Course Type | Course Code | No. Of Credits |
---|---|---|
Foundation Core | SES202210 | 4 |
Semester to which offered: (I/ III/ V) IV semester
Course Coordinator and Team: Sunita Singh
Email of course coordinator: sunitasingh@aud.ac.in
Pre-requisites: None
Course Objectives/Description: This course will focus on the social construction of childhood and situate childhood and children’s literature in the social, political and historical context. The readings will focus on creating a space for the aesthetic appreciation of children’s literature as well as for questioning of the modalities as represented in the children’s literature—with an analysis of the construction of gender, race, ethnicity, and social class. Further, the course will focus on an investigation of the themes and concepts that connect literature to the lives of young children, Literature written for the early childhood years by some well-known children's authors will be identified based on interest, age, reading level, and appropriateness of the material.
Course Outcomes
Brief description of units:
Unit 1. Childhood and Literature
This unit will attempt to study the social construction of childhood and situate childhood and children’s literature in the social, political and historical context. It will also explore the relationship between reading children’s literature and notion of childhood. Literature addressing issues of marginalization will also be examined.
Unit ii: Theoretical Foundations of Children’s Literature
This unit will focus on child development theories as the focal point of examining the characteristics of child readers. Readers response to literature, vis-à-vis their experiences, thinking, and preferences influencing the meaning they create and the stances they take will be examined. It will help to develop an understanding of theoretical and practical perspectives in children’s literature teaching and learning. Further, along with situating children’s literature in its postcolonial contexts, it will also focus on the linguistic, sociological, psychological, and literary aspects of children’s literature.
Unit iii: Genres in Children’s Literature :This unit will explore a variety of genres for young children. These include poetry, picture books, fiction, non-fiction. Along with reading a variety of genres, this unit will also focus on the selecting good literature and a critical analysis of children’s literature.
Unit IV: Diversity in Children’s Literature
This unit will engage with questions of language, identity, representation. It will also reflect on literature (for young readers) as arising from the social, historical, and cultural contexts of the time and all the controversies and struggles of that time. Literary interrogations will challenge portrayals that are stereotypical.
References:
Picture books used in the classroom
HaathikiHichki, The Runaway Peppercorn, HansmukhRakshashas, Wings to Fly, The Sad Book, Handa’s Surprise, HansmukhRakshas (The Pleasant Rakshasa), Day of Ahmed’s Secret, Mother
Tentative Assessment schedule with details of weightage:
S.No | Assessment | Date/period in which Assessment will take place | Weightage |
1 | Attendance cum participation | Whole semester | 10% |
2 | Book talk | January-February | 25% |
3 | Book review | Third week of March | 35% |
5 | End semester project | As per SES calendar | 30% |