Faculty

Degrees

PHD, 2002, University of Pennsylvania; EDM, 1994, Loyola Marymount Univ; BA, 1980, Univ Calif Los Angeles UCLA

Bio

Theresa McGinnis received her doctorate in Reading, Writing and Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, Khmer Youth in a Migrant Education Program: Discourses, Literacies and Possible Selves, describes the literacy and discourse practices of Khmer children of migratory agricultural workers as they engage with their urban schools and communities. Her teaching and research interests include sociocultural theories of literacy, transnational literacies, the ways youth integrate reading and writing with other semiotic modes, and the culturally and socially significant meanings youth convey through their multilingual literacy and expressive practices. She has presented her work in these areas at national and international conferences sponsored by the American Anthropological Association, American Educational Research Association, International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English and the International Sociological Association. Dr. McGinnis’ work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including: Anthropology and Education Quarterly, Linguistics and Education, The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Voices from the Middle, and Afterschool Matters.

As a faculty member in the Literacy Studies program, Dr. McGinnis has taught a wide variety of undergraduate, masters’ degree level and doctoral degree level courses. She has designed courses on digital literacies, and on the cultural and historical perspectives of literacy. In addition to her University teaching, Dr. McGinnis has spent over 12 years teaching Middle School students in the urban communities of Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Recent Courses Taught