Nathan Phillips

Nathan Phillips is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Education. He serves as Co-Coordinator of the MEd in Language, Literacies, and Learning program. Prior to academia, he taught high school English, journalism, creative writing, and film. Phillips holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University (Learning, Teaching, and Diversity), an MA from Brigham Young University (English), and a BA in English Teaching.

His research focuses on spatial literacies, media literacies, and multimodal learning environments. He investigates how young people engage with virtual/physical landscapes and media to develop civic agency. Current projects include designing map-based performances for argumentation and studying youth-produced public media. His work emphasizes connections between geography, literacy, and qualitative research methods.

Phillips has published extensively on topics like digital literacies equity, embodied science learning through performance, and justice-centered pedagogies. His recent work explores intersections of spatial justice and literacy practices, including community-based projects like Chicago Global Water Dances. Co-authored works address transliteracies frameworks and hybrid learning communities.

Teaching focuses include disciplinary literacy preparation for secondary teachers. He maintains active collaborations with local schools through design studios and maker spaces, emphasizing equitable technology integration. Phillips' work is informed by principles of critical pedagogy and participatory action research.