ENG 100 Children's Literature

Children’s Literature is an introductory course that centers critical engagement with a range of contemporary, diverse texts published in the U.S. whose target audience is birth to twelve years of age. The course focuses on the role society, culture, economics, education, and institutions play in shaping our understanding of “the child” and “childhood” and how this understanding, in turn, shapes the creation, analysis, publication, distribution, and use of Children's Literature in the U.S. The course emphasizes the concept of representation in order to understand how power and privilege are at work in U.S. Children’s Literature.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate familiarity with and critically analyze a variety of contemporary U.S. Children’s Literature texts, written for readers ages birth to 12

2. Identify various age-based subgenres within U.S. Children’s Literature

3. Critically consider how social, political, cultural, economic, and educational factors influence the creation, publication, and interpretation of contemporary U.S. Children’s Literature

4. Critically read and engage texts written for children, paying careful attention to issues related to representation (or lack thereof) within these texts

5. Craft and present coherent written arguments about both the Children’s Literature texts and the theories covered in this course