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ENGL 680. 20th Century American Children's Picturebooks (Philip Nel, Fall 2005)

This course will focus on 20th Century American Children's Picturebooks by examining several themes: (1) The history of American childhood during the 20th century; (2) Socio- political context for the production of children's books during this period (World War I, Great Depression, World War II, Cold War); (3) The lives of Ruth Krauss (1901-1993, author of The Carrot Seed & A Hole Is to Dig) and Crockett Johnson (1906-1975, author-illustrator of Harold and the Purple Crayon); and (4) the many people with whom their lives intersected -- Maurice Sendak, Ursula Nordstrom (mentor and editor to Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, Shel Silverstein and E. B. White), Margaret Mead, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, Ad Reinhardt, Syd Hoff, and Dr. Seuss.

          You must be at least a junior to enroll in this course. When ready, syllabus will be available here: <www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/childlit/680.html>.

ENGL 690.  Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mildred Taylor, and the Shaping of American History (Anne Phillips, Spring 2006)

     This course will focus on the shaping of American history through children's literature: the later 19th century, captured by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House" series; and the 20th century, depicted by Mildred Taylor in her Logan family series. We will read a significant number of the authors' primary works in addition to other relevant children's novels such as Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House and Carol Ryrie Brink's Caddie Woodlawn. We'll learn more about Wilder's biography and the issues of authorship concerning her series, and we'll learn why Taylor was moved to research and write about her own family history. We'll examine critical reactions to these works; we'll also examine the first edition illustrations for the Little House series. In addition, we'll consider how these texts fit into contemporary discussions about American history, culture, and identity. Major assignments: two papers, three exams (including a non-comprehensive final), readings quizzes, and possibly listserve or other discussion requirements.

ENGL 690. Topics: Children's Literature and the Left (Philip Nel, Spring 2004)

This class explores connections between children's literature and twentieth-century left-leaning political movements. We will read children's books by left-leaning authors, children's books that have been perceived as leftist, and books about the Left. In so doing, we will map radical traditions of children's literature, examining what makes a book leftist (and what does not), and investigate how ideologies of the left inform (and do not inform) books for children. Literary texts include Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand (1936), Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories (1923), Langston Hughes' The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (1932), Garth Williams' The Rabbits' Wedding (1955), Leo Lionni's Swimmy (1963) and Frederick (1967), Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who! (1954) and The Sneetches (1961), Lois Gould's X: A Fabulous Child's Story (1978).  Secondary readings include Julia Mickenberg's Learning from the Left: Children's Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States, Michael Denning's The Cultural Front, and selections from Herb Kohl's Should We Burn Babar?

         Syllabus available here: <www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/childlit/830.html>.

ENGL 690. Topics: Classics in Children's Literature (Naomi Wood, Spring 2002)

Should "classic children's literature" be defined by what has been made into a Disney movie? This course, designed for upper-level English majors and graduate students, explores classics of English and American children's literature from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and important criticism, asking the question: what is a classic? Texts being considered are Little Women, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, The Water-Babies, The Light Princess, The Story of the Amulet, The Story of the Treasure-Seekers, The Secret Garden, Just-So Stories, The Jungle Book, The Wind in the Willows, Anne of Green Gables. Evaluation will be based on exams and a research paper.

ENGL 690. Topics: American Children's Literature (Anne Phillips, Spring 2000)

This course traces the development of children's literature in America from The New England Primer to the present. In part, the course traces the influence of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress on American children's literature. In addition, we will study evolving constructions of gender, race, and class in American children's literature. Along the way, we'll study children's periodicals, textbooks, and poetry. In class participation, two papers, two midterm exams, and a final exam.

This course will study the characteristic genres of children's literature (picture books, fairy tales, adventure stories, school stories, etc.) in the context of general genre theory and theories of children's literature. We will read a variety of children's texts and literary theory. Evaluation: class listserv, 2 exams, 1 paper.

ENGL 720.  Studies in a Major Author: Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain (Greg Eiselein, Spring 2005)

       Focusing on two of the funniest, most beloved, and widely read American authors, this course examines the late-nineteenth-century careers of Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain from their early travel sketch writing to their autobiographical writings and most famous classic works. We will also read and explore each authors' darker and lesser-known writings, such as Alcott's early thrillers and Twain's scathing late essays and short fiction. Gender and race in literature, styles of American humor, the emergence of children's literature as a genre, the cultural work of their writing, and their continuing presence in American literature and culture will all be important topics of study. The books for the course include: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Innocents Abroad, Selected Shorter Writings of Mark Twain, Little Women, Little Men, Eights Cousins, The Sketches of Louisa May Alcott, and The Portable Louisa May Alcott. The semester's work will include two short analytical papers, a presentation, a research paper, and a final examination.

ENGL 830.  Seminar: Image, Text, Ideology: Picturebooks and Illustrated Works (Philip Nel, Fall 2003)

The seminar will examine the visual and verbal codes of illustrated works, as well as the relationship between these works and the conditions of their production. We will read picture books, graphic novels, comix, and comics. We will also read criticism on such works, including: Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics; W.J.T. Mitchell's Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology; Molly Bang's Picture This: How Pictures Work; and Perry Nodelman's Words About Pictures. Illustrators/artists may include: Charles Addams, Lynda Barry, Anthony Browne, Virginia Lee Burton, Randolph Caldecott, W.W. Denslow, Jan Eliot, Wanda Gag, Kate Greenaway, Edward Gorey, Herblock, George Larson, Edward Lear, Leo Lionni, David Macaulay, Winsor McCay, Aaron McGruder, Robert Minor, Christopher Myers, Kay Nielsen, Dav Pilkey, Beatrix Potter, Chris Raschka, Peggy Rathmann, Ad Rinhardt, Faith Ringgold, Allen Say, Charles Schulz, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Peter Sis, Lane Smith, Art Spiegelman, William Steig, Ann Telnaes, John Tenniel, G.B. Trudeau, Tasha Tudor, Chris Van Allsburg, Lynd Ward, Chris Ware, Bill Watterson, David Wiesner, and Art Young.

         Syllabus available here: <www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/childlit/830.html>.

ENGL 830.  Seminar: The Invention of Childhood (Naomi Wood, Fall 2002)

This course will explore how childhood came to be defined and what those definitions meant for children's literature and culture. The course will be based upon the Opie Collection of historic children's literature, available on microfiche in Hale Library. We will study the Evangelical writings of Mary Butt Sherwood, whose gruesome descriptions of rotting corpses in The Fairchild Family horrified and enthralled generations of children; didactic tales from the rational moralists like Maria Edgeworth, who believed that children ought to be taught to be reasoning human beings; products of the fairy tale revolution by Hans Christian Andersen and others who wanted to "liberate" children from the bonds of reason; and geographic informational books which situated British children comfortably in the center of the universe. Supplementary readings will include historical and theoretical discussions that define and problematize childhood and children's literature. Evaluation: participation and an article-length seminar paper.

Graduate Links

Children's Literature

Creative Writing

Cultural Studies

Language, Composition,
and Rhetoric

Literature

Technical Writing and
Professional Communication

Department of English
108 E/CS Building
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
66506-6501
english@ksu.edu
Phone (785) 532-6716
FAX (785) 532-2192