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Contemporary Trends in Children's Literature
BEN52702 英美兒童文學中的當代趨向Ｂ組
104b Syllabus
click here for printable pdf syllabus
Texts
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- Other readings to be downloaded from the class website
- Familiarity with at least 10 pictures books including those you have written about in your reading log.
- Picture books presented in class.
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 Spring Semester Class
- This semester long class looks at current trends in English language children’s literature. What issues are facing children’s literature in the 21st century? How are these similar to and different from the past? What issues are particularly relevant to parents and teachers as well as scholars of literature? Issues such as multiculturalism, feminism, and methods of analyzing texts will be considered. In addition, there will be a focus on poetry and on picture books and their design.
- Students will have weekly reading assignments, frequent quizzes, two presentations to give within small groups, and one partner presentation to make before the class. Students will write one 4-6 page paper comparing a similar topic in two or more books.
Class Schedule and Policies
- See the class website for specific week by week schedule of readings, topics, and assignments.
- See the Moodle website for supplementary reading, class PPTs, and student presentation PPTs.
- Please revise your profile to make sure it includes your student number, full Chinese name, and English name.
- Make sure you complete all the reading in English before class each week.
- Assignments
- Picture book reading log with 10 or more picture books (each from a different author/illustrator)
- Two presentations given in small groups: picture book (3/26), and author (6/25).
- One brief poetry presentation given with your group at the beginning of class (different date for each group).
- One 4-6 page paper comparing a similar topic in two or more books.
- Three 1-page book response papers
- Timeliness: Late attendance, absences, and late assignments are not represented in the grading scheme below but they do affect your grade. Students who miss many classes invariably perform poorly in presentations, quizzes, the written paper, and exams. 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. Please feel free to talk with me about anything you don't understand.
- Quizzes: These happen at the beginning of most classes and it is not possible to make up quizzes you miss. The following are some reasons for giving frequent quizzes.
- Encourage students to do the reading and review class notes.
- Check for student understanding of reading material and class concepts
- Give students some ideas about the information that is important to know.
- Encourage students to be in class on time
- Extra credit: It is possible to receive extra credit points for extra work. Please talk with me about this if interested.
Grading
| Comparison Paper |
30% |
One written paper comparing a similar topic in two books (4-6 pages). |
| Quizzes |
20% |
Quizzes cover the reading for the week and information from the previous class. |
| Presentations |
20% |
Picture Book, Poetry, Your Book |
| Book Responses |
20% |
Brief written response to 3 of our four main books. |
| Participation |
10% |
Involvement in class, punctuality, picture book reading log, etc. |
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100% |
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Finally, I hope you learn a lot, work hard, and enjoy this class (in that order).
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