Required Texts:
Butler, Francelia Sharing Literature With Children (Waveland)
Blume, Judy Double Fudge (Dell)
Lewis, C.S. The Magician’s Nephew (Harper)
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Tate, Eleanora The Secret of Gumbo Grove (Bantam)
Twain, Mark The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Signet)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will apply techniques of critical analysis to works written for young readers. Students interested in sharpening the analytic skills they have developed in English 102 will find a rich field of inquiry in literature written for children, while those with an interest in psychology will find that analysis of course texts can deepen their understanding of human development. Future teachers will have the chance to build up a repertoire of texts to share with their own pupils, and students who have young children in their lives will learn to look at books they share with children from a new perspective. No matter what their specific interests, all students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own childhood reading experiences, as they revisit texts which were meaningful to them once upon a time. (English 101 and 102 are prerequisites for this class.)
It should be noted that time limits us and that there are many works worthy of study. Therefore, it is hoped that the student will pursue further study independently and/or in future college courses.
TEACHING PROCEDURES: There will be some lecture and much discussion. Quizzes will be given weekly (approximately one per week during the Fall and the Spring semesters, two per week during the Summer session). These will be based upon the readings. An exam is given at midsemester and at the end of the term. These are half closed-book and half open-book (see Course Requirements which follow).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Quizzes: Students are required to take as many quizzes as possible. Some quiz grades may be dropped at the end of the semester. Missed quizzes will be recorded as a "0". Quizzes are based upon the readings and given on-line with a flexible time limit.
2. Exams:There will be one mid-semester exam and one final. There will also be a "second exam grade" based upon class attendance and class participation. Exams will be partly objective and partly essay-type based upon lecture material and the readings.
Exams must be taken in person (you will be notified of the dates and times). If you are unable to make the scheduled time(s), alternate arrangements will be made. Truely "distant" students out of the area and those unable to travel to the campus should contact the instructor to make arrangements for proctors for exams.
3. Papers: Three (two during the summer) papers (approximately 500 to 700 words each--700 to 1000 in the Summer session) are due throughout the semester. These must be submitted on line (using Private Mail in WEB/CT) and must follow H.C.C. English Department Manuscript Requirements (posted on the website).. Any paper not meeting the requirements will be refused. All papers must be on time. Papers will be graded and sent back to the student electronically, but the grades will not count. These papers will be the forerunners of the ONE or TWO works which you will include in your portfolio (see number 4).
Late or missing papers will cause points to be deducted from your portfolio grade. See the "Options for Papers" on the bottom of the main page of the class website.( This does not appear until the second week of class.)
A third paper in the form of Book Reviews will also be included in your portfolio. More instructions on this exercise can be found in "Guidelines For Book Reviews" in the Course Content section. (There is also an icon for this on the course's main page.)
REWRITES: All papers may be re-written for a better grade (but the grade still does not count: the point is to get "perfect" papers for your portfolio!) Rewrites should be submitted within one week after the original’s being passed back.
4. A Portfolio containing the following is due at the end of the semester:
A. Your best paper or two picked from one or more of the papers which you did during the semester. This paper or papers should total approximately 1000 words in length.
B. Your book reviews.
YOUR PORTFOLIO WILL BE GRADED AS A WHOLE, SO DO A GOOD JOB!
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF PAPERS
1. Did you present your writing in a clear, logical manner? (ORGANIZATION)
2. Did you back up your points with examples and/or illustrations? (DETAIL)
3. Did you use your words in the correct way? (GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX)
4. Did you use the right words? (SPELLING AND WORD CHOICE)
GRADE DETERMINATION
1. Quizzes 1/5 of grade
2. Exams* 1/5 of grade
3. Portfolio 2/5 of grade
4. Final Exam 1/5 of grade
*Your exam grade will be an average of your mid semester exam and a "second exam grade" based upon class attendance and class participation.
The attendance policy is that you should spend at least three hours on-line each week--six during Summer sessions-- (the equivalent of class hours in a traditional classroom). Of course, you may log in any time and stay as long as you wish. If your average time on per week equals three hours(six in Summer), you will receive a 100 in attendance. If your average is less, then your grade will be appropriately adjusted.
Class participation is determined by your responses to class discussion questions. Quality of response is important. Quantity, not necessarily so. Just like in a traditional classroom, it is not necessary, nor is it practical, to have all students respond to all questions.
CHILDREN'S LIT. ON-LINE SYLLABUS (Remember that Summer Sessions are two weeks in one!)
WEEK ONE: Exploring the website, discussing the movie and submitting Sample Writing.
WEEK TWO: Stories From Your Childhood (or maybe not!) ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY or on-line in the "Class Materials" section: "Sleeping Beauty" "Little Red Riding Hood" "Cinderilla" (Yes, correctly spelled!) "Snow White" "The Frog King" "Cinderella" "Sleeping Beauty" (Yes, two "Sleeping Beauties"!)
WEEK THREE: Other Worlds/Other Times: Discussion of The Magician’s Nephew. Read The Magician’s Nephew.
WEEK FOUR: "Toys and Games" In Butler, pp. 15-69.
WEEK FIVE: "Fools" In Butler, pp. 91-152.
WEEK SIX: Culture and Identity: The Secret of Gumbo Grove
WEEK SEVEN: Mid-term Exam ( room and time T.B.A.) Midterm must be taken in person. If you cannot make the scheduled time(s), contact instructor for alternate arrangements.
WEEK EIGHT: Hans Christian Andersen ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY or on-line in the "Class Materials" section: "Snow Queen" "Little Mermaid" "Princess & the Pea" "Tinder Box" "Little Match Girl" "The Swineherd" "The Ugly Duckling"
WEEK NINE: Masks & Shadows--Part I, in<> Butler: pp. 167-191 and "Beauty and the Beast" ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY or on-line in the "Class Materials" section.
WEEK TEN: Masks and Shadows--Part II, In Butler: pp. 192-244.<>
WEEK ELEVEN: <>Lessons in Life: Judy Blume and the Modern Writers--<>Read Blume: Double Fudge .
WEEK TWELVE: Prelude to Sex Roles-- On Reserve in the Library or on-line in the "Class Materials" section: "The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet" "Prince Amalec" "Petronella" "Snow White" (Merseyside) "A Fairy Tale for Our Time" "Eye of the Beholder"
WEEK THIRTEEN: Sex Roles-- Butler, pp. 265-327
WEEK FOURTEEN: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Discussion of Books Reviewed:
Read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
WEEK FIFTEEN: Huck Finn: A Book Fit for a Kid? Have Huckleberry Finn completely read. Review.
FINAL EXAM (Date, time and room to be announced.) Final Exam must be taken in person. If you can't make the scheduled time(s), please contact the instructor for alternate arrangements.
