CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - 2019/0
Module code: ELI3048
Module Overview
The module offers students the opportunity to learn about children’s literature across a variety of genres and ages, as well as about its historical development and social context. Students are introduced to a range of theoretical approaches enabling them to analyse texts, engage with critical concepts, and develop their own writing both creative and critical. Through participating in class discussions and workshops students will be offered an overview of how to write for children.
At the end of the semester students will produce a work of children’s literature alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work OR a critical essay that focusses on two works of children’s literature from the module using the theories, concepts and practices studied.
Module provider
School of Literature and Languages
Module Leader
MORGAN Amy (Lit & Langs)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 6
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 128
Seminar Hours: 22
Module Availability
Semester 2
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
None. This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the departmental exchange coordinator.
Module content
The following areas are indicative of topics to be covered:
- Fairy tales
- Picturebooks
- Picture books
- Classic works
- Middle Grade Fiction
- Adaptation
- Young Adult Fiction
- Theoretical approaches including: reader response, gender, psychoanalytical
- Examples of works might include: Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Cap,The Gruffalo, Where the Wild Things Are, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, Northern Lights, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Queen of the Tearling, The Hunger Games
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Creative Piece (2400 words or equivalent) plus critical commentary (600 words) or Critical Essay (3000 WORDS) | 100 |
Alternative Assessment
N/A
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the module learning outcomes.
Seminar discussion with ongoing tutor feedback is designed mainly to assess transferable skills in working as part of a group and practical/professional skills in expressing ideas and critical analysis in oral communication. It also assesses subject knowledge in the different forms of children’s literature and cognitive/analytical skills in critical thinking and in developing writing for children.
The essay OR the creative piece plus critical commentary assess subject knowledge in the different forms of writing for children and cognitive/analytical skills in critical thinking and in using the theories of children’s literature to analyse texts. They also assess practical/professional skills in expressing ideas about children’s literature AND/OR writing their own creative work for children and in written communication and transferable skills in working independently and as part of a group.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
End of semester Creative Piece (2400 words or equivalent in poetry) plus critical essay and commentary (600 words) (100%) OR Critical Essay (3000 words) (100%)
Formative assessment and feedback
Verbal Feedback in class, written and/or verbal feedback on one piece of writing (maximum of 1,000 words).
Formative ‘feed forward’ is provided through seminar discussions, tutor feedback in seminars, and a range of other feedback mechanisms agreed between tutor and students in week 1 of the module, such as seminar contribution and writing exercises.
Module aims
- Develop in students a thorough critical understanding of children's literature
- Develop the ability in students to analyse and appraise styles and techniques used in children's literature and to apply these critical insights to their own writing practices OR published works
- Facilitate the acquiring of the detailed knowledge and skills necessary for writing and/or analysing children's literature
- Help students attain the ability to apply critical awareness to their own creative writing OR to the works of others
- Encourage students to work as a group in the production of collaborative work in the workshop context
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 1 | Gained significant confidence and ability in critical analysis and thinking | C |
| 2 | Gained the ability to analyse and appraise styles and techniques used in children's literature and to apply these critical insights to their own writing practices and/or the works of published authors | KC |
| 3 | Acquired the detailed knowledge necessary for analysing children's literature | K |
| 4 | Acquired the detailed skills necessary for writing children's literature | P |
| 5 | Increased the ability to apply critical awareness to their own creative writing and/or to the works of others | PT |
| 6 | Developed the ability to work as a group in the production of collaborative work in the workshop context | PT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
- Hone and develop students’ writing skills in academic writing, and/or creative writing (writing for children) by helping students understand the context of children’s literature
- Assist students in locating children’s literature and their own critical and/or creative work in historical and cultural contexts by developing a strong sense of the materials and techniques available, and begin to develop their thinking in the context of writing for children across ages and genres
- Equip students with the research and writing skills they will need to produce critically informed academic writing and/or creative writing (writing for children) and creative criticism by helping them gain significant confidence and ability in critical analysis and thinking and/or an ability to use specific compositional skills that will have practical application to their practices as writers of children’s literature
The learning and teaching methods include:
2 hour seminar x 11 weeks.
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ELI3048
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature with Politics BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| Digital Media Arts with Creative Writing BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with German BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with Film Studies BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with Creative Writing BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature and French BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| Politics with Creative Writing BSc (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature with Sociology BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| Theatre and Performance with Creative Writing BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
| English Literature and Spanish BA (Hons) | 2 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2019/0 academic year.