EDU8417 Issues in Children's Literature Education

EDU	8417	91107	2, 2009	WEB	Issues in Children's Literature Education	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOEDU
Academic org:	FOE002
Student contribution band:	National Priority Teaching
ASCED code:	079999

Staffing
Other requisites
Rationale
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Shauna Petersen
Moderator: Kathryn Young

OTHER REQUISITES

State law in Queensland (Australia) requires that all adults working/undertaking professional experience/researching with children under the age of 18, in the state of Queensland are required to possess a current suitability card (Blue Card). (See "Other Requirements" for further information.) Also see: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html

RATIONALE

The study and criticism of children's literature has emerged from within two disciplines, Arts and Education. Traditionally studies emerging from the Arts examine social and cultural dimensions while education combines these dimensions with a study of children's literature's role in education generally, and in particular, literacy education. As the field of literacy education becomes more based in a sociocultural perspective and the role of social, cultural economic, political and technological change is reflected in children's literature, it is appropriate that contemporary approaches to the study of children's literature draw on both disciplines, each enriching the other for the mutual benefit of children's literature and its audience. The purpose of this course is to study current issues in children's literature via perspectives available from the disciplines of Arts and Education. In doing so the course seeks to bridge the links between the world of academic writing and the worlds of the author of the novel, the artist, the critic and the publisher. Such an approach has implications for literacy and education as well as the study of children's literature.

SYNOPSIS

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to study current and emerging issues in children's literature which reflect social and cultural trends in literacy education. Students will draw on the disciplines of Arts and Education in order to explore these issues in children's and young adults' literature. A variety of perspectives on these issues will be presented by writers from different disciplines and different roles in the field of children's literature - from academics to authors, illustrators, publishers and critics. Students will incorporate views from each perspective, together with their own reading of current works of children's literature, in order to construct a personal view about children's and young adults' literature and education.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.: identify the role of illustrative and written texts in the construction of meaning in contemporary picture books suitable for primary and secondary students (Assignment 1 Comparative Essay);
2.: demonstrate an understanding of the linguistic and visual semiotics of new literacies and their role in meaning-making in postmodern picture books (Assignment 1Comparative Essay);
3.: investigate contemporary adolescent novels and the issues that they portray, through engagement with both the texts and those who construct those texts (Assignment 2 Study of One Issue);
4.: take a personal position on the portrayal of issues such as death and youth suicide in adolescent novels and the associated ethical and moral questions (Assignment 2, Study of One Issue);
5.: demonstrate an understanding of how children's literature is affected by various cultural and ideological factors such as popular fiction and humour (All Assessment items);
6.: demonstrate an understanding of the influence of the publishing industry on children's literature (All Assessment items);
7.: demonstrate an understanding of the roles of the teacher, the researcher, and the artist, in children's literature and its use in public and educational settings (All Assessment items);
8.: Demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing (All Assessment items).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Reading illustration and text and the development of visual and new literacies	35.00
2.	Issues in Adolescent Literature	20.00
3.	Social, cultural, economic, political and linguistic effects on books for children and young adults	30.00
4.	Roles of teacher, researcher and artist in the use of children's literature	15.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Browne, A 1999, Voices in the park, Transworld Publishers, Milsons Point, Australia.

Bull, G & Anstey, M (eds.) 2002, Crossing the boundaries, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW.

Cormier, R 2000, The chocolate war, Dell Laurel-Leaf, New York.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library/. The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Anstey, M 2002, It's not all black and white: Postmodern picture books and teaching new literacies, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Vol 45, no.6, pp444-457.
(Available electronically)

Anstey, M & Bull G 2000, Reading the visual: written and illustrated children's literature, Harcourt, Sydney.

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: the grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, London; New York.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Directed Study	65.00
Independent Study	100.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description		Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
COMPARATIVE ESSAY		50.00	50.00	04 Sep 2009	(see note 1)
STUDY OF ONE ISSUE		50.00	50.00	25 Oct 2009

NOTES

1.: Access to website is needed to retrieve actual assignment topics.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Students will need access to current children's literature, as they will be required to read a range of picture books and novels as part of their study in this course.
Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to UConnect for this course.
Students enrolling in WEB courses MUST have ongoing convenient and reliable access to the Internet in order to access course materials and participate in activities that will affect assessment. The levels of equipment required may change from time to time, with the most recent specification listed at http://www.usq.edu.au/currentstudents/computingstandards/default.htm. You can check whether your computer system meets these requirements from USQAssist (http://usqassist.usq.edu.au/).

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.