Sets forth an interdisciplinary view of the foundations of reading and writing and the development and acquisition of literacy. The class addresses theories in such fields as linguistics, cognitive psychology and child development as they are seen in language and literacy development of the emerging elementary reader/writer. The course examines the history of various instructional methodologies and the research documenting their effectiveness. The class reviews current approaches to all parts of the acquisition of literacy, such as direct instruction of phonics, whole language, language experience, literature-based curricula and the writing process. [ 3 credits ]