Children’s Literature:
From Young to Young Adult
Course Description:
This course will explore a range of literature catered towards “young people.” We will cover picture books, non-fiction, young adult novels, and a range of other works. Our focus will be to find merit in works for young readers and discuss how these books might be implemented in a classroom for young readers. Note that while we will discuss pedagogy strategies, this course is more concerned with academic discussion and analysis of the texts. This course is designed to help students become more aware of the dynamics of children’s literature such as reading levels, themes, and practices.
Course Objectives:
*Students should be able to write about Children’s literature in an academic voice.
*Students should be able to identify, analyze, and discuss major themes, motifs, and concepts of children’s literature at a sophisticated and professional level.
*Students should be aware of the practices surrounding children’s literature and should be able to discuss this openly.
Required Texts:
*Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1951)
*Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (2005)
*Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (2005)
*The Dark by Lemony Snicket (2013)
*Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1987)
*So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez (2004)
*Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
*Classic Fairy Tales edited by Maria Tatar (1998)
*Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (1911)
*One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia (2010)
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)
Course Requirements:
Class Participation (10%)
Active participation is a key component to the course, and students will be expected to add to daily discussions so all students may benefit from multiple perspectives. For this, students who participate 1-2 times during a class will not receive as high a grade as a student who participates 5-6 times per class. All students should come to class having completed the prior class assignment and ready to discuss. Students who have speaking anxiety may opt out of in-class participation for additional blog participation. I will gift 6 absences (two full class weeks) before you are no longer able to pass the course (save these for emergencies). 2 instances of arriving late for class or leaving early will count as 1 absence. The only exception to this rule is a documented University excused absence. Regardless of absence, you are responsible for all material covered during class.
Response Blog (10%)
Each week, students are to post a 300-400 word response to a question I ask on the blog. Students are encouraged, but not required, to hyperlink images, videos, and websites related to their post. The blog post is an opportunity to brainstorm ideas and work through difficult concepts found in the course. With that being said, students will be graded for completion sake (i.e. “Did it meet the requirements?”). Posts that are summaries of readings will not receive credit for completion. In addition, students are to write a 100 word response to at least 2 other student posts. Students should use these responses to question or expand on another’s idea. Post resembling “I agree” or “good work” will not suffice. All posts are due by 12 p.m. Friday each week. Students who opt out of in-class participation are responsible for 2 additional posts per week on a topic of their choice, and 4 additional responses.
Book Review (15%)
During the semester, students will research multiple websites, trade magazines, and other book review sources to discover the artifice around designing a children’s book review. Students will find 2 book reviews on different books in the same genre (i.e. non-fiction, YA novel, picture book) from different publications. Students will then construct their own book review using one of their publications as a model. Students will than create a cover letter detailing to me their process in narrowing down their selection, choice in book, and their own writing process. Cover letters have no specific length, but should go into depth on the process they chose to use. Students may not review a book that is more than 5 years old, and cannot use the book they have modeled their review after. As this project is designed to help the class create a back catalogue of familiarity with books, students cannot use books covered in the course, or being reviewed by another student.
Midterm (15%)
Midway through the semester students will take a midterm exam covering the content we have completed up to that point in class. The midterm will be broken up into 2 sections. The first will be a fill in the blank style section that calls upon your knowledge regarding important key terms, themes, and ideas. This section will not be concerned with dates or authors, unless I have made clear their significance. Section 2 will require students to write a 3-4 page essay on 1 of 2 questions I have provided. I will grade the essay under the assumption you had limited time to write the essay, but have spent time percolating themes, genres, and motifs.
Final Exam (35%)
Our final exam period will be listed in the schedule and will cover all content discussed during the course. The final will be broken up into 2 sections. The first will be a fill in the blank style section that calls upon your knowledge regarding important key terms, themes, and ideas. This section will not be concerned with dates or authors, unless I have made clear their significance. Section 2 will require students to write two 3-4 page essay on 2 of 3 questions I have provided. I will grade the essays under the assumption you had limited time to write the essay, but have spent time percolating themes, genres, and motifs.
Final Paper (15%)
Due during our final class period, students will complete a 4-6 page paper covering a topic of their choice. I must approve topics before they are started. Students will turn in drafts, an annotated bibliography, and markers of their progression throughout the semester as marked on the schedule so that I can provide substantial feedback in a timely manner. Papers will require a minimum of 4 academic sources; however, the paper should not be a research report. Students will be expected to contribute to an academic conversation using their sources as a foundation. Academic sources are peer-reviewed by other scholars in the field; Wikipedia is not a peer-reviewed source. Students can find additional information on plagiarism below, but regardless of proper citation, no more than 10% of their paper should be direct quotations. Papers should be submitted in MLA format with a size 12 professional font. Students are free to work at their own pace (so long as they meet the milestones listed below), but I will grade the paper under the assumption you have spent the semester working on the paper.
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Late Work:
Late work is unacceptable. Students are encouraged to start early to avoid last-minute submissions that could be considered late. Saving multiple drafts across clouds, USB drives, and your computer are encouraged to avoid losing your work. Leniency will not be offered as we live in the golden age of technology. Save your work!
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the direct, or indirect, attempt of passing someone else’s ideas, words, or research off as your own. I have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism, and any instance of plagiarism will result an immediate failure of the assignment. Instances of plagiarism will be reported to the student judicial system.
Class Policies:
Laptops and tablets are welcomed in the classroom for note taking purposes only. Sites and apps that aren’t class related can become a distraction to yourself and those around you. Tablets and e-readers are a welcomed change to traditionally bound books; these are welcomed accommodations for those opposed or unable to acquire the traditional texts. If you are becoming a distraction to a lecture, or students around you, you may be asked to leave class and receive an absence for that meeting. Please silence cell phones and other electronics to avoid becoming said distraction.
Email:
I use email as my main form of communication outside of class. If you need to reach me regarding an assignment or class topic please allow up to 24 hours to hear a reply from me.
Course Content Note:
Although we are reading texts catered to children and young adults, the texts deserve to be treated with the same respect and admiration as a “standard” novel. These texts are by no mean easy to read, interpret, or discuss. We will be building these skills during the semester. Students will be expected to grapple with these texts in a sophisticated academic manner.
