ENGL 2980, Children’s Literature

1. ENGL 2980, Children’s Literature Wed 9/4/13

2. Your professor When I began reading children’s literature… Now, I teach children’s literature!

3. Your teaching assistant When Devin began reading children’s literature… Now Devin will be teaching YA literature!

4. By the end of this semester • You will be able to locate and use secondary sources in your analysis of children’s literature. • You will be able to write effectively about children’s literature. • You will be able to place any work of children’s literature into historical and cultural context • You will be able to comment on the content, form, and style of any work of children’s literature.

5. How I imagine your participation in class

6. How the dean of your college imagines it

7. How society might imagine it

8. What we are aiming for…

9. How do we get there? • Read! • Bring your course materials to class. • Demonstrate that you are keeping up with the course topics via your performance on quizzes, in class exercises, and homework.

10. How do you know that ACTIVE engagement means a great deal? • HALF OF YOUR GRADE WILL BE BASED UPON COMING TO CLASS, HAVING READ, AND BRINGING YOUR COURSE MATERIALS

11. GRADE DISTRIBUTION

12. What will we read?

13. How will class be structured? • Typically, for the first part of class, I’ll engage you in discussion of controversies and complex problems. • Towards the end of class, I’ll preview the homework. • Each class will cover a set of key questions that relate to your reading. You can preview these question on the syllabus. • I may lecture briefly if I feel that a concept covered in the readings is difficult or needs more explanation.

14. The course blog: our virtual class

15. What information is included in the syllabus?

16. How do I prepare for quizzes? • Read the assignment • Practice various ways of writing about the assignment • Consult the Semester Quiz Handout for help

17. Where do I find the materials FOR HOMEWORK?

18. WHAT IS PROJECT MUSE? • Project Muse is a database that includes most of the important journals in children’s literature scholarship. • You can access it off of the WMU Library Databases page, under the letter ‘P.’ • Children’s Literature • Children’s Literature Association Quarterly • The Lion and the Unicorn • Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures • Pedagogy PSST: Always italicize journal titles!

19. Looking up Karen Coats’ article • Go to www.wmich.edu/library • Click on Databases A-Z • Click on “P” • Select Project Muse • If you are accessing the article from off campus, type in your WMU Login information

20. Looking up karen coats’ article • Type in your keywords into the search box • Click on the HTML article link • Copy the article into a word document and print it out • OR, click on the PDF article link and print out the PDF version

21. ShortcutS! • I want you to get used to using Project Muse because you can use it to browse articles or search for information that is specific to the field of children’s literature. • However, if you are looking for a quick link to an article, you can use one of two shortcuts.

22. Wmupowersearch • Type your keywords into the Power Search box on the WMU Library front page. • If you know the journal title, click on the Journal box on the WMU Library front page, type in the journal name, and go directly to the journal site.

23. Preparing for class on Monday, 9/9/13 • Bring your textbook and the copy of the Coats’ article. There is no need to make a copy of the picture books I will have asked you to read. • Be ready to take a quiz and to show Devin that you have your materials with you. • Remember to consult the course blog if you have questions…and to consult me if you still have questions!!!

24. Getting to know you! • Please fill out the course diagnostic and turn it in to Devin. At that point, she will take your photo.