Introduction to Children's Literature: Traditions

BEN52602

Syllabus

104a Syllabus (printable pdf syllabus)

Texts

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

Class Goals

To become critical readers.
To be able to converse and write critically about children's literature.
To articulate and modify your own ideas about children's literature and culture.

This semester long class investigates children’s literature from a traditional perspective. This includes, but is not limited to the history of children’s literature in English, folk literature, and historical development of childhood issues. Students will read poetry, folk and fairy tales, as well as modern texts that incorporate traditional elements. Students will also be required to read both picture books and novels. Emphasis will be given to defining the genre, understanding its subgenres, and noting the development of children’s literature over time.

A schedule of weekly readings, topics, and assignments will be available on the class website that is accessed through the teacher's website. Students are responsible to know all deadlines in order to finish all readings before the appropriate class and hand in all assignments on time

Since this is a literature class, we will be reading, thinking, discussing, and writing about the books we read from a critical literary perspective. We will investigate the messages communicated in the literature and how the messages are conveyed. It is important to continually challenge yourself to ask provoking questions and see the texts from fresh perspectives. As we question the assumptions of the authors, cultures, and consumers involved in the production of the texts we read, it is also important to analyze our own assumptions about life, literature, and childhood. We'll glimpse the wide range of genres encompassed within children's literature and pay attention to their separate and overlapping conventions.

This class combines lecture, small group work, and large group discussion. This is your class and much of the responsibility for making the class meaningful is yours. It is supremely important to say what you think while respecting and considering contrary viewpoints. The most engaging classes are those where students participate actively and share a wide variety of ideas. Additionally, I encourage you to bring in or refer to additional books, newspaper/magazine articles, movies, or any other information that may be relevant to what we are discussing in class.

How the class will work.

Basic expectation: Make sure you complete all the reading in English before class each week.
Study groups (4-5 students) for the semester will be formed in the second week of class.
Evaluated work: Two Presentations given within small groups, one Comparison Paper, 3 Book Responses, and several Quizzes.
Moodle: Use the moodle system to download handouts, assigned reading, lecture PPTs, and other information.

Class Schedule and Policies

Please refer to the class website listed above for class policies, reading schedule, supplementary reading, assignments, homework, class topics, and exam times.

Timeliness: Late attendance, absences, and late assignments will affect your grade. You are always responsible to know the schedule, arrive on time, and complete all assignments on time. Check the website and discussion group members for any information you may have missed. Talk with me about anything you don’t understand.

Note: Since the official schedule is posted on-line, it is subject to change. Be sure you check it regularly.

Grading

Participation	10%	(attendance, discussion, moodle forum posts, groupwork)
Quizzes	20%	(weekly quizzes covering the reading and previous lectures.)
Book Responses	20%	Brief written response to 3 of our four main books
Papers	30%	(Two papers, each 2-3 pages long)
Presentations	20%	(Two presentations: Folk Talk Presentation & Why is it a classic? presentation.

Finally, I hope you learn a lot, work hard, and enjoy this class (in that order).

Teaching Website for 2015-2016 School Year (Academic Year 104)