ENG 250 - Children's Literature at Mountain Empire Community College
Course Description
Effective: 2021-08-01
Examines the history and development of children's literature of diverse genres, time periods, and authors. Focuses on analysis of texts for literary qualities and audience. Develops critical thinking and interpretive skills through close reading, discussion, and analysis of literary texts
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
General Course Purpose
ENG 250 examines the history and genres of children's literature across a variety of cultures and traditions. This course develops skills in close reading, interpretation, and comparative analysis.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
Prerequisites: ENG 112, ENG 113, or departmental approval.
Course Objectives
- Critical Thinking
- Evaluate, interpret, and integrate information, ideas and arguments from a variety of perspectives (including the written arguments of others) to analyze complex issues related to literature and its study
- Interpret and combine information to reach and/or evaluate well-reasoned conclusions
- Communication
- Explain the complex ideas of others
- Develop, convey, and exchange ideas in writing
- Develop writing that is appropriate to a given context and for a specific audience
- Cultural and Civic Engagement
- Assess the impact of culture as it relates to children's literature and its traditions
- Develop knowledge and civic values, within a humanities framework, that are necessary for contributing to civic life and the well-being of local, national, and global literary communities
- Literary Traditions
- Describe salient features of writers, literary movements, genres and/or texts within children's literature
- Inquiry
- Construct and explore meaningful questions about diverse human experiences through comparative literary study
- Historical and social contexts
- Explain connections between literary texts and related historical, social, and literary contexts
- Close Reading and Literary Analysis
- Analyze literary texts using appropriate vocabulary and a variety of methodological approaches and perspectives, exploring the ways literary texts reflect and challenge cultural values and beliefs
- Support interpretations of literary texts with valid textual evidence and use scholarly sources as appropriate to inform inquiry into literary texts
- Evaluate the role of audience in the creation and comprehension of children's literature
- Writing
- Compose literary analysis that is well-organized and features substantial, logical, and concrete development of ideas with appropriate documentation
Major Topics to be Included
- Literacy Traditions
- Inquiry
- Historical and social contexts
- Close Reading and Literacy Analysis
- Writing