Education and Society (Thesis) (M.A.): Literacies, Art, Cultural Production (45 credits)
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
The M.A. in Education and Society; Thesis - Literacies, Art, Cultural Production explores how people draw on diverse cultural histories, languages, and multimodal symbolic systems to create texts and meaning. Topics include institutional and out-of-school literacies such as oracy, community literacy, land-based literacies, intertextuality, critical digital and media literacy, multimodal reading and writing, and multilingual text production. The topic and research areas of the thesis must be related to literacy, art and cultural production.
Required Courses (33 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 520 | Meanings of Literacy. | 3 |
Meanings of Literacy. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to literacies, arts, and cultural production as social practices in which to draw on diverse cultural histories, languages, and multimodal systems to create texts and meaning. | ||
| EDEM 609 | Critical Perspectives in Educational Theory and Research. | 3 |
Critical Perspectives in Educational Theory and Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Critical exploration of contemporary issues in educational theory and research, in terms of current scholarship in the field, current educational contexts, and various research paradigms. Educational issues as expressions of social, ethical, political, economic, epistemological and cultural reconfigurations. Students will learn to be critical consumers of educational theories and research. | ||
| EDEM 621 | Thesis 1. | 6 |
Thesis 1. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026 Departmental seminar to guide students through the process of developing a thesis proposal, identifying a supervisor, research sites and participants, and considering ethical issues. | ||
| EDEM 623 | Thesis 2. | 6 |
| EDEM 690 | Research Methods: Theory and Practice. | 3 |
Research Methods: Theory and Practice. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026 Overview of the epistemological foundations of a range of research methods, including but not limited to quantitative, philosophical, qualitative, arts-based, and mixed methods. Students will learn techniques to conduct research and to develop a research proposal. | ||
| EDEM 699 | Thesis 3. | 12 |
Thesis 3. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Final synthesis of the research project. | ||
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
9 credits from the following (combination of any category)
Arts:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEA 555 | Applied Theatre. | 3 |
Applied Theatre. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the practices of theatre and drama in non-traditional settings, encompassing theatre practices and process drama that tackle areas of social and cultural policy such as public health, education, housing and social welfare. | ||
| EDEA 655 | Arts-Based Educational Research. | 3 |
Arts-Based Educational Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Forms of thinking and portraying that emanate from the arts: music, dance, drama, visual art, poetry, which provide an aesthetically-oriented lens from which to examine perspectives and premises that influence educational practice, and to develop processes that use one or more of the arts. | ||
| EDEC 518 | Arts-Based Approaches to Teaching and Learning . | 3 |
Arts-Based Approaches to Teaching and Learning . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the role of arts in teaching and learning. Combining practical and theoretical arts based explorations using a variety of art forms. | ||
Language:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 627 | Critical Discourse Studies in Education. | 3 |
Critical Discourse Studies in Education. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines critical theories of and approaches to studying discourse, with a focus on the roles of discourse as social and ideological practice in (re-)producing, questioning or challenging power relations, subject positions and established social orders. Emphasis is placed on theory and practice of discourse studies in educational contexts. | ||
| EDEC 629 | Writing: Theory, Research, and Practice. | 3 |
Writing: Theory, Research, and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A review of theories and research on the writing process and the development of writing abilities. Implications for classroom practice at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Special attention to the design of writing assignments and to developing criteria for assessment and evaluation. | ||
| EDSL 628 | Plurilingualism&Translanguaging in Education and Research . | 3 |
PlurilingualismTranslanguaging in Education and Research . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Dynamic vision of language and the repertoire of users of two or more languages, including recent theories of translingualism, translanguaging, and plurilingualism. Examination of research and pedagogical implementation of these theories in diverse languages, classrooms and contexts. | ||
| EDSL 632 | Second Language Literacy Development. | 3 |
Second Language Literacy Development. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Theory and research related to the teaching and learning of second language literacy. The orientation is on reading and writing as a socio-cognitive activity. | ||
Cultural Production:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 602 | Foundations in Curriculum. | 3 |
Foundations in Curriculum. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces the field of curriculum studies, including a historical approach to the discourses, debates and issues that have shaped it. Students will actively explore relationships between curriculum theory and professional as well as pedagogical practice. | ||
| EDEC 604 | Literacy and Learning Across Curriculum. | 3 |
Literacy and Learning Across Curriculum. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the central role of language in learning across the curriculum: the processes by which pupils acquire information and understanding and the ways in which teaching must take account of these processes: learning through talk, learning by writing, learning from text. | ||
| EDEC 606 | Self-Study, Autoethnography, and Autobiographical Research . | 3 |
Self-Study, Autoethnography, and Autobiographical Research . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical and ethical engagement with the relationship between self and other through various auto/biographical approaches to research in education, such as self-study, autoethnography, currere, life writing, artistic practices, writing the self, and memory-work. Exploration of various forms of writing, representation, analysis and critical discussion | ||
| EDEC 612 | Digital Media and Learning. | 3 |
Digital Media and Learning. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Winter 2027 This course addresses emerging theories, pedagogies, and practices related to youth learning through digital media and online participatory cultures. Through direct engagement with multiple forms of digital media and youth, students will consider implications for teaching and learning within and beyond schools. | ||
Other courses at the 500 level or higher relevant to literacies, art, and cultural production may be chosen with the permission and prior written approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator.
Elective Courses (3 credits)
3 credits at the 500 level or higher in consultation with the program adviser chosen from courses offered by the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. If the course is outside of the department, the student should consult with the Program Director or Coordinator prior to registering for the course.