Children's Literature Course Description

The Benefit:

Whether interested in children’s literature for teaching, publishing, writing, reading or marketing, the genre is grossly overlooked in undergraduate English major programs, and is almost unheard of for adult literature students online. This online course will guide English major students along the path of understanding the underlying themes, elements and analytical realms that classic children’s literature has to offer the literary aficionado. Throughout this class, students will learn the names, background, authors and history of many famous and controversial texts. Students will come to recognize common themes and patterns seen in children’s literature, whether it be from the 1700s or the 1900s, and the analysis of why they were written with specific themes. The course will delve into the use of writing technique and literary devices applied to texts that are intended to engage the emotionally developing child reader.

So why a course in children’s literature? Children’s literature is written by adults with adult values, experiences, perspectives and viewpoints worked into the pages. It is not only written by adults, but edited, proofread, published, marketed, sold and purchased by adults. Many classic children’s novels contain underlying meanings and lessons that matched the socio-economic issues of the period in which they were written. Combine these factors and evidence exists that children’s literature deserves a required spot in the undergraduate English classroom right next to courses in British, American, world and women’s literature.

The Problem:

Few literature students in an English major program are required to take a course in children’s literature. Sadly, there is much to learn from studying children’s literature that would apply to a boarder English-literature education and benefit the English major. In fact, it is the perfect venue for an introduction into some basic literary devices and elements that would otherwise be overshadowed with complicated words, long texts and overwhelming novels from lengthy British and American literary works.

So why overcome this problem? Many classic children's novels are full of metaphorical meaning that have been radically debated and discussed over decades and generations with deeper sociological or historical lessons and implications worthy of debate. In this course, students will not only learn to identify how children’s books were written to mold around the cultural expectations of the time, but also to indirectly influence the child reader on an emotional and psychological level. Finally, students will discover and enjoy books that exist in magical worlds and are wide open to literary study and exciting interpretation unlike what they are accustomed to reading.

Enjoy a 10-minute Video Introduction Discussing the Academic Need for This Online Course



Photo Citation:

Child Opened a Magic Book. [Photograph]. Licensed by Bigstock on June 26, 2015 from http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-59529455/stock-photo-child-opened-a-magic-book