Literacies is one of the six fields of study supported by the Nova Scotia PhD Program in Educational Studies.

As the world rapidly changes, educators need to find new ways to conceptualize what it means to be literate. Scholars in the study area of Literacies investigate the cultural, social, political, and curricula dimensions of literacies for learning and development.

It is based on the assumption that schooling prepares students to think independently and use reading, writing, listening, speaking, seeing, thinking and other literacy skills in their roles as family members, workers and democratic citizens.

Literacies is a promising area for doctoral research. The research and curricula innovations produced by scholarship in this field of study contribute to the development of literacy habits and skills for the demands of employment, higher education, and personal success.