Children's Literature Across Cultures

Course description

Children across the globe engage with stories as a way of learning about the world and their place within it. What can stories aimed at children tell us about ourselves and our social, political, and cultural world? What can these stories reveal about the values our society wishes to see in its children? How do changing perceptions of childhood shape the kinds of books (stories, plays, poems, and so on) that children’s authors produce? This course aims to answer these questions by introducing students to some of the major patterns and themes found in Children’s Literature written in English, with a focus on international texts. Topics to be explored may include family structures, friendship (and other social relationships such as insider/outsider, allies, stranger, or even enemy), community, identity, self-image, adventure, tradition, and the difficult but necessary process of growing up.

Course details