| Unit name | Language, Literacies and Identities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUC20010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Giampapa |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
EDUC10003 Learning Lives |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit invites you to expand your understanding of literacies and language practices across formal educational institutions and to see them taken place on a daily basis across local, global, multicultural and multilingual contexts. In this unit, you will also critically examine the interconnectedness of these practices and their role in the construction of identities. In doing so, you will consider social-practice, sociocultural, multilingual and multiliterate approaches to the study of language and literacies that capture the linguistic and cultural diversities that mark 21st century learning, including the impact of digital practices. This unit will also support critical reflection on your personal experience with language and literacy practices in the past and present.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is an optional unit for second-year students enrolled in the BSc Education Studies course. This unit expands knowledge acquired in the unit Learning Lives (pre-requisite) into the field of Literacies, Language, and Identities, and it allows deepening of transferable skills development, such as engaging with concepts and theories, developing of argument and critical thinking, and expanding academic knowledge.
An overview of content
This unit provides an overview of language-based and literacy practices to be found within society, across and beyond formal educational settings. In this unit, we will consider and critically examine how these practices are shaped by and shape the identity construction of learners and communities across diverse local, transnational, digital, multiliterate, multilingual, and multicultural settings. We consider language, literacies, and identities as socially and culturally situated, therefore, entangled in power-relationships, shaped by people’s diverse contexts and circumstances, and offering new challenges and opportunities to make learning and education more inclusive.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
-You will recognise the role that language, literacy practices, and literacy learning play in a diverse society.
-You will develop an understanding of the links between identities, language and literacies across multicultural and
multilingual settings.
-You will be able to explain and discuss the key concepts and theories that account for the ways in which local and
global contexts interact shaping language, literacies, and identities.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
This unit will be taught using a mixture of activities that include: seminars, narrated powerpoint lectures, investigative activities, debates, presentations. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Seminar sessions on developing critical thinking skills and writing online responses
Seminar session on biographical narrative writings and reflections; sharing of draft biographical writing and peer reviewing of writing samples and student work.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1) ILO 1-3: A 1,000 word autobiographical reflective piece relating to their own literacy and language learning experiences. (40%)
2) ILO 1-3: A 1, 500 word response to a critical reflection on any of the key themes covered in the unit uploaded to the online forum (60%)
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUC20010).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
