UCLA

Freire wrote that reading one's world is a necessary precursor to writing it, or conscienzation. The present dissertation, expanding on Kellner's concept of multiple literacies (1998; 2002a; 2005b; 2006a; 2008), explores what it means to read and write one's world in the context of globalization. Given the arrival of a new imaginary, with its impact on people's imaginations, it insists that a new set of literacies, global literacies, is central to claiming agency and constructing a democratic public sphere.

Employing a multidisciplinary, Critical Theory framework, the dissertation begins with an analytic overview of the main processes presently associated with globalization. Next, engaging insights from the philosophies of John Dewey, Herbert Marcuse and Paulo Freire, and drawing upon the already established field of critical media literacy, it attempts to offer a normative initial framework for what I am calling global literacies. Finally, striving for praxis, it pursues action research as a means of applying, critiquing and revising theory.

Research takes place in an English conversation course in a South Korean university, with inquiry focused upon the course content and material. Special discussion is given to the use of social media, namely Facebook, as a platform for addressing new literacies. The dissertation concludes by offering fellow educational researchers the border as a location for continued dialogic inquiry when addressing needs for the global city.