key to education, employment, health, rights and well-being. Yet, this key is not a singular entity, not least in contemporary differentiated societies marked by migration; it is complex as it involves multiple languages, registers, modalities, as well as different technologies and formats. In a highly mobile and interconnected world, migration and digitalization have collided to fundamentally transform what it means to be literate.
These emerging complex multilingual, multilectal, and multimodal literacies may be poorly matched to the literacy requirements of institutions with a monolingual habitus (Gogolin, 1994), where literacy practices in one dominant, standard language prevail. The resulting communication gaps can threaten access, equity, inclusion, and cost-effectiveness, and hence constitute a real barrier to social justice (Piller, 2016).
As all contemporary societies are affected by migration and digitalization, with individuals facing the barriers and opportunities associated with multilingualism, this summer school offers an internationally oriented curriculum to outstanding masters and doctoral students. The core learning aims are: 1) to enhance knowledge on literacy and learner diversity; 2) to trace tendencies that go beyond one national, regional or local context; 3) to examine literacy development across the life-course; 4) to critically discuss the implications of research findings for policy and practice.
The learning goals will be achieved across five core modules with required reading: 1) Literacy across the lifespan; 2) Institutional settings; 3) Research methods in social literacies; 4) Academic skills; 5) Independent course work.
References:
Gogolin, I. (1994). Der monolinguale Habitus der multilingualen Schule. Waxmann.
Piller, I. (2016). Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice. Oxford University Press.
