Growing Up Global: Children s Literature from around the World. SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor

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1 Growing Up Global: Children s Literature from around the World SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor Voyage: Fall 2015 Discipline: Special Topics in Literature ENSP : Growing Up Global: Children s Literature from around the World Division: Lower Faculty Name: Antonia Losano Credit Hours: 3; Contact Hours: 38 Pre-requisites: None COURSE DESCRIPTION When you were a child, did your parents read you Goodnight Moon? Captain Underpants? Or was it Struwwelpeter? Or Le Petit Prince or the Cholito series? Tales from the Pachatantra? Pinocchio or Babcia na jabloni? In this course we will read classic and contemporary children s literature, folklore, and fairy tales from a variety of countries in order to explore the very different ideas of what constitutes childhood from place to place and across history. We will look closely at individual works to see how even a seemingly story can reveal fascinating glimpses of cultural values and cultural difference; we will also read essays on children s literature by leading child psychologists, cultural historians, and literary critics. If there is student interest, we may try to write (and illustrate) our own children s books during the semester. COURSE OBJECTIVES To read a wide variety of children s picture books and young adult fiction from around the world To read multiple versions of familiar stories (such as the Odyssey or Greek myths) from various cultures to see how different cultures make use of similar material To explore ways in which children s literature helps a culture instruct and mold children in cultural norms and social mores REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Joanna Cole, ed. TITLE: Best Loved Folktales from around the World PUBLISHER: Anchor ISBN #: any AUTHOR: TITLE: Maria Tatar, ed. The Classic Fairy Tales 1

2 PUBLISHER: Norton ISBN #: Norton Critical Edition AUTHOR: Baum, Frank TITLE: The Wizard of Oz PUBLISHER: Harper Collins ISBN #: AUTHOR: Antonie de Stain-Exupery TITLE: The Little Prince PUBLISHER: Thorndike Press ISBN #: AUTHOR: Carlo Collodi TITLE: Pinocchio PUBLISHER: Penguin ISBN #: AUTHOR: Ingri D Aulaire TITLE: D Aulaires Book of Greek Myths PUBLISHER: Delacort Press ISBN #: TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Depart Southampton September 13 A1 September 15: Introduction and Read Aloud A2 September 17: Pinocchio, first half; Betteheim first essay in The Classic Fairy Tales A3 September 19: Pinocchio, second half; Arne and Propp essays in The Classic Fairy Tales Civitavecchia September Naples September A4 September 27: From Kimmel, ed. The Gendered Society Reader (SAS stacks) 1. Barbie Girls Versus Sea Monsters: Children Constructing Gender, Michael A. Messner 2. It's Bad for Us Too: How the Sexualization of Girls Impacts the Sexuality of Boys, Men, and Women, Deborah L. Tolman 2

3 A5 September 29: From Best Loved Folktales, stories (Middle East) Istanbul September 30-October 5 A6 October 7: D Aulaire s Greeks Myths for Children, selections; Picture book adaptations (professor will bring for discussion: National Geographic Kids volume; Wm. Russell edition; Mary Pope Osborne version; Rick Riordan compendium; etc) Piraeus October 8-13 A7 October 15: The Little Prince, first half [Field lab report draft due, if Piraeus] A8 October 17: The Little Prince, second half; From Best Loved Folktales stories (Spain) Barcelona October A9 October 25: From Best Loved Folktales stories (Africa); Paper #1 due [Based on field lab research, if Piraeus; if not, Field lab report draft from Barcelona due] Casablanca October A10 November 2: From The Classic Fairy Tales: Little Red Riding Hood section and essays by Shavit and Haase A11 November 4: From The Classic Fairy Tales: Snow White stories and Gilbert and Gubar essay Study Day November 6 A12 November 7: From The Classic Fairy Tales Beauty and the Beast section, first 4 stories; [Paper #1 due IF Field Lab is in Barcelona] A13 November 9: From The Classic Fairy Tales Beauty and the Beast section, last 3 stories A14 November 11: From The Classic Fairy Tales Zipes and Tatar essays Salvador November A15 November 19: From The Classic Fairy Tales Bluebeard section, first 3 stories and Warner essay A16 November 21: From The Classic Fairy Tales last 2 stories Study Day November 23 3

4 A17 November 24: From The Classic Fairy Tales Cinderella section, first 4 stories; Paper #2 due (an investigation of one of the base fairy tales from one of the theoretical perspectives introduced in the secondary readings) A18 November 26: From The Classic Fairy Tales Cinderella section, last 3 stories Port of Spain November A19 November 30: From Best Loved Folktales stories (Caribbean and West Indies) Study Day December 2 A20 December 3: Carmen Lyra, Tales of My Aunt Panchita (Xerox) A21 December 5: From Best Loved Folktales stories (Central and South America) Puntarenas December 6-11 A22 December 13: Baum, Wonderful Wizard of Oz A23 December 15: From Best Loved Folktales stories and (North America); optional workshop on student-written children s books Study Day December 17 A24 December 18; A-Day Final paper due Arrive San Diego December 21 FIELD WORK Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field lab. FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) - Proposal Title #1: Hellenic Children s Museum Country: Greece Idea: The Children s Museum in Athens can provide, among other things, an excellent view of the ways in which Classical Greek culture and mythology are presented to contemporary Greek children. Students in this course will have read a variety of English adaptations of Greek myths designed for American or British children over the past 100 years; during their time in the museum, students will explore the ways in which these adaptations differ from the way contemporary Greek society chooses to display the same mythological history to children today. 4

5 Objectives: Students Field Lab Assignment for this Field Lab will involve a comparison and contrast essay using two or more of the children s mythology books available to them as well as comparing children s versions of the myths with adult versions (Bulfinch, Hamilton, and Hughes translation of Ovid). - Proposal Title #2: Children s Bookstores in Barcelona Country: Spain Idea: Growing Up Global is both a literary and a sociological course, designed to investigate the different notions of childhood across the globe, as well as specific children s texts from a variety of countries. Modern corporate culture (in the form of bookstores) is part and parcel of the way childhood is conceived and disseminated within a country. By visiting two independent booksellers and toystores (Abracadabra and Barruguet) and one large chain bookstores (Casa del Llibro), students will get a glimpse into the ways Spanish children and their parents are encouraged to read (and to buy!) children s books. Objectives: Students will research several specific questions: what familiar English children s books are available in Spanish translation, and how are the illustrations different from those in the English editions? What are the current hot books in children s and YA literature, and how does that differ from trends visible in the states? Using one specific book as a test case, students will then use their general research to write a focused analysis of a specific work of children s literature in its cultural context. METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC 10% Attendance and Participation 35% Field Lab [performance during Field lab; draft assignment; resulting Paper #1]: 25% Paper #2 30% Final Paper RESERVE BOOKS AND FILMS FOR THE LIBRARY AUTHOR: TITLE: PUBLISHER: ISBN #: ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS AUTHOR: ARTICLE/CHAPTER TITLE: JOURNAL/BOOK TITLE: VOLUME: DATE: PAGES: 5

6 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 6