Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2019 - ENGL 487W E100

Topics in Children's Literature (4)

Class Number: 4312

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 6 – Aug 2, 2019: Wed, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 14, 2019
    Wed, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    ENGL 387 or EDUC 465. Reserved for English honours, major, joint major and minor students.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Advanced seminar in children's literature. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. Students with credit for ENGL 487 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

Children's Literature: Problematic Parents

In order to motivate the child protagonist, the first step is often to kill or otherwise remove the character's parents, sometimes in quite disturbing ways. The Victorian children's short story "The New Mother" (more famous from Neil Gaiman's 2002 adaptation, Coraline) is a chilling horror story that sets the stage for a number of Victorian children who experience truly awful yet plausible real-world situations, from the hapless (and somewhat anodyne) Oliver Twist to the pluckier Sara Crewe of A Little Princess and Maria of Mistress Masham's Repose. As we move further into the twentieth century, sometimes the parents are removed out of benign neglect (e.g. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) and sometimes out of selfish inability to parent (e.g. Alias Madame Doubtfire: this book is dramatically different from the film, and a bit darker). Most of the books on the required list are from the 20th century; works from Harry Potter forward will be discussed, but not required reading.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

This course is an in-depth look at Children's Literature as a genre. As such, you are expected to not only engage at a deep level with the corpus, but also to gain familiarity with the critical literature addressing it.

Grading

  • Participation 15%
  • Children's Literature Journal Report 20%
  • Discussion Lead (15 min.) 15%
  • Paper Introduction (first 300 words) 10%
  • Paper presentation (10 min.) 10%
  • Final Paper (2500–2800 words) 30%

REQUIREMENTS:

Students who have credit or standing in EDUC 465 can contact the English Advisor for registration clearance.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Francess Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess
ISBN: 9780194789066

T. H. White, Mistress Masham's Repose
ISBN: 9781681370064

E. L. Konigsburg, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
ISBN: 9780689853548

Ellen Raskin, Figgs and Phantoms
ISBN: 9780142411698

Diana Wynne Jones, A Tale of Time City
ISBN: 9780142420157

Louise Ftizhugh, Nobody's Family Is Going to Change
ISBN: 9781939601490

Brendan Kiely, Tradition
ISBN: 9781481480345

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS