English 105--Children's Literature
Spring 2011
Carol Beran
GV 207
631-4432
cberan@stmarys-ca.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:40-1:10, 3:00-4:00
Texts
Baum, The Wizard of Oz 1900
Carroll, Alice in Wonderland 1865
Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables 1908
Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 1997
Schimmel, Just Enough to Make a Story
Schwenke and Rosenberg, eds., Considering Children’s Literature
Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales
Tolkien, The Hobbit 1937
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In general, English Department courses seek to foster critical thinking skills, both oral and
written, which enable students to
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Engage in active reading informed by a broad base of literary, historical and cultural
knowledge;
Read a wide range of literary texts with a critical eye, an awareness of the theoretical
assumptions behind various interpretive strategies, knowledge of appropriate methods of
inquiry and the ability to formulate clear questions.
Apply a variety of reading strategies and combine critical detachment with the
intellectual, imaginative, and emotional engagement necessary for appreciation.
Write clear, well-reasoned prose for a variety of audiences (academic, professional,
social);
Support arguments with appropriate, thoughtfully analyzed evidence; and
Converse articulately about texts and interpretations, understanding that interpretation
often involved dialogue and collaboration.
This course seeks particularly to enable students to
 Understand the importance of oral storytelling in Children’s Literature
 Tell stories, both orally and in writing
 Argue knowledgeably, both orally and in writing, about key issues concerning Children’s
Literature, understanding multiple frameworks in which teachers, librarians, parents, and
children have viewed these issues
 Relate key texts of Children’s Literature, past and present, to other literature and to
multiple issues concerning Children’s Literature
Learning goals: Artistic Understanding
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Engage in close reading and serious analysis of a group of texts important in the
development of the short story form.
Read with attention to the language and formal features of each text; note each writer’s
use and revision of conventions of the genre and be able to relate formal features of each
text to the writer’s purpose.
Apply appropriate critical vocabulary (“point of view,” “plot,” “genre,” “fantasy” or
“folk tale,” for example) in analysis of texts.
Course Requirements
 Good attendance. Credit will be deducted for absences beyond 2, so save your 2 cuts
for when they are necessary. Students missing more than 6 classes may be given an
automatic F for the course.
 High quality participation in class discussion and activities. The participation grade
will be based on classroom participation, use of Turnitin.com, and turning in all assigned
freewritings.
 Three short essays out of four. You may do your essays with one partner from the class
as a way of continuing the class discussion into your writing. If you do all 4 essays, I
will cancel the lowest grade.
 Project, individually designed in consultation with the professor. You may do your
project with one partner from the class.
 Final exam, designed by the class.
 Academic integrity. I expect the SMC Honor Code to be your guide in all work. All
work must be your own and written for this class. Sources must be acknowledged by
using parenthetical citations and a works cited list in MLA format—see purple Xerox.
 Turnitin.com: The three essays must be put on Turnitin. Not having all 3 essays on
Turnitin at the end of the semester will negatively impact your participation grade.
 Email: please check your SMC email regularly. Send email to me from your SMC
account.
 Grade for the course: the final grade will be the average of 5 grades: 3 essays, project,
participation, and final exam.
NOTE: This course is unlike many that you have taken in that you often have choices about
what to read. That means no two students will take exactly the same course; you will be able to
make some parts of the course fit your particular interests. To keep all of us somewhat together,
whenever you have a reading that involves your own choice, I ask you to turn in a typed
freewriting that summarizes key points in the article and ends with (or includes) a discussion
question.
Assignments
(Feb. 8 Basic questions re children's literature. Storytelling as a way to organize life and
construct a world.)
Feb. 10 Schimmel 1-25. Prepare to tell a story that reflects some part of your heritage.
Feb. 15 finish Schimmel. Continue storytelling. Prepare to tell another story.
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Feb. 17 Issues in Children’s Literature. Read three essays in Considering Children’s Literature.
Freewrite a one-page typed summary of each of the articles you choose, ending with a
discussion question.
Feb. 22 Picture books: reading and telling. Find a picture book with a story from a culture very
different from yours. Prepare to read/tell it to the class, showing the pictures as you go
along. (Check SMC Library multicultural collection and public libraries). Read and
freewrite about the introduction and one essay from “The Picturebook” section of
Considering Children’s Literature. How do ideas in the essay relate to the picture book
you brought?
Feb. 24 The Classic Fairy Tales, “Little Red Riding Hood”—pp. 3-24.
Mar. 1 The Classic Fairy Tales, essays by Shavitt and Propp—pp. 309-32, 382-87. Essay #1
due.
Mar. 3 The Classic Fairy Tales, “Beauty and the Beast”—pp 25-72.
Mar. 8 The Classic Fairy Tales, “Snow White”—pp. 74-100.
Mar. 10 The Classic Fairy Tales, “Cinderella”—pp. 101-137.
Mar. 15 The Classic FaiTry Tales, essays by Zipes and Gilbert and Gubar— pp. 332-52 and.29196.
Mar. 17 The Classic Fairy Tales, “Bluebeard”—pp. 138-179.
Mar. 22 The Classic Fairy Tales, essays by Tatar and Rowe—pp. 364-72, and 297-308. Essay
#2 due.
Mar. 24 The Classic Fairy Tales, Hans Christian Andersen—pp. 212-45.
Mar. 29 Bring 2-3 of your favorite nursery rhymes or children’s poems to class. Read The
Classic Fairy Tales—pp. 280-90. Read the section introduction and one essay from the
“Poetry and Nursery Rhymes” section of Considering Children’s Literature. Freewrite
about the essays with respect to the poems you are bringing to class.
Mar. 31 Alice, ch. 1-6. Read and freewrite about one essay (two if very short) from the back of
the book. If you don’t have the Norton edition, use the library resources (online or print)
or the Internet. What insights does the essay provide about the book?
Apr. 5 Finish Alice. Freewrite about an essay from the back of the book and how it relates to
your perception of the book.
Apr. 7 Wizard of Oz, ch. 1-12. For each day we are reading Oz, also read one essay about it
from the library databases or Internet, or read one essay in Considering Children’s
Literature, summarizing it in a typed freewriting that ends with a discussion question.
Apr. 12 Finish Oz. Essay #3 due.
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Apr. 14 Anne of Green Gables—1/2. For each day we are reading Anne, also read one essay
about it from the library databases or Internet, or read one essay in Considering
Children’s Literature, summarizing it in a typed freewriting and connecting it to Anne.
Apr. 19 and 21—Easter Break
Apr. 26 finish Anne.
Apr. 28 The Hobbit—1/2. Read the essay by Sullivan in Considering Children’s Literature—pp.
189-200.
May 3 finish The Hobbit.
May 5 Harry Potter, ch. 1-9. Find one relevant essay on the library databases and freewrite
about how it connects to the book as you see it.
May 10 Finish Harry Potter.
May 12 Finish project presentations. Bring questions for exam. Essay #4 due. No late papers!
Exam: Thursday, May 17, 11:30-1:30. Bring bluebooks.
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