LITERACIES ACROSS MODALITIES

Popular Culture and Film

This panel seeks to explore the different ways that literacy and multiliteracies appear in and are constructed across modes. In Multimodalities(2010), Gunther Kress defines his use of the term multimodality and its functions in creating and portraying meaning, message, and tone—“The digital media of representations/production/communications facilitate the use of many such technologies of transcriptions: modes such as speech, moving image or still image, writing, colour, layout all appears and are available to be used” (97). Academic understandings of literacy have changed from limiting literacy to that of print, alphabetic hardcopy usage to broadening literacies to that of comprehension and response to messages and meanings through a spectrum of modes. So much research has been done on improving print and alphabetic literacy, but the research on multiliteracies remain relatively new.

Panelists could present on the following ideas:

• How do modes shape literacies?
• Does a reader/viewer develop a range of literacies to follow a narrative across modes? (Such as reading the Walking Deadgraphic novel, then watching the show, and finally playing the video games)
• In multimodal narratives (film, TV, video games, novels, comics, web shorts), what types of literacies do the characters or their technologies display?
• What limitations do multiliteracies have to terms of comprehension and response from readers?
• Does the relationship between multiliteracies and multimodalities have potential for teaching in composition or other humanities?

By June 18, please submit an abstract of 300 words, a brief bio, and any A/V requests to Perry Dantzler, Georgia Gwinnett College, at pdantzler@ggc.edu.