EDU
319/619:
Children’s
Literature:
Multicultural
and
International
Approaches


Summer
2011
–
American
University
–
School
of
Education,
Teaching
&
Health



Instructor:
Alex
R.
Hodges,
Associate
Librarian/Professor
 




Online
Office
Hours:
Online
via
Gchat
&
Skype
–
Tuesdays,
4‐5pm,
and
Thursdays,
4‐6pm

Gchat
@
alex.hodges@gmail.com;
Skype
@
alexrhodges

Phone:
office
202.885.3845;
cell/text
202.210.8850

E‐mail:
alex.hodges@gmail.com




Class
meets
asynchronously
online:
May
9,
2011
through
June
30,
2011



Catalog
Course
Description
for
EDU
319:

Exploration
and
critical
analysis
of
multicultural
and
international
children's
literature
from

preschool
to
adolescence.
Includes
how
contemporary
issues
are
reflected
in
different
genres,

as
well
as
marginalization,
gender
equity,
social
inequity,
racism,
and
censorship.
Usually

offered
every
spring.



Catalog
Course
Description
for
EDU
619:

Exploration
and
analysis
of
children's
literature
from
a
critical
literacy
perspective,
including
an

explanation
of
social
issues
such
as
marginalization,
racism,
and
censorship,
as
reflected
in

different
genre.



Textbooks:

See
course
outline
for
reading
assignments
by
date.




REQUIRED:
Vasquez,
V.
(2010).

Getting
Beyond
“I
Like
the
Book”:
Creating
Space
for
Critical

Literacy
in
K‐6
Classrooms
(2nd
ed.).

Newark,
DE:
International
Reading
Association.

ON
RESERVE
at
the
University
Library,
Lower
Level.
Call
number
LB
1576
.V37
2010



RECOMMENDED:
Jacobs,
J.
S.
&
Tunnell,
M.
O.

(2008).

Children’s
Literature,
Briefly.
4th
ed.

Upper
Saddle
River,
NJ:
Pearson
Education,
Inc.

ON
RESERVE
at
the
University
Library,
Lower
Level.
Call
number
PN
1008.8
.J33
2008



Required
Children’s
and
Young
Adult
Literature:

See
course
outline
for
reading
assignments
by
date.



Elijah
of
Buxton,
Christopher
Paul
Curtis

ON
RESERVE
at
the
University
Library,
Lower
Level.
Call
number
PZ
7.C94137
El
2007



The
Stinky
Cheese
Man
and
Other
Fairly
Stupid
Tales,
Jon
Scieszka

ON
RESERVE
at
the
University
Library,
Lower
Level.
Call
number
PZ
8.S324
St
1992



Weetzie
Bat,
Francesca
Lia
Block

ON
RESERVE
at
the
University
Library,
Lower
Level.
Call
number
PZ
7.B6194
We
1999


1
Course
Goals
and
Purposes
for
EDU
319/619:

Our
work
together
as
an
online
learning
community
requires
reflection,
observation
and

communication.
Together
we
will
examine
both
children’s
and
young
adult
literature.
Some
of

the
texts
we
will
examine
will
be
considered
classics.
Other
works
may
be
so
current
that
they

will
include
allusions
to
modern
social
conventions
or
currently
contested
terrains.
Students
will

apply
what
they
learn
in
this
class
to
their
eventual
teaching
practice
and
to
the
development

of
their
critical
thinking
skills.
Careful
evaluation
of
the
literature
along
with
an
engaged,

conversant
dynamic
will
aid
the
discussion
of
curriculum‐based
discoveries.
In
order
to
achieve

these
means,
the
course
will
use
critical
theory
and
a
critical
literacy
framework
to
uncover

meaning,
explore
linguistic
constructions
and
critique
artistic
imagery.
As
a
community,
the

class
will
.
.
.



1.
Experience
an
introductory
overview
of
the
field
of
children’s
and
young
adult
literature.



2.
Engage
critical
thinking
skills
to
evaluate,
discuss,
research
and
reflect
upon
reactions
to
the

literature
in
order
to
.
.
.



• View
literacy
as
a
social
practice,

• Explore
the
possibilities
of
multiple
literacies,

• Discover
situated
meanings
within
individual
works,
and

• Examine
the
motivations
of
authors,
illustrators
and
publishers.



3.
Use
the
lens
of
critical
literacy
to
.
.
.



• Discuss
and
learn
about
social
issues
such
as
diversity,
difference,
privilege,

disadvantage,
power
and
control
as
applied
in
books
written
for
juveniles,

• Construct
alternate
versions
of
existing
texts,
and

• Inform
the
future
teaching
of
children’s
literature
while
also
reflecting
upon
teaching

practice
and
critical
theory.




4.
Develop,
discover
and
share
research
methods
and
strategies.



5.
Respect
the
diversity
of
communicated
thoughts,
experiences
and
belief
systems.



6.
Reframe
traditional
literacy
learning
within
the
multimodal
online
learning
environment.




















2
Learning
Objectives
for
EDU
319/619:

1.
Students
will
critically
read
the
literature
in
order
to
unpack
the
social
and
political
meanings

that
show
the
non‐neutrality
of
juvenile
literature.
Students
will
have
both
assigned
readings

and
self‐chosen
readings.
Some
of
the
self‐chosen
readings
will
come
from
the
International

Children’s
Digital
Library:

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/



2.
Students
will
create
and
manage
their
own
blogs
in
order
to
use
multimodal
writing
as
a

means
to
reflect
upon,
communicate
and
share
their
critical
discoveries
with
the
class.




3.
Students
will
devise
an
alternate
ending
to
a
children’s
fairy
tale
in
order
to
critique
the

subjective
cultural
mores
inherent
in
moral
stories.
This
exercise
will
require
activating
inquiry

skills
through
library‐based
online
research
as
well
as
activating
creative
problem‐solving
skills

in
the
redesign
of
a
prominent,
fossilized
narrative.



4.
Students
will
create
a
critical
literacy
analysis
of
a
topical
or
genre
area
within
children’s
or

young
adult
literature
in
order
to
provide
an
in‐depth
linguistic
and
illustrative
analysis,
which

shows
how
teaching
this
subject
can
effect
social
action
or
illuminate
a
social
problem
that

needs
attention
and
change.



5.
Students
will
create
a
web‐based
screencast
or
video
to
display
the
steps
of
the
analysis

(from
learning
objective
#4)
in
order
to
disseminate
their
reflection,
newly
created/researched

knowledge
and
multimodal
communication
skills.
This
screencast
or
video
will
provide
other

students
in
the
class
with
new
knowledge
about
the
social
and
political
messages
to
consider

with
their
own
future
students.




3
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS

Professionalism
and
Participation
(10
Points)

Your
participation
and
critical
engagement
are
crucial
for
your
success
–
especially
in
a
completely

online
course.
You
are
required
to
participate
meaningfully
and
critically
in
all
asynchronous
discussions

as
well
as
complete
all
assigned
work.
Students
who
accrue
1‐2
missed
discussions
may
receive
a
one‐
half
letter
grade
deduction
(i.e.
an
A‐
becomes
a
B+)
from
the
participation
grade.
Students
who
miss
3

or
more
discussions
may
not
receive
any
participation
points.



Blog
&
Blackboard
Posts
(15
Points)

Each
student
will
blog
about
children’s
or
young
adult
literature,
and
participate
in
assigned
discussion

threads
via
Blackboard.

Participation
in
these
forums
is
critical
to
attaining
goals
and
objectives
for
the

course.





Blogger
via
Google

Students
are
expected
to
create
their
own
blogs
through
Blogger
and
join
the
class
Blogger
site

through
a
personal
Google
account
(see
the
instructor
for
a
Google
account
if
you
don’t
have
one

separate
from
AU),
and
provide
the
class
with
their
discoveries
about
children’s
literature.




Active
participation
will
be
gauged
FOUR
times
during
the
course:

• May
16
(grading
date
ranges
May
9‐15)

• May
23
(grading
date
ranges
May
16‐22)

• May
30
(grading
date
ranges
May
23‐29)

• June
13
(grading
date
ranges
June
6‐12)



Full
points
can
be
earned
weekly
by
providing
a
minimum
of
3
weekly
substantial
posts
—

a)
ONE
post
must
be
a
book
review
blog
post
that
provides
a
review
or
critical
evaluation
of

a
specific
children’s
or
young
adult
title,


b)
TWO
other
posts
must
reflect
on
and
contribute
meaningfully
(in
2‐3
sentences)
to
other

students’
posts.





Counter
Narrative
Project*
(Individual
‐
35
points)

Each
student
will
create
a
counter
narrative
text
for
a
traditional
Cinderella
story.
There
are

many
texts
that
we
could
choose
for
this
assignment,
but
we
will
use
the
Cinderella
story
to

help
get
the
point
across
that
texts
are
socially
constructed,
not
neutral,
and
that
given
a
set
of

different
circumstances,
every
story
could
be
told
differently.
Your
individual
counter
narrative

based
on
the
original
text
and
images
is
worth
(15
points),
and
a
researched
2‐3pp.
description

(worth
20
points)
of
the
differences
will
detail
the
sociopolitical
impact
of
the
recast
text,

images
or
characters.
More
information
about
this
assignment
will
be
explained
during
the

semester.




4
Final
Project
(Individual
or
Group
‐
40
points)

Students
will
create
a
critical
literacy
analysis
of
a
topical
or
genre
area
within
children’s
or

young
adult
literature.
Individuals
or
groups
will
collectively
choose
one
text
to
examine
in

depth;
provide
a
linguistic
(and
imagery,
too,
if
illustrated)
analysis
of
this
text;
research
similar

and
different
texts
within
the
genre;
examine
and
observe
through
field
research
in
library
and

bookstore
collections
for
coverage
of
this
subject;
develop
a
potential
social
justice
project

based
on
the
text
and
its
general
subject
–
aiming
to
show
how
teaching
in
K‐12
curricula
about

the
subject
can
effect
social
action
or
illuminate
a
social
problem
that
needs
attention
and

change.



1) Web
site
(worth
5
points)


Students
will
design
a
simple
Google
Site
that
collects
and
organizes
online
content

for
the
social
action
project.


2) Essay
‐
5pp
minimum
(worth
25
points)

This
essay
is
an
evaluation
of
your
chosen
text
and
genre
area.
It
will
include
an

annotated
bibliography
or
other
sources/texts
within
your
chosen
genre/topic
area.

For
those
who
chose
to
work
in
a
group,
it
must
be
collaboratively
written.
More

information
about
this
assignment
will
be
explained.

3) Online
Presentation
(worth
10
points)

This
overall
project
and
your
rationale
for
its
creation
will
be
presented
to
the
class

via
your
choice
of
an
online
video
or
screencast.
More
information
about
this

assignment
will
be
explained.



COURSE
POINTS
/
GRADING
SCALE:

Assignment/Project
 Points
Value

Professionalism
&
Participation
 10
points


Blog
&
Blackboard
Posts
 15
points

Counter
Narrative
Project
 35
points


Final
Project
 40
points

Total
Available
Course
Points:
 100
POINTS

Course
Grade
 %
Value

A
 100‐94

A‐
 93.9‐90

B+
 89.9‐87

B
 86.9‐84

B‐
 83.9‐80

C+
 79.9‐77

C
 76.9‐74

C‐
 73.9‐70

D
 69.9‐60

F
 59.9‐00




5
CLASS
SCHEDULE
–
SUMMER
2011
–
EDU
319/619.E01L

Note:
These
details
are
subject
to
change.
Be
aware
of
online
announcements.

Date
 Lecture/Discussion
Topics
&
Activities
 Assignments/Readings
Due


 

Week
1
 Introduction
to
the
Course
 1) Reading
DUE:

May

 Introduction
to
Children’s
&
YA
Literature
 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
1,
5‐7

9‐15
 • Review
syllabus
and
course
overview
 


 • Develop
communications
structure
 Assignments:

o Blackboard
 Introductions


o Blog
setup
 Childhood
Favorites



Week
2
 Critical
Literacy
&
Evaluating
Literature
 Reading
Due:

May
 Lecture/Class
Discussion
 Vasquez,
Ch.
1‐2

16‐22
 
 Reading
Due:




 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
2‐4


 

Week
3
 Multicultural
&
International
Books
 Reading
Due:



May
 Class
Discussion:
Elijah
of
Buxton
 Elijah
of
Buxton

23‐29
 
 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
12‐15


 

Week
4
 Fairy
Tales,
Folk
Tales
&
Fantasy
 Reading
Due:

May
30‐
 Lecture
&
Class
Discussion
 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
9,
10

June
5
 
 The
Stinky
Cheese
Man
and
Other

Fairly
Stupid
Tales,
Scieszka
&
Smith



Week
5
 Focusing
on
Social
Issues
 Counter
Narrative
Project
Due:

June
 Lecture
&
Class
Discussion
 Email
by
Monday,
June
6,
11:59pm

Name
attachment:
lastname_edu319_narrative.doc

6‐12
 


 

Reading
Due:

Vasquez,
Ch.
3,
4

Week
6
 Banned
and
Controversial
Books

 Reading
Due:

June
 Lecture
&
Class
Discussion:
Weetzie
Bat
 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
11,
16

13‐19
 
 Weetzie
Bat



Week
7
 Critical
Literacy
as
a
Curricular
Framework
 Reading
Due:

June
 Lecture
&
Class
Discussion
 Vasquez,
Ch.
5,
6

20‐26
 
 Tunnell
&
Jacobs,
Ch.
17,
18


 
 

Week
8
 Final
Project
‐
Preparations
 Final
Project
Due
&
Presented

June
 Activity:
Work
time
and
troubleshooting
 Email
and
post
online

27‐30
 session
for
final
project
&
course
evaluations
 by
Thursday,
June
30,
11:59pm

Name
attachment:
lastname_edu319_narrative.doc




6
Academic
Integrity
Code


Students
are
expected
to
conform
to
the
regulations
of
the
University
in
regard
to
academic

integrity,
especially
in
regard
to
plagiarism,
inappropriate
collaboration,
dishonesty
in

examinations,
dishonesty
in
papers,
work
for
one
course
and
submitted
to
another,
deliberate

falsification
of
data,
interference
with
other
students'
work,
and
copyright
violation.
The

student
academic
integrity
code
is
located
here:

http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/reg80.cfm



Research
Assistance

The
University
Library
faculty
provide
assistance
with
developing
search
strategies
for
AU’s

online
research
tools.
You
can
seek
help
by
visiting
the
reference
desk,
by
calling
(202)
885‐
3238,
or
by
instant
messaging
askaulibrary
via
AIM/GTalk/Yahoo!/MSN.



Using
Appropriate
Documentation
Formats

The
School
of
Education,
Teaching
&
Health
endorses
the
use
of
APA
or
MLA
style
for
research

citations,
footnotes,
list
of
references,
and
layout,
and
all
written
work.
All
style
guides
can
be

found
in
print
in
the
library
next
to
the
reference
desk.




American
Psychological
Association.
(2010).
Publication
manual
of
the
American
Psychological

Association,
Sixth
Edition.
Washington,
D.C.:
American
Psychological
Association.
(At

Reference
Desk
–
Call
number:
PN147
.A7
2010)





Gibaldi,
J.
MLA
Handbook
for
Writers
of
Research
Papers.
7th
ed.
New
York:
Modern
Language

Association,
2009.

(At
Reference
Desk
–
Call
number:

LB2369
.G53
2009)



Center
for
Research,
Teaching
&
Learning
(CTRL)

CTRL
offers
students
assistance
with
advanced
technology
support
services.
Discover
their

offerings
here:
http://www.american.edu/teachingcenter/index.htm


Emergency
Preparedness

In
the
event
of
a
major
emergency,
American
University
will
implement
a
plan
for
meeting
the

needs
of
all
members
of
the
university
community.

Should
the
university
be
required
to
close

for
a
period
of
time,
we
are
committed
to
ensuring
that
all
aspects
of
our
educational
programs

will
be
delivered
to
our
students.

These
may
include
altering
and
extending
the
duration
of
the

traditional
term
schedule
to
complete
essential
instruction
in
the
traditional
format
and/or
use

of
online
learning.
In
the
event
of
a
declared
pandemic
or
other
emergency,
students
should

refer
to
the
AU
Web
site
(http://www.american.edu/emergency/)
and
the
AU
information
line

at
(202)
885‐1100
for
general
university‐wide
information,
as
well
as
contact
their
faculty

and/or
respective
dean’s
office
for
course
and
school/college‐specific
information. 


7
Protection
of
Human
Subjects
Catalog

Any
research
involving
interviewing,
surveying,
or
observing
human
beings
is
subject
to
review

and
approval
by
the
University
Institutional
Review
Board
(IRB)
and
information
about
the

university’s
IRB
process
is
outlined
at
http://american.edu/irb/index.cfm.
The
university
IRB

liaison
is
Matthew
Zembrzuski
and
his
email
is
zembrzus@american.edu.



Academic
and
Disability
Support
Services

Appropriate
modifications
to
academic
requirements
may
be
necessary
on
a
case‐by‐case
basis

to
ensure
educational
opportunity
for
students
with
disabilities,
and
individual
faculty
members

may
need
to
modify
specific
course
requirements
to
permit
equal
participation
by
students

with
disabilities.
A
wide
range
of
services
is
available
to
help
you
meet
course
requirements:



 Academic
Support
Center
‐‐
http://www.american.edu/ocl/asc/index.cfm


 Disability
Support
Services
‐‐
http://www.american.edu/ocl/dss/index.cfm


 Counseling
Center
‐‐
http://www.american.edu/ocl/counseling/index.cfm



Incomplete
Grades


Faculty
members
must
approve
student
requests
for
an
incomplete
grade,
and
must
do
so

before
the
end
of
the
semester.
Students
must
complete
and
submit
an
Incomplete
Contract

Form
to
the
faculty
member.

Incompletes
are
given
only
in
cases
of
severe
emergencies,
or

special,
well‐documented
circumstances,
etc.




Additional
Information
for
students
‐‐

American
University
Academic
Regulations

http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/academicreg.cfm

The
Student
Handbook


http://www.american.edu/ocl/upload/student_handbook.pdf



Student
Evaluation
of
Teaching

Near
the
end
of
the
course,
you
will
have
the
opportunity
to
evaluate
this
online
class
and
your

learning
experience
by
completing
an
online
Student
Evaluation
of
Teaching.
The
evaluation

contains
the
same
set
of
questions
used
in
assessing
classroom‐based
courses,
with
the

addition
of
four
questions
specifically
applicable
to
online
learning.
As
with
any
other
face‐to‐
face
course,
you
are
strongly
encouraged
to
participate
in
this
evaluation
of
your
educational

experience.
A
high
participation
rate
is
critical
to
AU’s
ability
to
continually
improve
and

strengthen
the
quality
of
the
University’s
learning
opportunities.



8
Philosophy
of
the
School
of
Education,
Teaching
&
Health
(SETH)

The
faculty
of
the
School
of
Education,
Teaching
&
Health
is
committed
to
excellence
in

advancing
educational
theory
and
practice
through
the
initial
and
continuing
development
of

reflective,
dedicated
and
proficient
teachers,
administrators
and
researchers.
Graduates
are

equipped
to
meet
individual
needs,
to
nurture
the
strengths
and
talents
of
those
individuals,

and
to
initiate
and
provide
leadership
in
classrooms,
educational
institutions,
and
in
the
public

policy
arena.
The
mission
of
the
SETH
is
derived
from
the
faculty's
shared
conviction
that
the

fundamental
task
of
schooling
in
America
is
the
advancement
of
the
welfare
of
children.
The

SETH
faculty
wants
our
teacher
education
programs
to
be
known
for
preparing
effective

teachers
who
understand
and
model
a
commitment
to
excellence,
equity,
community
and

diversity.




The
SETH
faculty
and
staff
are
committed
to
celebrating
diversity
and
building
a
community
of

learners.
As
we
work
in
collaboration
in
and
out
of
the
classroom:

♦ We
believe
that
respecting
each
other's
differences
and
opinions
leads
to
a
positive
and

open
environment,

♦ We
believe
that
open
discourse
promotes
reflective
and
thoughtful
educators,

♦ We
believe
that
equitable
treatment
of
each
other
is
necessary
for
a
positive,
sustained,

and
working
community,
and

♦ We
believe
that
each
and
every
member
of
the
community
can
make
a
valuable

contribution
to
the
community.

♦ These
beliefs
in
action
provide
for
all
students,
staff,
and
faculty
a
safe,
productive,
and

positive
educational
community.





*N.B.:
Portions
of
this
syllabus
have
been
adapted
from
previous
syllabi
crafted
by
SETH’s
Vivian
Vasquez
(fall
2009),
Brec
Cooke
(spring
2009),
and
Alex
Hodges

(spring
2010).