COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Two exams, consisting of in-class short-answer questions and essays (20% each); a 5-7 page class project (20%); participation, quizzes, and short writing assignments (40%). Attendance and improvement are also considered in determining the final grade. Assignments must be turned in on time to receive full credit.

ATTENDANCE
Roll is taken at each class meeting. Even though this may sound strange, in a class such as this one, it is better to come to class unprepared than not to come at all since the insights and information offered cannot be obtained elsewhere. Remember that each student is responsible for all material presented and discussed in class, including any changes in the greensheet announced in class. Tardiness is disruptive to the class, and may also cause you to miss announcements, quizzes and/or important class material. I appreciate it when students arrive on time and stay for the entire class.

QUIZZES
We will have frequent unannounced quizzes. They will be varied in format, may be given at any time during the course meeting time, and/or may be on current reading material or on previous class discussions. In-class quizzes may not be made up; however, the lowest score will be dropped at the end of the semester.

PARTICIPATION
Class participation involves answering questions in class, demonstrating full preparation, and asking thought-provoking questions (see below for specific participation guidelines). Occasionally during the course of the semester we may divide into groups to facilitate discussions of key themes and issues in the material we have been examining.

Participation Guidelines:

•  A student with excellent (A) in-class participation and grades exhibits most of the following characteristics:

• A student with average (C) in-class participation and grades exhibits most of the following characteristics:

•  A student with below-average (F) in-class participation and grades exhibits most of the following characteristics:

GRADING POLICY
The following statement has been adopted by the English department for inclusion in all greensheets:

• An A essay (outstanding) presents a cogent, well-articulated critique, demonstrates a high degree of competence in writing, demonstrates facility with conventional correctness, includes a variety of sentence structures, stylistic devices of rhetorical nature, complex thought and diction, logical organization. It will provide original and provocative ideas, show development and complexity of thought appropriate to college level, and support abstract concepts with well-selected, relevant details and examples from the literature. Writing in this category will reflect serious, mature, and original ideas at a high level. It will comprehend the dynamics or polarities inherent in the work of literature at a significant level above the simple and superficial realm. It will demonstrate superior comprehension of a text's literary language. It will also show sensitivity to the figurative and general metaphoric nature of the text.
• A B essay (strong) presents a well-developed critique and demonstrates good control of the elements of effective writing. It will be similar to an A paper in readability and mechanics, although its understanding of the literature and/the assignment may be slighted, or somewhat superficial, may provide more general supporting evidence, and display a slight weakness in organization and structure. A few minor errors in logic may be present, but the basic content is very good. An essay in this category usually demonstrates a clear, solid grasp of the ideas, but is more conventional and not as well organized and developed for rhetorical effect.
• A C essay (adequate) presents a competent critique and demonstrates adequate control of writing. It may have occasional problems with mechanics, but it contains no serious errors. It may have some paragraph development and transition difficulties, sentence structure may be somewhat awkward and simple. Errors in diction and idiom may occur. Nevertheless, a C essay will demonstrate a solid awareness of the significance of literature, and will display a good, competent understanding of it. The supporting evidence is often irrelevant, and it usually introduces irrelevancies and vague paraphrases. An essay in this category is average; it generally has good ideas, but lacks development, fluency, and preciseness.
• A D essay (limited) will treat the assignment in a superficial manner, misinterpret the literature, or give irrelevant and cryptic supporting material. The thesis statement is usually poorly conceived. There will be marked deficiencies in organization, a serious lack of development, and contain many elementary flaws in grammar, diction, mechanics, sentence structure, and coherence. Even though a D essay may contain some moments of insight, it has serious problems in readability and mechanics.
• An F essay will fail to fulfill the assignment, will lack any comprehension of the literature, and express general confusion regarding the issues. Generally, it also has very serious problems in the areas of style (readability) and mechanics. Any paper that does not demonstrate basic competency in the English language, regardless of how hard the student tries, will not pass the standards set by the department of English. Students who anticipate having problems in this area should sign up for the English writing lab and arrange for special help.

The misrepresentation of another's work as one's own, whether the original work is published or not, is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. The incident will also be reported to the dean of students for possible further action. All quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks or, when more than three lines, put in an indented block. Full citation of the original author and source must also be included. Copies of SJSU’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty are available in the office of the Dean of Student Services.

DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES

Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should register with the Disabled Student Services Department. Please advise the professor immediately of any special needs.

READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULES FOR SECTIONS 02 AND 04
The following schedules may be slightly modified during the course of the semester, but students will be notified of any change at least one class day in advance. Detailed descriptions of the exams and project will be distributed in class. All reading assignments must be completed by the first date listed. Titles with an asterisk (*) are films, which will be viewed in class.

SECTION 02 (TUESDAY-THURSDAY 1:30-2:45, SH 435)

	1/27 WELCOME! Introduction to the class
2/1 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE Early Children’s Literature Lynch-Brown, "Learning About Books" (25-39)	2/3 REALISM Cleary, Ramona the Brave
2/8 REALISM Lynch-Brown, "Realistic Fiction" (129-140) Lipsyte, One Fat Summer	2/10 HISTORICAL REALISM Curtis, The Watsons Go to Birmingham?1963
2/15 HISTORICAL REALISM Lynch-Brown, "Historical Fiction" (149-159) Curtis, The Watsons Go to Birmingham?1963	2/17 CLASSIC FAIRY TALES de Beaumont, "Beauty and the Beast";  Disney, Beauty and the Beast*
2/22 THE "DISNEYFICATION" OF CLASSIC FAIRY TALES Disney, Beauty and the Beast* Lynch-Brown, "Traditional Literature" (93-102)	2/24 MODERN FAIRY TALES Levine, Ella Enchanted; Grimm, "Sleeping Beauty", "Hansel and Gretel," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel"
2/29 MODERN FAIRY TALES Levine, Ella Enchanted	3/2 MODERN FANTASY Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting
3/7 MODERN FANTASY Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone	3/9 MODERN FANTASY Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
3/14 CENSORSHIP AND THE CLASSROOM Lynch-Brown, "Learning About Children and Their Literature" (1-22)	3/16 BOOK SELECTION Stine, Goosebumps, any title of your choice
3/21 Midterm Examination	3/23  Conferences
3/28 SPRING BREAK	3/30 SPRING BREAK
4/4 PICTURE BOOKS and VISUAL LITERACY Bang, Picture This	4/6 PICTURE BOOKS Bang, Picture This
4/11 PICTURE BOOKS Ringgold, Tar Beach; Scieszka, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs Lynch-Brown, "Picture Books" (67-78)	4/13 ILLUSTRATED BOOKS Mathis, The Hundred Penny Box LeGuin, CatWings
4/18 CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE Bunting, Smoky Night; Innocenti, Rose Blanche	4/20 CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE Walter, Making Up Megaboy
4/25 LIBRARY PRESENTATION	4/27 EDITING WORKSHOP Complete, word-processed and proofread copy of final project due for in-class peer editing.
5/2 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE Goble, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses Lynch-Brown, "Multicultural and International Literature" (187-208)	5/4 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE Cohen, Molly’s Pilgrim; Bryant, Molly’s Pilgrim*
5/9 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE Tate, The Secret of Gumbo Grove	5/11 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE Jimenez, The Circuit
5/16 CREATING A READING-CENTERED CLASSROOM Lynch-Brown, "Planning the Literature Curriculum," "Developing Teaching Strategies" (224-273) Final Project Due
FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, May 24, 12:15-2:30 p.m.

SECTION 04 (TUESDAYS 4:00-6:45, SH 240)

2/1 HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE  WELCOME! Introduction to the class Early Children’s Literature and Concepts of Childhood Lynch-Brown, "Learning About Books" (25-39)

2/8 REALISM Lynch-Brown, "Realistic Fiction" (129-140) Cleary, Ramona the Brave Lipsyte, One Fat Summer

2/15 HISTORICAL REALISM Curtis, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963  Lynch-Brown, "Historical Fiction" (149-159)

2/22 CLASSIC FAIRY TALES and THE "DISNEYFICATION" OF CLASSIC FAIRY TALES de Beaumont, "Beauty and the Beast"; Grimm, "Sleeping Beauty", "Hansel and Gretel," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel" Lynch-Brown, "Traditional Literature" (93-102) Disney, Beauty and the Beast*

2/29 MODERN FAIRY TALES Levine, Ella Enchanted Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

3/7 MODERN FANTASY  Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

3/14 CENSORSHIP AND THE CLASSROOM and BOOK SELECTION Stine, Goosebumps, any title of your choice Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

3/21 Midterm Examination

3/28 SPRING BREAK

4/4 PICTURE BOOKS and VISUAL LITERACY Bang, Picture This

4/11 PICTURE BOOKS and ILLUSTRATED BOOKS Read: Ringgold, Tar Beach; Scieszka, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; Mathis, The Hundred Penny Box; LeGuin, CatWings  Lynch-Brown, "Picture Books" (67-78)

4/18 CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE Walter, Making Up Megaboy; Bunting, Smoky Night; Innocenti, Rose Blanche

4/25 LIBRARY PRESENTATION and EDITING WORKSHOP Complete, word-processed and proofread copy of final project due for in-class peer editing.

5/2 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE Tate, The Secret of Gumbo Grove Goble, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses Lynch-Brown, "Multicultural and International Literature" (187-208)

5/9 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE  Cohen, Molly’s Pilgrim; Bryant, Molly’s Pilgrim* Jimenez, The Circuit

5/16 CREATING A READING-CENTERED CLASSROOM Lynch-Brown, "Planning the Literature Curriculum," "Developing Teaching Strategies" (224-273); Final Project Due

5/23 FINAL EXAM: 5:15-7:30 p.m.