Candance Doerr-Stevens, PhD

Candance Doerr-Stevens teaches courses on the theory and practice of reading, writing, and multimodal literacies as they occur in classrooms and online. Her scholarly interests focus on the digital literacy practices of adolescents and teachers involved in media production, in particular the multimodal composition processes of digital storytelling and documentary filmmaking. In addition, she explores the learning capacities of "offline" multimodal composition as it occurs via performance and art integration. She especially enjoys working alongside students and teachers as they experiment with the creative and analytical capacities of technology, media, and art for literacy learning.

Dr. Doerr-Stevens earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction with a focus on critical literacy and English education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Before graduate studies, Candance taught middle and high school English. She is most energized by her collaborative work with teachers, especially in her current role as Director of the UWM Writing Project.

Selected Publications

Doerr-Stevens, C. & Gibson, M. L. (2021) Cultivating critical consciousness through digital video inquiry, Theory Into Practice, 60(4), 1-11.

Doerr-Stevens, C. & Buckley-Marudas, M. (2019). Hearing knowledge into action: Mobilizing sound for multicultural imaginaries. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 21(1), 105-124.

Doerr-Stevens, C., & Woywod, C. (2018). Stepping Onto Fertile Ground: Urban Teachers’ Preparation for Interdisciplinary Inquiry. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 13(2), 1-17.

Doerr-Stevens, C. (2017). Multimodal exploration of civic stance in the English language arts classroom. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 16(1), 6-28.

Doerr-Stevens, C. (2017). Embracing the Messiness of Research: Documentary Video Composition as Embodied, Critical Media Literacy. English Journal, 106(3), 56-62.

Doerr-Stevens, C. (2016). Drawing near, pushing away: Critical positioning in multimodal composition. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 11(4), 335-353.

Doerr-Stevens, C. Lewis, C., Asp, M. & Ingram, D. (2015). “Making the Body Visible through Dramatic/Creative Play: Critical Literacy in the Neighborhood Bridges Program.” In Perry, M. & Medina, C. (Eds.) Methodologies of Embodiment: (In)scribing Bodies in Research in Education and the Performing Arts. Rutledge.

Doerr-Stevens, C. (2011). Building fictional ethos: Analyzing the rhetorical strategies of persona design for online role-play. E-Learning & Digital Media, 8(4), 327-342. http://www.wwwords.co.uk/elea/content/pdfs/8/issue8_4.asp#4

Doerr-Stevens, C. (2011). Limbs beyond the skin: Exploring the physical realities of digital composition. English Teaching: Practice and Critique: Special Volume on Literacy(ies) and the Body, 10(3), 60-71. http://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/journal/view.php?article=true&id=727&p=1

Doerr-Stevens, C., Beach, R., Boeser, E. (2011). Moving from Collaborative Argumentation to Collective Change. English Journal, 100(5), 33-39.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)