| Unit name | Literature's Children |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL39015 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Passey |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
How has the figure of the child been represented in literature and culture from the nineteenth century onwards, and what do these diverse representations tell us about attitudes to childhood and children in modern society? This unit explores the child’s significance through a range of texts - from picture books to films, 19th century realism to 20th century fantasy - and includes texts that are intended for a child reader, as well as those that definitely are not. It considers the child as character and implied reader in texts for various audiences, reflecting on the development of children's fiction as a distinct mode in the nineteenth century and the emergence of Young Adult fiction in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. How has children's fiction developed over time? How has the implied child audience changed? And how is the figure of the child represented differently across sources, periods, and genres?
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Specialisation units challenge and empower you to engage with specific elements of advanced literary study. Specialisation units include taught options, which are closely informed by the world-leading research of individual academic staff, as well as final-year dissertation units that will enable you to pursue your own research or creative interests. Specialisation units cultivate ambition and independent learning, and showcase the department’s wide-ranging and varied expertise.
An Overview of Content
This unit explores how the literary and cultural construction of the figure of the child develops from the nineteenth century onwards and varies according to context, genre and audience. It locates childhood as a site for exploring broader cultural and ideological questions and investigates the narrative and literary techniques used to frame and conceive of the literary child for different audiences. Students are introduced to the emergence of the study of children's literature as a field and its major debates and movements. Students will explore literary and theoretical texts concerning the child figure through a range of frameworks, such as: theories of child development, childhood sexuality and subjectivity; print history and publishing cultures; media technologies and visual cultures; childhood evil, morality, and monstrosity; genre fiction, fantasy, and the magical child; pedagogy, didactic modes, and the ways children learn about the world; gender and social conditioning; children's literature and the author’s ethical responsibilities; diversity (or lack thereof) in children's media; the emergence of the adolescent; and the ideological function of children's literature.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
On completion of the unit, students will have an increased understanding of the figure of the child in literature and culture since the nineteenth century, along with an enhanced understanding of the field of children’s literature studies, and awareness of relevant literary and theoretical frameworks and contexts. Students will refine their understanding of key academic skills and disciplines (comparative analysis/contextual analysis) in ways that both connect to the content of this unit, and present a meaningful consolidation as they complete their programme.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will be given the opportunity to submit an outline of your final essay and receive formative feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Essay, 3,500 words (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL39015).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
