Texas A&M University - Commerce

Contact Info
Donna Dunbar-Odom – Director of Graduate Studies

Office: HL 224 (903) 886-5264 Donna.Dunbar-Odom@tamuc.edu

Website

Program Info
Offers a graduate-level certificate in Studies in Children's and Adolescent Literature and Culture; courses in this certificate fulfill Master's and PhD requirements

Regular Faculty
Maria Fernandez Lamarque - Maria.Lamarque@tamuc.edu

Karen Roggenkamp - Karen.Roggenkamp@tamuc.edu

Susan Stewart - Susan.Stewart@tamuc.edu

Course Info
All required courses:

ENG 504: PICTURE BOOKS, GRAPHIC NARRATIVE, AND THE ART OF IMAGES: THREE SEMESTER HOURS.

An examination of the historical, cultural, ideological, aesthetic, material, and critical contexts that influence and produce picture books and graphic narratives written for young readers, including a study of how words, images, and institutions shape our response to those texts'.

ENG 505: THE INVENTION OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND CHILDHOOD: THREE SEMESTER HOURS.

A survey of the historical development of children's literature in relation to its cultural, intellectual, and political contexts. Could include how British and American writers changed paradigms for and perceptions about "childhood" and "children's literature" by developing literature that entertained and instructed young readers, as well as how conditions of print culture, political change, and social status influenced the delivery and reception of the genre.

ENG 506: PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENT LITERATURE: THREE SEMESTER HOURS.

An overview of the various problems associated with adolescent literature including the "problem novel" and "new realism," how adolescent literature is defined, issues associated with censorship, and the problems adolescents experience in the texts.

''ENG 507: NARRATIVE TRANSFORMATIONS IN LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. THREE SEMESTER HOURS.''

A study in the adaptation or appropriation of familiar or traditional story forms such as folk and fairy tales into more contemporary narrative forms including novels and film.

ENG 508: CONSTRUCTING REALITY AND RECONSTRUCTING HISTORY IN CHILDREN'S AND ADOLESCENT LITERATURE: THREE SEMESTER HOURS.

An overview of historical fiction and realistic literature that emphasizes the cultural and social milieu that produced the texts as represented by the genres. Particular attention will be paid to the construction of history and the social realities addressed in the texts, including ethnic, racial, and global considerations.