DESCRIPTION & GOALS

This course will work on several levels.  First, it will hopefully take you back to your "childhood and youth," when a parent, relative, or even baby-sitter tucked you in and then read to you.  Second, it will give you an opportunity to re-visit some of these great books and, hopefully, many more.  Third, it will give you the tools to read these works critically (something you could not do when you were knee-high-to-a-grasshopper) and with an eye toward employing some of the narrative strategies we identify into your own, original texts.  Overall, the course aims to give you a sense of the "breath" of children's literature as well as the opportunity to explore some in "depth" either critically or creatively.

In addition, we will also consider some of the following issues:

Where would we be today without children's books?   If children did not have such an assortment of genres and texts to choose from to meet their developmental needs, what would children read?  Not the New York Times, I'm sure!   What would childhood be like without such especially designed texts?

What's the purpose of children's literature? To entertain?  to teach? to provide a commodity for authors like you? Well, yes to all of these questions.  However, children's books also help chart the child's progression into our literate society. The infant and toddler learn to recognize color and shapes, the preschooler and kindergartner learn to identify new words.  The precocious kindergartner and typical first grader learn to read phrases and then sentences.  The first illustrated chapter book comes with such pleasure.  Finally, the child or adolescent  reads the first book without pictures. What a journey!

What makes a "good: children's book. . . the language, the illustrations, or both?  Does the "good" book have to have won a Caldecott or Newberry medal?   Who should decide, anyway?  Furthermore, how can we write a "good" children's book?  What techniques and issues must we consider?

To make this course enjoyable and thought provoking, we will all have to work together and diligently. Enthusiastic participation is a must! This course will demand your time and brain-cells. I expect you to spend at least three (3) hours preparing for each class [reading, THINKING, locating patterns, formulating questions, writing]. Group and class discussion, papers, exams, etc. will all help you to achieve the following:

Gain a fuller understanding of children's literature and their writers. You will be able to:

• have a sense of the chronological development of children's literature
• identify the different genres and their basic characteristics
• theorize on the purpose of the various genres across the ages
• identify and speculate the reasons for recurrent issues
• understand how the various genres impact readers

• use appropriate critical vocabulary (setting, theme, climax, ambiguity, narrative perspective)
• annotate a text and suggest the significance of important passages
• identify patterns and details that may uncover meaning
• explore and speculate about textual ambiguities
• express well reasoned opinions about the quality of a work based on textual evidence
• discuss how different critical approaches (new critical, cultural, feminist, African-American and psychoanalytical) expose added insight and complicate interpretations

• share your insights with your groups and the class to develop individual, original interpretations as well as to arrive at some general consensus about a work
• learn to locate secondary materials (book reviews, criticism, history, art, and audio-visuals) to reconstruct the historical, political, and cultural forces which may have influenced or shaped an author and his or her work.
• evaluate critical articles (Critic’s contributions, shortcomings, insight, oversight)
• employ critical articles to support your views, but also to explore overlooked ideas

Course Materials:

Course Requirements:

Spend at least three (3) hours preparing for each class by practicing the three Rs.
 
Read and re-read carefully

Record

• Circle & underline patterns and important images, lines, scenes etc.
• Take notes as you read.
• Write a paragraph summarizing the story or novel chapter's main ideas.


Respond

• THINK about what your are reading.
• What is going on? Why? How does the author present the story? What is ambiguous in the story? Why?
• Formulate questions for discussion.
• Take a stand: do you agree or disagree with the author's point?
• How does this story apply to real life?


To pass with a C, you must:

• submit all major writing assignments and meet their minimum requirements
• submit all homework
• demonstrate satisfactory attendance (see attendance policy)
• demonstrate that you read and thought about the reading assignments
• participate during group work, writing workshops, and class discussions.
• come to Office Hours each time you receive LESS than a "B." You must come even if I do not remind you. All visits count as "effort" in your participation grade.
• see a Writing Tutoreach time you receive LESS than a "B." You must go even if I do not remind you.  All visits count as "effort" in your participation grade.

Since this class will reinforce writing skills (analytical and creative), we will do LOTS of it!  We will also engage in small-group workshops, crucial to the writing process.  Therefore, coming to workshop without a GOOD EFFORT and/or REVISED draft will constitute an absence.  See attendance policy.

Computer Discussion Forums

You will notice that this class employs computer-assisted learning technologies.
 

• The Discussion Forum
• Beginning this week, each class member must contribute AT LEAST TWO separate posts to the class Web forum.
• Submit one original and thoughtful response to the DF once a week.  It should demonstrate your best writing (from organization to punctuation) and must range between 200-250 words.  I will grade these based on quality of thought and expression.
• Respond critically and thoughtfully to at least one entry which one of your peers posts to the DF.  You cannot simply say, "Good idea, why didn't I think of that!"  You may start by affirming the ideas with which you agree.  However, you must try to refute any concepts that are false, unsupported, or unconvincing.  Basically, you must ARGUE!   I will grade these based on quality of thought and expression.
• Midnight Sunday is the deadline to post messages for any given week.
• Contributions must show sincerity, maturity, constructiveness, and relevance to the course.  Please consult the on-line decorum policy.
• You and your classmates are responsible for making this forum a productive and worthwhile experience.  Except in rare circumstances & to post the week's question, I will not add comments to the forum.  I will, however, monitor participation and decorum.

• The Class Listserve
• We will use these to post announcements and any other important information.
• Everyone will receive these messages.  So, practice courtesy and respect.
• You should not use this site to complain or post private information designed for my eyes only.  My email address: dcderosa@email.unc.edu

• Your web page
• Create a personal web page to which you link the work for this course.
• Please give me your address so that I can add it to the student web page list.

Attendance Policy:

• You "have" three (3) misses. On the fourth, you automatically fail the course.
• I will add 10 points to your final participation grade if you have perfect attendance.
• Please arrive on time. If you arrive more than five (5) minutes, I will mark you ABSENT.
• Your group depends on you for your participation and insight; therefore, attendance and promptness is mandatory.
• Skipping a required Office Hour counts as an absence.
• If you anticipate an absence, please submit a letter (email is fine) at least 1 week in advance.
• If you have one of the following "excused" absences, you must submit the certified letter no later than one week after the absence. The University attendance policy "excuses" ONLY the following:

your hospitalization (NOT a doctor's visits)– certified by the attending physician
an athlete who must attend a competition – certified by the Athletic Department
your required court attendance – certified by the Clerk of Court.

• The following are NOT EXCUSED

10. my sister/brother died (you do not HAVE a sister/brother).  [Don't laugh, someone actually GAVE this excuse!]
9. I "broke up" with my significant other.
8. my alarm clock did not sound
7. infected, pierced body part
6. the fire alarm went off, AGAIN
5. erupting wisdom teeth
4. natural disasters
3. the flu, mono, a "cold," or a "stomach bug"
2. hospitalization of (grand)parents
1. a death in the family

If your absence does not fall into one of the three categories, do NOT ask, beg, or grovel for me to excuse the absence.  Simply count it as one of your "three."  This policy may sound severe, but I've heard every excuse! If I make exceptions for one, I have to make exceptions for all.  I'm sure you will agree:  that's not fair.

 
•  Students must make-up all missed work. Consult the syllabus, the class listserv, and a reliable classmate to verify missed assignments.

Grades:

• Late work: I will not accept it.

• Grading Scale:

Academic Integrity:

Writing Tutors:

Computers:

Final Words

Every professor at Carolina will expect you to work hard in his or her course as if it is the only course you are taking.  I expect you to work on this class diligently for at least 1 1/2 hours per day (or at least 9 hours per week).  Please do not say, "This class takes all my time."  Such a comment suggests poor study habits and time management.  Don't complain.  Problem solve.

Please do not be shy or embarrassed to ask for help!  I view requests for assistance as a strength, NOT a weakness.

If you run into trouble, please talk to me about it or seek help from the free campus resources:

The Learning Center (Free tutoring!)

The Writing Center (More free tutoring!  Also, check-out the handout links!)

Counseling & Psychological Services

© 2000
Deborah De Rosa

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