113年第1學期-5088 培養小叛徒：兒童文學中的思想政治 課程資訊

評分方式

評分項目	配分比例	說明
Presentations on Literary Texts and Theoretical Articles	20
Final Essay	20
Oral Presentations of Final Essay	20	Week 17 and Week 18
Reading Journals	20
Discussions	10
Attendance and Participation	10

教育目標

All texts are by nature ideological and political and this is particularly true of children’s and young adult literature. The educational aspect of children’s and young adult literature necessarily implies that one objective of this kind of literature is to mold its readers into socially acceptable beings demonstrating ‘normal’ behaviour. Yet, what is considered socially acceptable and normal can actually vary considerably when looking at children’s literature over a longer time frame. Furthermore, this educational characteristic of children’s literature also implies that writers can use children’s literature to shape children, i.e. the next generation of adults and by extension future writers of children’s literature, in ways different from what mainstream society prefers. Children’s literature is thus a powerful tool for change since one of its aims is to influence child readers into becoming a certain type of adult with specific values. Some writers of children’s literature therefore continually push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in writing for children in their pursuit of creating change in the real world. This course will challenge students to critically address the overt and covert ideological messages present in a variety of children’s and young adult literature. The course will consider representations of institutional politics, including the role of government, schools, and religion as presented in children’s and young adult literature. Depictions of several aspects of identity politics including class, race, sexuality, and gender will be analyzed. A selection of texts in various formats (picture books, graphic novels, short stories, poetry, children’s and young adult novels, films, TV programs, etc.) will be read and analyzed for their ideological positions and will be discussed together with the historical and socio-cultural contexts which produced them.

課程概述

All texts are by nature ideological and political and this is particularly true of children’s and young adult literature. The educational aspect of children’s and young adult literature necessarily implies that one objective of this kind of literature is to mold its readers into socially acceptable beings demonstrating ‘normal’ behaviour. Yet, what is considered socially acceptable and normal can actually vary considerably when looking at children’s literature over a longer time frame. Furthermore, this educational characteristic of children’s literature also implies that writers can use children’s literature to shape children, i.e. the next generation of adults and by extension future writers of children’s literature, in ways different from what mainstream society prefers. Children’s literature is thus a powerful tool for change since one of its aims is to influence child readers into becoming a certain type of adult with specific values. Some writers of children’s literature therefore continually push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in writing for children in their pursuit of creating change in the real world. This course will challenge students to critically address the overt and covert ideological messages present in a variety of children’s and young adult literature. The course will consider representations of institutional politics, including the role of government, schools, and religion as presented in children’s and young adult literature. Depictions of several aspects of identity politics including class, race, sexuality, and gender will be analyzed. A selection of texts in various formats (picture books, graphic novels, short stories, poetry, children’s and young adult novels, films, TV programs, etc.) will be read and analyzed for their ideological positions and will be discussed together with the historical and socio-cultural contexts which produced them.

基本資料

選修課，學分數：3-0
上課時間：四/6,7,8[LAN212-2]
修課班級：外文碩1,2
修課年級：1年級以上
選課備註：英美文學組

參考書目

The following books will be studied:

Almond, David. The Fire Eaters (2003) Whitbread Children’s Book Award Winner 2003
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak (1999)
Barter, Catherine. Troublemakers (2018)
Blackman, Malorie. Noughts and Crosses (2001)
Blackman, Malorie. Boys Don’t Cry (2010)
Cross, Gillian. Wolf (1990) Carnegie Award Winner 1990
Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
Doherty, Berlie. Dear Nobody (1991) Carnegie Award Winner 1991
Gratz, Alan. Ban This Book (2017)
McGowan, Anthony. The Knife That Killed Me (2008)
Pullman, Philip. Northern Lights (1995) Carnegie Award Winner 1995
Swindells, Robert. Stone Cold (1993) Carnegie Award Winner 1993


Other materials will be prepared by the teacher and will be distributed throughout the semester.