PhD Language, Literacies and Culture: Degree Requirements

The College Core and Methodology courses are shared among the five College of Education doctoral programs.

The 12 credit hour College Core consists of the following three courses:

• ED 504. Urban Contexts and Educational Research (4 hours). This course prepares researchers with foundational knowledge, both empirical and theoretical, for conducting inquiry into learners and learning, schools and schooling, families and communities in urban contexts.
• ED 505. Introduction to Educational Research: Paradigms and Processes (4 hours). This course introduces students to the purposes, history, basic processes, philosophies, paradigms and orientations (quantitative and qualitative), epistemological and ethical considerations, and audiences of education research.
• ED 506. Introduction to Educational Research: Designs and Analyses (4 hours). This course extends the content of ED 505 include and introduction and analysis of different types of research designs, analyses, and related matters (e.g., validity, reliability, sampling) in the field of education.

In addition to the College Core, all students must take an additional 12-semester hours of College Level Methodology Coursework.  The Methodology Coursework is designed to allow students the necessary degree of flexibility in learning to use different research techniques to conduct original research.  The Literacy, Language, and Culture Concentration requires all students to take ED 502, a qualitative methodology course, and ED 503, a quantitative methodology course.  In addition, students must select, in consultation with their advisor, an additional 4-semester hour methodology course that focuses on a specific research method.

All students entering the PhD program with a concentration in Literacy, Language, and Culture are required to take the following yearlong sequence of 2 courses:

• CI 556 Proseminar I – 4
• CI 557 Proseminar II – 4

In addition, the LLC concentration requires between 12 and 36 hours of selective and elective courses depending on whether a student has completed a master’s degree approved by the program faculty. Students with approved master’s degrees are required to take a combination of at least three of the selectives and electives listed below. More of these courses may be required at the discretion of a student’s Doctoral Program Committee. Students with a master’s degree that is not approved, and students with only a bachelor’s degree are required to take 12 hours of selectives listed below and 24 additional hours of elective courses. Literacy, Language, and Culture selectives are focused seminars taught by LLC faculty in their respective areas of specialization. Selectives include:

• CI 581  Perspectives on Reading Instruction Theory, Research and Practice – 4
• CI 568  Research in Children’s and Adolescent Literature – 4
• CI 583  Early Literacy: Theory, Research, and Practice – 4
• CI 582  Research Perspectives on Literacy in the Disciplines – 4
• CI 558  The Historical and Philosophical Bases of Literacy and Literacy Instruction – 4
• CI 559  The Social and Cultural Contexts of Literacy and Literacy Instruction – 4
• CI 577  Literacy In and Out of School – 4
• CI 579  Biliteracy: Theory, Research, and Practice – 4
• CI 561  Genre Theory and Practices – 4
• CI 562  Design and Conduct of Literacy Research – 4
• CI 563  Analysis of Research in Literacy – 4
• CI 584  Semiotics, Literacy, and Learning – 4
• CI 585  Seminar in Literacy Studies – 4
• CI 586  Perspectives on Writing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Practice – 4
• CI 587  Literacy Assessment:  Theory, Research, and Practice – 4
• CI 588  Design Research in the Study of Literacy – 4
• CI 589  Literacy and Learning Technologies: Theory, Research and Practice – 4
• CI 592  Apprenticeship in the Teaching of Literacy, Language, and Culture – 4

To effectively monitor student progress and to provide a vehicle through which students and their faculty advisors can reflect on their progress in a structured way, each student in this program is required to prepare and submit a formal review of progress each year. Student progress is assessed on the basis of two sets of criteria:

• The quality of performance in coursework and on other LLC benchmarks (see LLC Doctoral Portfolio Activities below)
• Progress in completing coursework and other program benchmarks (i.e., research project, qualifying exams, dissertation) in a timely matter.

At the end of each academic year students prepare a brief (1-2 pg) narrative summary of progress for that year. The LLC faculty review and discuss each student summary along with other supporting documentation and then provide individual feedback regarding their progress in the program. It is the responsibility of a student’s doctoral program chair (or temporary advisor) to provide a prompt written summary of these proceedings and meet with the student to discuss his/her performance.

Upon admission into the LLC doctoral program a student is assigned a temporary advisor who serves in that capacity until the student chooses a person to chair his/her Program Committee by the end of the first year of studies. The student, in concert with this chairperson, will select a minimum of two additional faculty members who together will constitute the student’s Doctoral Program Committee.

A student’s Doctoral Program Committee serves four major functions:

• Design a course of studies compatible with both the LLC program and a student’s specific professional goals.
• Provide guidance regarding the experiences and deliverables that best prepare a student for entry into the profession. A student’s Doctoral Portfolio (detailed below) serves an important function in creating a “roadmap” of both in- and out-of-course activities and products.
• Write and evaluate questions comprising the “specialization” portion (discussed below) of the Qualifying Exam taken toward the end of a student’s coursework (See The LLC Qualifying Examination discussed below).
• Oversee and provide feedback in the annual review of a student’s progress.

Toward the end of formal coursework and upon successful completion of the Qualifying Examination (see details below), a student will choose a chairperson and committee to direct his/her Preliminary Examination (see details below). Prelims will consist of both a written component and an oral component. The written component of the Preliminary examination is a student’s dissertation proposal and the oral part is the oral defense of the proposal. Successful completion of both components of the Preliminary examination constitutes formal admission of candidacy for the doctoral degree. From this point forward in a student’s program, the Prelim committee serves as members of the dissertation committee through the final defense of the completed dissertation.

An apprenticeship in teaching is strongly recommended for those individuals intending to pursue a career in higher education. The apprenticeship in teaching requires that you register for CI 592 (up to 8 hours) and co-teach a university course under the direction of a faculty sponsor. The course that you teach should be related to your interests and future career objectives.

A faculty member will be the instructor of record and will supervise you closely throughout the internship. You will assume responsibility for course instruction, student interaction, and evaluation to the extent negotiated with the instructor. In addition to this apprenticeship in teaching, students are also encouraged to seek opportunities to deliver guest lectures in other classes offered by the LLC faculty.

The research project is an important beginning experience in conducting research on actual problems in one’s chosen area of study. The research project may also give you an opportunity to explore and pilot ideas for your dissertation research. All students specializing in LLC conduct a research project in collaboration with a LLC faculty member or a team of faculty members and students.

Students are required to receive IRB approval of a proposed research project before beginning the data collection process. Each student will make a formal presentation, oral, and/or written, of the project findings. Students are encouraged to use this work as a basis for a manuscript to be submitted for a scholarly conference presentation and/or a publication.

The Qualifying Examination serves as the first step in determining a student’s readiness to undertake dissertation research. It is administered at or near the end of the time the student has completed most of the coursework (but has not yet made a major investment toward the dissertation research). Only students in good academic standing are permitted to take the examination.

The Qualifying Exam in Literacy, Language, and Culture is offered two to three times a year. It is designed to be educative as well as evaluative. The exam consists of four questions requiring a written response. The exam consists of two components: a Foundational Knowledge Component (three questions) given to all students seeking doctoral candidacy and a Specialization Component (one question) focusing on a student’s area of specific inquiry in literacy. The Foundational Knowledge Component covers literacies-related disciplinary knowledge, while the Specialization Component delves into a specific area that the student is interested in studying for their dissertation research.

The first three questions will be provided to all students taking the examination at the same time. They will generally be related to content, theory, and methodology within the field of Literacy Studies writ large. Students will have one week to complete a response for each answer, totaling a 4-week examination period. [*Please note that during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have extended that time to 8-weeks.] The LLC faculty constructs the questions and evaluates the responses. The specialization question will be co-constructed by the student taking the examination and their advisor. Each response should be limited to ten pages (double-spaced) per question, plus references.

The purpose of the Preliminary Examination is to determine the candidate’s readiness to undertake the dissertation; passing it constitutes formal Admission to Candidacy. The examination serves as the last major step toward the PhD, degree except for the completion and defense of the dissertation.

The Preliminary Exam consists of a written and an oral component. The written component of the Prelim Exam is a candidate’s formal dissertation proposal; the oral component is the oral defense of this written proposal. The committee for the Preliminary Exam is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College upon receipt of Committee Recommendation Form three (3) weeks prior to the Preliminary Examination.

The faculty member chairing the student’s Preliminary Exam after consultation with the student requests committee appointments. The committee consists of the at least 5 members, of whom at least 3 are UIC graduate faculty with full membership, and 2 of whom must be tenured. The chair of the committee must be a full member of the graduate faculty. A minimum of 2 members from this committee must come from the Literacy, Language, and Culture faculty. Each member of the examining committee assigns a grade of “pass” or “fail” based on the student’s performance on both the written proposal and the oral defense of the proposal.

A candidate cannot be passed with more than 1 “fail” vote. The committee may require that specific conditions be met before the “pass” recommendation becomes effective. On the recommendation of the committee, the head or chair may permit a second examination. A third examination is not permitted. The results of the examination must be submitted to the Graduate College within two weeks of the completion of the exam.

Once the student has passed the examination, the dean of the Graduate College will notify the student that s/he has been admitted to candidacy.

Successful completion of the dissertation is the penultimate experience in a candidate’s doctoral program. The dissertation is based on original research and involves both a formal presentation of the proposed research and a find oral defense of the written dissertation. A student may begin his/her dissertation research upon successful completion of the oral portion of the preliminary examination and receiving approval from the IRB. A student must register for a minimum of 16 hours of dissertation credit during the time that the study is conducted and written up.

Having registered for the minimum of 16 hours of dissertation credit and passed both written and oral portions of the Preliminary Examination, a student may petition the Graduate College to be permitted to register for 0 (zero) hours of dissertation credit. Even if a student is eligible and has successfully petitioned the Graduate College to register for 0 hours, s/he still must register for 0 hours each semester until having successfully defended the dissertation. Failure to register continuously may result in being administratively dropped from the program.

Note: Final decisions concerning specific courses and the number of semester hours required of a student entering with a master’s degree are determined by a student’s Doctoral Program Committee.