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English 2907 YB: Children’s Literature
TThu: 1:00-2:30
ATAC 2015
Instructor: Dr. Monica Flegel
Office: RB 3040
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00-4:00 (or by appointment)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 343-8285
Course Description
This class is a historical survey of children’s literature. Specifically, it focuses upon both those
texts which have traditionally been included in the category of “Children’s Literature” in the
Western canon, and those which have challenged the assumptions about childhood, culture, and
society found within that canon.
Some of the questions and issues we will be raising in this course are as follows: What is a child?
Who is children’s literature written for? What is the purpose of children’s literature? What
should a child be allowed to read? Should children’s literature be political? What makes a
“good” children’s book?
Required Texts
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Coursepack (unless otherwise stated, all readings are in the coursepack)
Kipling, The Jungle Book
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are.
Stretton, Hesba. Jessica’s First Prayer.
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie.
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Course Requirements
Grades in this course will be based on four things.
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Short essay: 10% -- due October 8th
In-class essay: 15% -- November 19th
Critical response: 15% -- January 9th
Research essay: 30% -- March 18th
Final: 30% -- TBA
Participation: Bonus mark 5% -- for class discussion, participation in groupwork
and in-class writing, etc.
Assignments:
Short Essay
Due date: October 8th
For this essay, I want you to focus your argument on stories we do not take up in class, though
you are encouraged to incorporate ideas from class into your analysis. You will choose one of
four short texts on reserve in the library. You will need to construct your own argument, drawing
on one of the following topics (i.e. do not simply restate the topic as a thesis):
1) How does this text construct childhood? That is, how does this text understand childhood
as a category that is unique from adulthood?
2) In what ways is this text didactic? That is, how do the children within the text model
proper/improper behavior for the child reader?
3) What role does gender play in these texts?
4) Construct your own argument on a topic of your choosing.
In-class essay
Due date: November 19th
For this essay, I want you to compare and contrast two texts we have studied in class between
September 17th and November 14th, drawing on the same topics that we used for the short essay.
You will be allowed to bring in to class:
1) One page, single-sided with the following:
 Thesis (one sentence)
 Topic sentence for each body paragraph (one sentence each) – these will have to
correspond to each of your written paragraphs, so do not bring in 15 topic sentences
2) A copy of the texts you are writing on
3) A dictionary, if you need it for spelling assistance
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Critical Response
Due date: January 9th
A critical response is a short essay (4-5 pages), but one that is based on analysis, opinion, and
theorization as opposed to a close reading of a text. In this assignment, you will choose to focus
on one of the readings on censorship, or on a theme common to all of them. You must engage
with the text (i.e. quote from it and analyze it), but the bulk of your response should be your own
thoughts and ideas as they are inspired by and formed in response to the text. You will still need
to have a focus/thesis, and structure your paper as you would any other essay.
Research Essay
Due date: March 18th
Drawing upon historical, theoretical, or any other kind of background, using at least one critical
source, and focusing on The Jungle Book, Little House on the Prairie, Roll of Thunder, Hear my
Cry, or Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, construct an argument based on the following
topics:
1) How do these texts challenge / support / construct identities based on larger social
structures (i.e. class, gender, race, etc.)?
2) Discussing one or two texts, focus on the relationship between the family and the child.
How does this text construct that relationship? Does it support normative family
formations, or challenge them, or both? Does the family have a supportive or antagonistic
relationship to the child’s development? How are sibling relationships constructed and
what role do they play in terms of individual development? What does this text tell us
about family as a whole?
3) What do these texts tell us about issues of censorship? More broadly, what aspects of the
text might be perceived as problematic for the child reader? What issues might exist in
terms of teaching this text to young children?
4) Choose your own topic – however, you must clear the topic with me first.
Final Exam
Date: TBA
The final exam will consist of a short answer section and an essay question. It will draw upon
material from the entire course.
Instructions
1. Students are expected to complete ALL assigned readings prior to class. For those texts
that are listed in the coursepack, please be aware that some are out or order – you may
need to flip ahead to find the text, but it is there.
2. Some of the texts and ideas we will be discussing may be contentious. Please keep in
mind, therefore, that proper class participation includes appropriate interactions between
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students and appropriate behavior in the classroom. Please refrain from speaking when
others are speaking.
3. Cell phones must be turned off before class. For those using laptops, please be aware that
they have been shown to distract both the users and those around them; if you choose to
use a laptop in class, you should sit near the back of the class so as not to distract those
around you.
4. Taking detailed notes will serve you well during exam time.
5. Please bring the assigned readings to class. You will be asked to do in-class writing
and group work, and for these, as well as for class discussion, you will require your texts.
6. If you choose to use an e-book version of any given text, please be aware that you will
not be allowed to bring this in to any open-book exams or in-class essays.
7. All assignments must be handed in on the due date, and must follow the “Guidelines for
Written Work” appended to this syllabus. Late assignments will be docked 5% per class,
without exception, unless an extension has been arranged with me PRIOR to the due date.
Note: extensions for critical responses will not be given except in the case of
emergencies (proof will be required). The purpose of these assignments is for
students to engage in class discussion. Emailed or faxed papers will not be accepted.
8. Keep a copy of all written work – accidents happen, and essays and assignments can go
missing. It is the student’s responsibility to have a backup ready should this occur.
9. Students are responsible for all class material. Class discussion and lectures may be part
of the final exam.
10. Do not book any travel during the exam period (April 7-17)
Academic Dishonesty
Incidents of academic dishonesty (plagiarism and cheating) will be dealt with through the Code
of Student Behaviour and Disciplinary Procedures approved by Senate and the Board of
Governors. The process is as follows:
If the professor is going to make a complaint, s/he must do so within 20 working days of the case
coming to the attention of the professor. S/he forwards the complaint to the Judicial Officer,
who will then inform the student within 10 working days that the complaint against him or her
has been filed: “The Judicial Officer will ascertain the facts surrounding it and will afford the
student a reasonable opportunity to be heard regarding any relevant evidence about the facts.
Having satisfied himself/herself of the validity or non-validity of the complaint, and with due
regard to Lakehead University's Policy concerning Accommodation for Students With
Disabilities, the Judicial Officer shall within 20 working days of informing the student of the
complaint:
a) dismiss the complaint; or
b) uphold the complaint and apply an appropriate sanction or sanctions, or
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c) in cases involving expulsion or rescission of a degree, diploma or certificate, report his/her
findings, with recommendation, to the President or Vice-President (Academic) who may apply
the expulsion or rescission of degree, diploma or certificate.
d) A Judicial Officer shall give the student a written decision, including written reasons for the
decision. A copy of this will be filed with the Vice-Provost (Student Affairs) and the Office of
the Director of Risk Management and Access to Information . If a sanction has been applied, the
student will be informed by the Judicial Officer, in writing, of his right of appeal.”
This process might be lengthy, but I am fully committed to it, and will not hesitate to start
the process in any instances of plagiarism or cheating. I will, of course, always arrange
meetings with students to discuss the situation before starting this process.
Guidelines for Written Work
Paper: Use 8.5 by 11 inch paper
Margins: Use 1 inch margins all around.
Spacing: The MLA Guide calls for double-spacing throughout, including blocked quotations,
notes, and the works cited page.
Title Page: Your paper does not need a title page. At the top of the first page at the left-hand
margin, type your name, your instructor’s name, the course name and number, and the date – all
on separate, double-spaced lines. Then double-space again and center the title above your text.
Double-space again before beginning your text. The title should be neither underlined nor
written in caps. Capitalize only the first, last, and principal words of the title.
Page numbers: insert page numbers throughout the document.
Works Cited: every essay must include a works cited page, which will include all texts cited in
the essay (including primary texts). Refer to the MLA guild for proper works cited format.
Marking Guidelines
See attached.
Reading Schedule (numbers listed are dates, not page numbers)
Fall
September
10
Introductions
12
Theoretical Framework – history of childhood, children’s literature
17
19
Janeway, “A Token for Children” (1672), “The New England Primer” (1680)
“The Children in the Woods” (chapbook; 1595-1740)
24
26
Perrault, “Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper” (1697)
Beaumont, “Beauty and the Beast” (1756)
6
October
1
Watts, “Divine Songs” (1715)
3
More, “Black Giles, the Poacher” (1796)
8
10
Edgeworth, “The Purple Jar” (1801) – short essay due
Roscoe, “The Butterfly’s Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast” (1807)
15
17
“Street and Game Lore”; Lear, poems from A Book of Nonsense (1846)
Turner, “The Daisy”; Hoffman, “The English Strewwelpeter” (1848)
22
24
Stretton, Jessica’s First Prayer (1867)
Stretton, cont.
29
31
Stretton, cont.
Stretton, cont.
November
5
Segel, “As the Twig is Bent”
7
Selections from The Girls’ Own Paper (1890s)
12
14
Kipling, The Jungle Book
Kipling, The Jungle Book
19
21
In-class essay
Kipling, The Jungle Book
26
28
Kipling, The Jungle Book
Kipling, The Jungle Book
Winter
January
7
Christine A. Jenkins, “Book Challenges, Challenging Books, and Young Readers”
9
Blume, “Censorship: A Personal View” (1-15), Mazer (34-35), Lester (52), Vail (62-63),
Paterson (71), Woodson (83), Mazer (97-98), Myers (113), Pfeffer (126), Zindel (16264), Lynch (182-83); all in coursepack – critical response due
14
16
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie (1935)
Wilder, cont.
21
23
Wilder, cont.
Wilder, cont.
28
30
Wilder, cont.
Wilder, cont.
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February
4
“Picture Books,” and E Yeh Shure, I am a Pueblo Indian Girl (1939) – Final date for
withdrawal from full-year courses
6
E Yeh Shure, I am a Pueblo Indian Girl (1939)
11
13
Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
18
20
Reading Week – no classes
Reading Week – no classes
25
27
Censorship: Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976)
Taylor, cont.
March
4
Taylor, cont.
6
Taylor, cont.
11
13
Schwartz, selections from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1986)
Schwartz, selections from Scary Stories
18
20
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter – Research Paper due
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter
25
27
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter
31
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter
April
2
Review
7-17
Exam period