Northern Illinois University
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education

James Cohen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of ESL/Bilingual Education

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Education

• Ph.D. Arizona State University
• M.A.T.E.S.O.L. School for International Training
• B.S., Secondary Education-English University of Wisconsin-Madison

Academic Interests

My research interests lie in the areas of bilingual and ESL education, Literacy instruction of immigrant and non-native English speakers, non-parallel schooled immigrant students and undocumented immigrants.

Selected Publications

Books

Refereed Articles 

• Wickens, C., Cohen, J. and Walther, C.S. (2017). Reflexivity in the interstices: A tale of reflexivity at work in, during, and behind the scenes. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
• Cohen, J., McCarthy, S., Strid, J.E. (2016). Why should a monolingual English speaking reading teacher advocate for biliteracy of English learners? Illinois Reading Council Journal, 44(2), 20-27.
• Mass, A., Cohen, J., McCarthy, S., Dahnweih, G., and Franklin, M. (2016). The Impact of living in a mixed-status family on PK-12 students. Association of Mexican-American Educators Journal, 10(1), 18-35.
• Cohen, J., and Wickens, C. (2015). Speaking English and the loss of heritage language. TESOL-EJ, 18(4), 1-18.
• Cohen, J., and Daniel, M.C. (2013). What is a teacher to do with a newcomer? Illinois Reading Council Journal. 41(4), 25-34.

Book Chapters

• Flynn, J., Hunt, R., Wickman, S., Cohen, J. and Fox, C. (2014). Architecting the change we want: Applied critical race theory and the foundations of a diversity strategic plan in a college of education In Sleeter, CL., Kumashiro, KK. and Neal, LI. (Eds) Diversifying the Teacher Workforce. (pp.153-167). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Daniel, M. and Cohen, J. (2012). Using informative assessments towards effective literacy instruction In Ortlieb, E. and Cheek, E. H. (Eds) Literacy Research, Practice and Evaluation Vol. 1, (pp. 379-405) Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.
• Cohen, J. (2008). Language and Identity. In J. Gonzalez (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education (pp. 421-424). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Arias, M. B., Faltis, C. J., and Cohen, J. (2007). Adolescent immigrant students in U.S. schools: Issues of cultural pluralism, successful school settings, and intergroup relations. In G. Orfield and E. Frankenberg (Eds.), Lessons in Integration: Realizing the Promise of Racial Diversity in America's Schools (pp. 101-119). Charlottsville and London: University of Virginia Press.
• MacSwan, J, Rolstad, K., and McAlister, K., Cohen, J. (2005). Introduction, pp. xxi-xxiv. In Cohen, J., McAlister, K., Rolstad, K., and MacSwan, J. (Eds.) ISB4: Proceedings of the 4^thInternational Symposium on Bilingualism. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Selected Presentations

• Cohen, J. Strid, J.E. Gathings, A, Taylor, A., Stepter, R. (2017, Nov.). Roadblocks to Bilingualism: Voices from Bilingual Teachers. Paper presented at the National Association for Multicultural Education Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
• Strid, J.E. and Cohen, J. (2016, Nov.). Paradigm shifting: Can it happen in a one semester diversity class? Paper presented at the National Association for Multicultural Education, Cleveland, OH.
• Cohen, J. and Hadi-Tabassum (2016, Sept.). Introducing rural and suburban administrators to the world of the English language leaner. Paper presented at the Illinois Education Research Conference, Bloomington, IL.
• Wickens, C and Cohen, J. (2016, April). Shifting Identities: The Figured world of one adolescent immigrant English learner. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Washington, DC.
• Cohen, J. and Strid, J.E. (2016, April). Status quo to advocacy: Border crossing PD for PreK-12 administrators, paper presented at Annual TESOL conference, Baltimore, MD.
• Cohen, J., Soltero, S., and Vonderlack-Navarro, R. (2014, Dec. 9) ELACHE Annual discussion held at the 38^th Annual Statewide Conference for Teachers of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students held in Oak Brook, IL.
• Cohen, J. and Strid, J.E. (2014, Nov. 7). Multilingualism for all: Refocusing the debate about bilingual education. Paper presentation at the 24^th Annual International NAME Conference held in Tucson, AZ.
• Mass, A., Cohen, J., and Dahnweih, G. (March 2013). Undocumented students in class, what do I need to know? Paper presented at the Annual meeting of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Portland, OR.
• Cohen, J., Padilla, C. Pase, F., and Ramineni, S. (Dec. 2013). Implications of a Professional Development Grant. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Statewide Conference for Teachers Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students, Oak Brook, IL.
• Cohen, J. and Strid, J.E. (Dec. 2013). Advocating for Bilingual children: Re-focusing the debate about bilingual children. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Statewide Conference for Teachers Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students, Oak Brook, IL.
• Mass, A., Cohen, J., and Dahnweih, G. (Dec. 2013) Effects of living in a mixed (Documented/Undocumented) status household on immigrant children. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Statewide Conference for Teachers Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students, Oak Brook, IL.
• Fox, C., Flynn, J., Wickman, S. and Cohen, J. (Oct. 10, 2013). Connecting Curriculum, People, and Justice: Forging an Institutional Diversity Strategic Plan presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum. Rosemont, IL.
• Flynn, J., Hunt, R., Wickman, S. Cohen, J. Hull, B., Fox, C., Neal, L. (Nov. 6, 2013). Forging the Path: How to create an institutional diversity strategic plan for social justice. National Association for Multicultural Education conference in Oakland, CA.

Funded Grant Writing

• Go Teacher Reproduction Grant, Kansas State University and the Ministry of Education of Ecuador. Notification of Award, November 20, 2014 funding for January 15, 2015 – August 15, 2015 for $777,000.
• Fulbright semester in Paraguay. Awarded Alternate Status. May, 2014.
• Project DREAMS (Development of Reading, ESL, eArly childhood, Mathematics, Science). A U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition program grant. Notification of award August 15, 2011 funded for $1.8 million.
• Staircase to Educating Professionals (Project STEP). A U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Educational Minority Languages Affairs Bilingual Education Career Ladder Program Grant. August 2001-July 2006. Funded for $1,250,000.
• Ford Foundation. Support for travel grants for participants in 4^th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB4), April 30-May 3, 2003. Externally administered. Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeff MacSwan. Co-author: James Cohen. Funded for $16,000. 
• ASU Office of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Support for the 4^th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB4), April 30-May 3, 2003.  Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeff MacSwan.  Co-author: James Cohen. Funded for $10,000.
• Other ASU-internal organizations. Support for the 4^th International Symposium on Bilingualism (ISB4), April 30-May 3, 2003. Co-authors: Dr. Jeff MacSwan and James Cohen. Funded for $6,750.

Courses Taught

• LTIC 700: Seminar on Language and Identity
• LTIC 700: Seminar on English as a lingua franca
• LTIC 400: Introduction to Teaching English Language Learners in schools
• EPFE 505: Foundations of Language Minority Education
• LTIC 420: Methods and Materials for teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas
• LTIC 520: Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language Foundations of Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
• LTIC 501: Cultural Studies of Second Language Learners in The Classroom

Awards

• NIU College of Education Exceptional Contributions in Diversity/Social Justice Award May, 2017;
• NIU Latino Resource Center: Recognized as an Exceptional Outreach Professor for the Latino Community, May 7, 2015.
• NIU Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities Deacon Davis Diversity Award as a member of the NIU College of Education Diversity Committee (2014)
• NIU Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities Deacon Davis Diversity Award (2013)
• NIU College of Education Alyce Kramer Marcus Exceptional Teacher Award, Dec. 2012
• AERA Social Contexts of Learning SIG Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars, Aug. 2006 - 2010
• ASU University Graduate Fellowship, received school year 2007/2008
• ASU College of Education Dean’s Fellowship, received school year 2005/2006
• May Hazlewood LaRue Scholarship Endowment, received fall 2004
• Ernestine Lund Nash Scholarship/Fellowship, received school years 2004/2005 and 2007/2008
• ASU University Graduate Award for school years 2001/2002, 2002/2003 and 2003/2004.
• Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) Fellowship for 1999-2000.

Honors Faculty Fellow (2021-2022)

As an Honors Faculty Fellow, Professor Cohen will teach a seminar on Undocumented Immigrants in spring 2022 in the University Honors Program. The Honors Faculty Fellowship program identifies faculty eager to teach innovative, exciting seminars of interest to highly-motivated students from across the university.