Course Recap for January 12

Introduction to English 3830, Syllabus, and Course Expectations
At the beginning of our first class I asked you to fill out a student diagnostic form in order to help me get to know you better. You can access that document HERE. (If you missed class on the first day, please print this document, fill it out, and bring it next week.) You spent some time introducing yourself to a partner and exchanging emails, and then you introduced yourself to the class. I went over the syllabus, schedule of assignments, and course expectations in detail. You may access both of these documents on the left hand side of this blog under "Course Documents." I discussed the primary and secondary texts that you will be required to read for this course, and I introduced you to the course blog where you will find links to each secondary text. I also talked about the expectations for the reading and writing you will do in this class. I then spent some time going over the major projects and assignments for this course, including the blog assignment, the midterm, the poster presentation, and the final writing project; all of these documents are linked on the left hand side of the blog.

My office: Sprau Tower 810
I'll be there T 3-4 pm and 7:20-8 pm
(before and after class),
or you can schedule an appointment.

The most important pieces you should take away from our discussion are that I highly value attendance, completion of the assigned reading, and participation in classroom and blog discussion. The schedule of assignments details for each day the homework due for the next class. This course is reading and writing intensive; we will read one primary text and several critical texts every week over the course of the semester. I asked each of you to sign a syllabus contract as evidence that you read and understood the expectations for the course. Feel free to visit me during office hours to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

Critical Questions for Thinking About Children's Literature
After we came back from break, I asked you to spend some time writing responses to the questions on the back of your diagnostic. These questions included: What is a child? Who is children’s literature for? What is the relationship between literature for "adults" and literature for "children"? Are there universal values that children’s literature reflects and inculcates (teaches through repetition)? If so, what are they? If not, should there be? We then spent some time discussing your responses as a large class.

Reading Strategies in This Course
We then took some time to talk a bit about how to read in a college level literature class. I provided you with a "Reading Strategies Packet" (linked HERE and on the left hand side of the blog) that details reading practices for college level literature courses briefly. I then gave a lecture on this topic which you can access HERE. You should feel free to refer back to these reading strategies as you work through any assigned reading for this class (both are linked on the left hand side of the blog under "Course Documents" and "Prezs").

For next week, you will be reading a critical chapter "Historicizing Childhood," reviewing a powerpoint presentation on the Early History of Children's Literature, and reading the first half of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; you should be sure to you give yourself adequate time to complete the assigned reading (the chapter is 23 pages long and the presentation includes 27 slides). You must print out both documents or bring a laptop or tablet to work with them in class AND bring your book to class (your attendance points for the day will be based upon you doing this). There will be a quiz during the first part of class, and you can use your reading/notes. I suggest that you highlight, underline, and write notes about things you find interesting, important, or confusing in the text. If you ever have any issue opening or accessing any of the readings linked here, email me right away and I will send you a PDF via email, THEN see me in office hours so we can remedy the issue.

Homework

• Read Carrie Hintz and Eric Tribunella's "Historicizing Childhood" AND the presentation "The Early History of Children's Literature: Defining and Historicizing the Genre" (You can access these readings by clicking on the links on the left hand side of the blog. After you click on each link, you can read the file in google docs and use the magnifying glass as needed, or download the file as a PDF and magnify it.)
• Read Chapters 1-9 of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 
• Buy your $5 fee card from the WMU Bernhard Center and purchase your books