Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Children's Lit Courses for Spring 2010



English 218-01 - The Art of Children's Literature – Roger Farr


This course examines writing for, about, and by children. From Robin Hood and Runaway Bunny to the latest issue of Stone Soup -- a magazine featuring writing and art by people under thirteen years of age --, we will survey a number of classic and contemporary works, with a focus on the complex interaction between attachment, authority, and autonomy. We will also read a short text that challenges the notion of ‘childhood’ itself, by making the radical argument that it is society that must adapt to the needs of children, not the other way around. With this challenge in mind we will consider the infamous case of “The Wild Boy of Aveyron,” a feral child found living in the woods in France in 1797. The story of his capture and attempted domestication reveals much about societal attitudes toward children – and “childishness -- in the West.

Required Texts:

• Children in Society: A Libertarian Critique
• The Norton Anthology of Children’s Literature
• The Wild Boy
• Songs of Innocence and Experience
• Runaway Bunny
• Stone Soup


English 292-01 - Creative Writing: Children's Literature - Crystal Hurdle

Experience an intensive workshop in writing literature for children of various ages. Examine and practice the art of writing for children by exploring a range of different strategies and techniques: identify narrative structure, myth, character development, levels of diction, voice, etc. Discover voices and forms for your writing and express your ideas in styles appropriate for children’s interests at different ages, from picture books and nonsense rhymes for children to young adult novels in verse. In developing your own projects, become a successor to J. K. Rowling!

Required Texts:

• Sarah Ellis’ From Reader to Writer
• Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinnner
• William New’s Dream Helmet
• Pamela Porter’s The Crazy Man
• Print Pack with assorted readings

~

No comments: