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American Teen and Children's Literature
from the Civil War to the Present

In this course we'll compare teen and children's literature to your internship experiences working with actual teens and children. We will examine the literary merits of each text, and also ask: How are kids represented, in literature and in real life? How does a literary work serve as a time capsule of its historical era? How do children embody and enact knowledge, not just learn intellectually? How are decisions made for kids, and what does this tell us about the culture that surrounds them? How do kids represent themselves and make their own decisions?

Your co-requisite internship is 3-9 hours per week (1-3 credits), teaching and mentoring kids grades K-12 (your choice of age group). Sites range from the public schools to homeless shelters and detention centers. You should have received a site selection list from Leslie Wells after you enrolled in the class; you should make contact with a supervisor and start your placement by the second week of class at the latest, and preferably before then.

Required Reading is on reserve at Knight Library and also for sale at UO Bookstore.

Secondary Sources: Vivian Paley, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter. In course packet: Jonathan Kozol, excerpts from Rachel's Children and Savage Inequalities; Two articles from The Nation on education funding. Occasional class handouts.

19th Century: Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Louisa May Alcott, Little Women; L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz.

Picture Books: Margaret Wise Brown, Goodnight Moon; Dorothy Kuhnhart, Pat the Bunny: Crockett Johnson, The Carrot Seed; Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat; Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are; Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day.

20th Century: J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye; Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird; Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends; Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia; Lawrence Yep, Dragonwings; Mildred Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Cynthia Voight, Homecoming; Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street; Gary Soto, The Cat's Meow.

On reserve for your possible use in final paper research: Real Boys, Real Boys Voices, Culture Jam, Understanding Disney, On Killing, Bad Boys, The Conquest of Cool, Should We Burn Babar?, Nosotros: The Hispanic People of Oregon.

Assignments

Papers 1-4: 2 pages each. Important: At the end of each paper, please add a paragraph describing how your internship is going.

(15%) Paper 1, due Tuesday April 9: Toy Stories. From a child or an adult, please collect a story about a toy and write it down. Then, analyze the story, finding a meaning in it (for instance, as Paley does with the story of Jason and his helicopter).

(15%) Paper 2, due Thursday April 18: How are Young People Represented? Please develop a thesis about the way boys and girls are represented in the three 19th century texts, and compare the 19th century to the way boys and girls are represented now. In discussing the present, please take examples from your internship.

(15%) Paper 3, due Tuesday May 14: How do Young People Represent Themselves? Please develop an argument based on at least 4 works from the 1940s-1970s (from Pat the Bunny to Roll of Thunder), including at least one novel and one picture book. Then, please compare how kids represent themselves in books with how they represent themselves in real life, again drawing from your internship experiences.

(15%) Paper 4, due Tuesday May 28: How do Young People Describe and Solve Problems? How do Adults Describe and Solve Kids' Problems? Please base your argument on your internship, on Kozol, and on the 3 novels from the 1980s-90s.

(30%) Final Research Paper, due Tues June 11, 5-6 pages: The History of Right Now. Please develop an argument about kids' lives and representations today, based on your observations and conversations with real kids at your internship, plus at least one literary source published in the last decade and at least one secondary source.
(10%) Attendance.

Late Paper Policy: I accept only one late paper per term, so please use this option wisely. If you choose to turn in a paper late, you must notify me ahead of time by phone, email, or in person, before the class session when the paper is due. Late papers are due the following class session, unless you arrange with me otherwise.

Participation: This class depends upon your active participation in the classroom and community. You must pass both ENG 399 and ENG 404 to pass either one. If problems interfere with your performance or attendance, please let me or Ms. Wells know immediately. We are no fans of mysterious disappearances.

Writing Assignments: Each will receive a letter grade and should appear in polished final-draft form. The care you take with your own writing reflects on you as tutor and role model. A word to the wise: Take weekly notes on your internship experiences when they are fresh, as you will use them in your writing assignments.