This doctoral-level seminar introduces students to current topics and issues concerning the development of literacy in young children, particularly the achievement of emergent literacy and the transition from emergent to early literacy. This period generally corresponds to preschool through kindergarten/first grade. The specific foci of this semester’s seminar include consideration of: (1) the most current theoretical and empirical perspectives on emergent/early literacy acquisition, (2) the integration of research, practice, and policy as they apply to literacy development in young children, particularly those at-risk, and (3) multidisciplinary perspectives, to include the fields of education, reading psychology, early childhood education, special education, developmental psychology, speech-language pathology, among others. Additional goals of this seminar are to provide doctoral students with experiences that build their potential for academic research, including the ability to write about and publicly present on given topics.  Thus, students will receive constructive feedback on their writing and speaking skills. There will be a particular emphasis on improving academic writing skills, with ongoing instructor and peer feedback provided throughout the course.