English Children’s Literature: Early Childhood is an elective for second-year students and above. The main objective of this course is to introduce students to various aspects of children’s literature. Students will be introduced to a short history of children’s literature. They will also try to define what children’s literature is and discuss its many forms and manifestations. This course introduces students to different kinds of literature written for children and will cover books of early childhood (such as Mother Goose books, alphabet books, concept books, etc.), picture books, poetry, fantasy, realistic fiction and historical fiction. Students will learn to approach children’s literature critically and at the same time strengthen their skills in reading, analyzing and discussing these works of children’s literature (including fiction, poetry, and drama). Active participation is essential to the success of this class.

1. Students will learn about the historical development of and the main issues and controversies in children’s literature in Western cultures. 2. Students will have a deeper understanding of childhood and children’s literature as a social and political institution. 3. Students will examine a wide range of genres within the field (including picture books, poetry, fiction, film, etc.) and improve their ability to read various kinds of children’s texts critically. 4. Students will develop more clearly articulated standards for selecting and evaluating children’s texts. 5. Students will develop strong reading habits and improve their analytical and rhetorical skills. 6. Students will independently research a topic related to children’s literature and present their findings to the class. 7. Students will write regular journals in which they reflect critically on their reading of children’s texts. 8. Students will write an extended essay on a particular text or aspect of children’s literature.

Russell, David L. (2012) Literature for Children. A Short Introduction, 7th ed., Boston: Pearson Education.
Other materials will be collected by the teacher into a course pack and students will be provided with the required reading materials throughout the year.