INLS
732 - CHILDREN_S LITERATURE AND RELATED MATERIALS (Spring 2015)
Manning Hall, Room #307
Dr. Brian Sturm
Office: 215-A Manning; phone: 962-2460; email: sturm AT ils
DOT unc DOT edu
Office Hours: By email or by appointment
Online
Space: https://www.unc.edu/sakai/ (log in using
your ONYEN and password)
Brief Course Description, Goals, and Outline
Course Description
This course is a
survey of what has been written for birth - 6th grade children in
the United States since the late 1800s, but with an emphasis on current
publishing. It is designed to help
students understand how children experience reading, and its intent is to
prepare students to work with children ages birth-12 in a variety of settings
(libraries, schools, etc.). We will
cover books for the very young child, transitional fiction, and nonfiction and
genre fiction for middle and upper elementary school children. Each week, students will read background
literature as well as children’s books on the topic of the day.
As we tell
children, “the more you read, the better you read, the better you read, the
more you know.” Please try to read
beyond what I assign for the class, as you WILL need this information and exposure
as you pursue your careers with children.
Course Goals
The purpose of
this course is to help students answer the following question: WHAT MAKES A CHILDREN’S BOOK ENGAGING FOR A
CHILD READER?
In order to
accomplish this goal, students must:
1. Develop critical and emotional
standards for judging literature.
2. Gain an understanding of the changes in
children’s literature over time.
3. Become familiar with the breadth and
depth of materials for children.
4. Explore the professional literature about
children's literature.
I.
Introduction
to the Study of Children's Literature
II.
Books
to Establish Pre-Reading Habits (Board Books, Pop-ups, Picture Books)
III.
Books
for Developing Readers (Beginning Readers, Transitional Chapter Books
IV.
Books
for Readers (nonfiction and genre fiction)
Grading Policy
Grading for your
assignments will follow the H, P, L, F scale.
I assume that you
are all excellent and motivated students (you would not be at Carolina if you
weren’t), therefore my expectations are high from the outset. I know that some of you will have past
experience with children’s literature, some will have worked with the resources
we cover, some will have a knack for writing and public speaking, and some of you
won’t! I will try to grade you on two
levels: 1) a comparison of your product to my expectations, and 2) a comparison
to other students’ work.
Thoughtful,
competent, graduate-level work, will receive a P -, P, or P+.
Work that shows true
excellence in depth of thought, breadth of research, and insightful analysis
will receive an H.
Work that shows
evidence of superficial analysis or minimal thought and effort will receive an
L or an F.
Once all of your
grades are recorded, I calculate your final grade using the following process:
1.
I
convert letter grades to corresponding numbers using the following table
|
H = 100 H - = 95 |
|
P+ = 92 |
|
P = 87 P - = 83 L = 77 |
|
F = 0 |
2.
I
then compute your course numerical grade using the percentage weights for each
assignment.
3.
Finally,
I reconvert your numerical grade into a letter grade using the following table
|
H |
96-100 |
|
P |
80-95.99 |
|
L |
75-79.99 |
|
F |
< 75 |
In order to ensure
that you do the best work possible, I am always available for
consultation. I will try to give you detailed
feedback on how to improve your efforts, but the responsibility for achieving
excellence is upon you. Talk to me, ask
me questions, and push yourself to do your best work for this class!
Honor Code
The School of
Information and Library Science adheres to the University of North Carolina’s Honor
Code for academic conduct. Please
read and know this code, and ask me if you have any questions.