Syllabus | Assignments | Tronclass
BEN52601 Traditions in Children’s Literature
Th 10:10-12:00, Rm R0402
Week 1: 9/14
- Introduction
- Lecture: What is childhood? What are children? What is children’s literature?
Week 2: 9/21
- Read: the Grimm Brothers and Perrault sections from the folktales packet: pp 2-12. Know the differences between the different versions of the same stories.
- Lecture: Traditional Fantasy, folk literature, the oral tradition in children’s literature. Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.
Week 3: 9/28
- Holiday
Week 4: 10/05
- Read: the Hans Christian Andersen section from the folktales packet: pp 13-26.
- Lecture: Anderson and literary fairy tales
Week 5: 10/12
- Read: The Three Little Pigs and some random Rhymes from The Real Mother Goose (1916). We’ll read some in class.
- Prepare a folk tale to share
- Lecture: Mother Goose, nursery rhymes, and English folk stories.
Week 6: 10/19
- Read: Tales from the Arabian Nights
- Andrew Lang (1898): Read: Preface; The Arabian Nights; The Story of the Merchant and the Genius
- Sign up for your folk tale
- Lecture: The Arabian Nights and the exotic in children’s literature (Orientalism).
Week 7: 10/26
- Read: Your folk tale versions in preparation for presentation
- Lecture: Archetypes
- Folk Tale Presentations in small groups
Week 8: 11/2
- Read: Alice in Wonderland, Chs 1, 2, 5-7, 9
- Alice in Wonderland book response due
- Lecture: Lewis Carroll and Alice, Nonsense
Week 9: 11/9
- Read: The Jungle Book: “Kaa’s Hunting”
- The Jungle Book book response due
- Read: Winnie the Pooh: Chs 1, 5, 7
- Winnie the Pooh book response due
- Lecture: Characterization: flat, round, dynamic, static, and foil characters
Week 10: 11/16
- Read: Pippi Longstocking Chs 1, 2, 4, 7, 8
- Pippi Longstocking book response due
- Lecture: Humor & Breaking social constraints
Week 11: 11/23
- Read: Charlotte’s Web, First half
- Lecture: Fantasy
Week 12: 11/30
- Read: Charlotte’s Web, Second half
- Charlotte’s Web book response due
- Lecture: Didacticism, Condescension, Rainbow Fish
Week 13: 12/7
- Read: Are You There, God?, First half
- Lecture: Realism
Week 14: 12/14
- Read: Are You There, God? Second half
- Are You There, God? book response due
- Lecture: Censorship
Week 15: 12/21
- Term Paper Due: First Draft, Review & Read each other’s drafts (See pages on correct format and how to write better.
- Lecture: Writing and Review
Week 16: 12/28
- Term Paper Due: Final Draft
- Lecture: Poetry and Review
Week 17: 1/4
- Presentation of Final Project
Week 18: 1/13
- Further discussion, review, and individual feedback