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ENG 272-01: Literature for Preadolescents – "We Were There, Too!"
Spring
2007 / 346 Stevenson Hall / Monday & Wednesday, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Nathalie op de Beeck
Office:
337 Stevenson Hall / x8-3297 / dbop@ilstu.edu
Office
hours: MW 12:20-1:30 p.m., and by appointment
Course
Description
Children tend to be
absent from American and world news, unless they are threatened by some
crisis or the beneficiaries/victims of policies that adults decide. If
we do not think about children’s participation in everyday politics,
race/gender/class relations, and economic cycles of consumption and
production, we might forget that children "are there too," experiencing
and creating our history. This course borrows its title from Phillip
Hoose’s book We Were There Too! Young People in U.S. History,
which introduces actual children who played central roles in American
history. As Hoose writes in his Introduction, "I found that if you
scratch any major event in U.S. history, young people are everywhere.
Often they’re right in the middle of the action." (Hoose vi)
Our readings, including
informational academic articles as well as books tailored to a young
readership, cover a spectrum of fiction and nonfiction. We will look at
a purportedly real journal of wartime, written by a child, and an
adult’s autobiographical account of her childhood self. We will examine
fictionalized accounts based on real children’s lives, false diaries
meant to suggest how children might have written and spoken in certain
periods and places, and novels about young people that inform readers
about U.S. and world events. When time permits, we will screen excerpts
from fictive and documentary films related to the readings.
Our readings will give us
a sense of how authors and other media creators interpret history in
words and pictures. In addition, they will inform us on the child as an
active agent or actor, as a cultural symbol with changing meanings, and
as a socially constructed character who is meant to teach new
generations about growing up in volatile times. Our writing will analyze
current literature and ideas, and our final projects will document
genuine figures in current news.
Required
Texts
Whether you buy books
online or at the bookstore, get the following editions so that we can
refer to specific page numbers during discussion.
Phillip Hoose,
We Were There Too! (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2001)
Susan Sinnott,
Welcome to Addy’s World, 1864 (American Girl, 1999)
Barry Denenberg,
When Will This Cruel War Be Over? (Scholastic/Dear
America, 2003)
Joyce Hansen,
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly (Scholastic/Dear
America, 2003)
Esther Hautzig,
The Endless Steppe (HarperTrophy, 1995)
Lois Lowry,
Number the Stars (Laurel Leaf, 1998)
Yankev Glatshteyn,
translated by Jeffrey Shandler, Emil and Karl (Roaring
Brook, 2006)
Avi, Don’t You
Know There’s a War On? (Scholastic, 2003)
Christopher Paul
Curtis, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (Yearling
Newbery, 1997)
Zlata Filipovic,
Zlata’s Diary (Penguin, 1995)
Francesco D’Adamo,
translated by Ann Leonori, Iqbal (Aladdin, 2005)
Deborah Ellis,
The Breadwinner (Groundwood, 2001)
Additional readings may
be found on digital reserve. For connection information, please see
http://www.english.ilstu.edu/reserve/ or go to
http://filesrv01.cas.ilstu.edu/reserve/English/
.... Scroll down to my last
name under the letter "O," click on it, and locate the file in the
folder for "2007 Spring 272."
Course
Requirements
Writing and Research
Materials:
Everyone should get a
small, lightweight three-ring binder to serve as a hand-in folder.
Put your name on it, stick some stickers on there, personalize it. I
would prefer that you use a flat, paper-cover binder rather than a bulky
plastic one, so that I can handle the materials efficiently.
Weekly clip file:
Every week, find at least one fresh, compelling article or
detailed, captioned photograph about a young person or young people who
are making news. Read the piece, think about it, and place it in your
folder. If all goes according to plan, these clips will become the
foundations for final projects, so find articles that hold your
interest.
In-class Journaling:
On Mondays, I will hand out a journaling question to which you will
respond immediately, in writing, for ten minutes’ time. When you
free-write, compose your thoughts into sentences and complete
paragraphs. Avoid lists. Fill the page. Be sure to come prepared to
write and share ideas.
Second Drafts:
Take the journal home with you and transcribe it, revising your quickly
jotted sentences and paragraphs with reflections and opinions generated
in class. Use specific examples from the assigned books, essays, and
class discussion. Quote accurately and note page numbers when you quote
from published material. Save a copy of this second draft on disk, and
print a copy too.
Put the printed second
draft and your original journal in the hand-in folder and bring
everything to class the following Monday. During the Monday free-write,
place the folder on your desk so I can check your past week’s work. I
will grade the ongoing work on a pass/fail (i.e., complete/incomplete)
basis.
There will be 10 journals
and thus 10 second drafts over the semester.
Developed Written Pieces:
You will use the spontaneous free-written journals and the more detailed
second drafts to generate brief but developed final drafts. You will
complete two developed written pieces this semester, as well as a final
project.
At least on the first
round, I leave it to you to determine which journal and draft you
develop into a finished piece. Build your essay with information from
texts, essays, and class discussion. If you notice crossover between two
or more journals, you can fuse related ideas, but you should focus on a
central journal piece. By all means, stop by my office to discuss
ongoing work.
These pieces are short
and concise, and should be approached with seriousness and attention. I
will not accept materials that fail to meet the requirements, and I will
dock these incomplete materials by one letter grade if I have to return
them to you. The requirements for finished pieces are as follows:
no more than two
lines for your name, date, and course information at the top of
page one,
a minimum of
three complete pages (all the way to the bottom of
each),
a maximum of six
complete pages,
1.5 or double
spacing, but no wider,
1-inch margins on
top, bottom, left, and right,
12-point Times
New Roman type,
and a thorough
bibliography following MLA format.
NB (nota bene):
The bibliography is necessary, but it does not count as part of a
page.
On the deadline date, you
will hand in your folder containing the final draft, handwritten
journals, second drafts, and clipped articles about childhood. I will
read and grade the final draft with a letter grade, and double-check all
handwritten journals, second drafts, and clip files for completion. The
folder should be well-organized and focused on the revision process,
showing your progress from point A (journal) to point B (draft) to point
C (final piece).
Grading
Class Participation,
individually and in groups (15 percent of final grade)
You need to attend class
in order to participate. For each missed class, up to seven missed
classes, you lose 5 percent of your participation grade (i.e., if you
miss two meetings but are very active in class otherwise, you still can
have an A in participation). However, students who miss eight or more
class meetings automatically fail the course.
Be advised that late
arrivals, early departures, napping, and things like text messaging
count against you. Be physically and intellectually present
during class time. Don’t disrupt the group unless absolutely necessary
(illness = necessary; phone/text, drink/snack, a little stroll = not).
If you have an unusual situation, let me know ahead of time, but
remember that all your professors prefer that you do not act rude or
schedule appointments during your most important class – theirs!
In terms of everyday
participation, get involved in the conversations. This will increase
your public speaking ability and add to everyone’s learning experience.
Comment on texts, state pertinent opinions, and ask questions! If you
agree or disagree with something, express yourself. Remain conscious of
others too. If you are outspoken, listen once in a while. If you tend to
be quiet, speak up occasionally.
Pass/fail journals and
hand-in folder (15 percent of final grade)
Each Monday, I will look
at your folder and give the combination of journal, second draft, and
news clipping a pass/fail mark. This is part of your weekly
participation. When you hand in your folder with essay assignments, I
will mark it with a letter grade:
100/A+ (wow)
95/A (excellent,
thorough responses with textual examples, page citations,
specific details, and fresh ideas)
85/B (good
responses, but focus more on textual examples with page
citations, add details from the readings, and fill the pages)
75/C (read more
carefully, give textual examples, cite pages, explain examples,
and write more ideas and opinions on the pages)
65/D, 50/F, or
lower if warranted, although I sincerely hope not.
Two developed pieces (20
percent each, for a total of 40 percent)
These pieces receive an
exact letter grade: 100-90/A, 89-80/B, 79-70/C, 69-60/D, and 59-lower/F.
Final project
based on a combination of
news clippings and coursework
(15 percent)
Final project
presentation in
class – speak for five minutes and provide a handout (5 percent)
Final exam (10 percent)
We will have a
short-answer final exam covering assigned material, so keep up with the
readings.
Academic honesty
Given the revision basis
of the course and my trust in your commitment to education and
literature, I am hopeful that plagiarism will not be an issue. If you
copy another person’s work without attribution, passing it off as your
own; if you use work in this class that you have done for another
course; or if you cheat in some other manner regarding your progress and
grade, you will fail this course and I will report the problem. The ISU
Student Code of Conduct ( http://www.policy.ilstu.edu/archives/student_code_of_conduct.htm)
explains these points too. I genuinely hope for the very best, but I do
want to make my expectations clear.
Course
Schedule
Jan 17
Introduction and next
week’s assignment
Jan 22 – 24
Phillip Hoose, We
Were There Too! (pp. vi-93)
Journal 1
(Just a recap: You write
the journal in class on Monday. On the following Monday, I check
your folder for the original journal, the typed draft, and a current
news item regarding childhood. This will be our weekly
procedure.)
Jan 29 – 31
Susan Sinnott,
Welcome to Addy’s
World, 1864
Phillip Hoose, We
Were There Too! (pp. 94-105)
Article:
AMERICAN GIRL / Carolina Acosta-Alzuru and Peggy J. Kreshel, "‘I’m
an American girl—whatever that means’: Girls Consuming Pleasant
Company’s American Girl Identity." Journal of
Communication 52.1 (March 2002): 139-61.
Journal 2
Feb 5 – 7
Joyce Hansen,
I Thought My Soul
Would Rise and Fly
Phillip Hoose, We
Were There Too! (pp. 106-127)
Article:
PATHS / Karen Chandler, "Paths to Freedom: Literacy and Folk
Traditions in Recent Narratives about Slavery and Emancipation," in
Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 31.1 (Spring
2006): 3-26.
**Pay attention to pp. 16-20.**
Journal 3
Feb 12 – 14
Barry Denenberg,
When Will This
Cruel War Be Over?
Phillip Hoose,
We Were There Too! (pp. 128-159)
Project 1 due
Wednesday,
February 14
Feb 19 – 21
Lois Lowry, Number
the Stars
Article:
SIEGE / Don Latham, "Childhood under Siege: Lois Lowry’s Number
the Stars and The Giver," from The Lion and the
Unicorn 26.1 (January 2002): 1-15.
Journal 4
Feb 26 – 28
Yankev Glatshteyn,
Emil and Karl
Article:
TRAUMA/ Kenneth Kidd, "‘A’ Is for Auschwitz: Psychoanalysis, Trauma
Theory, and the ‘Children’s Literature of Atrocity,’" from
Children’s Literature 33 (2005): 120-149.
Journal 5
Mar 5 – 7
Esther Hautzig,
The Endless Steppe
Journal 6
--------------------------------- March 10 – 18 Spring Break
--------------------------------
Mar 19 – 21
Avi, Don’t You
Know There’s a War On? (reading due 3/19, for discussion this
week)
Phillip Hoose, We
Were There Too! (pp. 160-211, also due 3/19)
Project 2 due
Monday, 3/19
Mar 26 – 28
Christopher Paul
Curtis, The Watsons
Go to Birmingham – 1963
Phillip Hoose,
We Were There Too! (pp. 212-224)
Film excerpt if
we have time, or on your own: Spike Lee, Four Little
Girls
Handout: Details
on final projects and presentations
Journal 7
Apr 2 - 4
Zlata Filipovic,
Zlata’s Diary
Article: ZLATA /
David Rieff, "Youth and Consequences," The New Republic (24
Mar 1994).
Journal 8
Apr 9 - 11
Francesco D’Adamo,
Iqbal
Article:
CRUSADERS / Lisa Hermine Makman, "Child Crusaders: The Literature of
Global Childhood," from The Lion and the Unicorn 26.3
(September 2002): 287-304.
Film excerpt TBA
Journal 9
Apr 16 – 18
Deborah Ellis, The
Breadwinner
Film excerpt:
Osama (directed by Siddiq Barmak, 2003)
Film excerpt:
Turtles Can Fly (directed by Bahman Ghobadi, 2004)
Journal 10
Apr 23 – May 1
Phillip Hoose, We
Were There Too! (pp. 225-256)
Project 3
presentations in class
Final projects due in
class on Wednesday, May 1
Tuesday, May 8
Final exam at
the cruel early hour of 7:50 a.m., in our classroom.
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