Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies York University AP/HUMA A: Fantasy and Children s Culture Fall/Winter

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1 Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies York University AP/HUMA A: Fantasy and Children s Culture Fall/Winter Course Director: Dr. Alison Halsall Office: 234 Vanier College, x ahalsall@yorku.ca Time: Monday Seminars, 7:00-10:00pm COURSE DESCRIPTION This course explores the fantasy mode in childhood and children s culture made by and for them, including literature (poetry, picture books, and novels), film (live action and animated), toys, songs, and games (including video games). The course examines the concept of fantasy, investigating the role fantasy plays in the lives of children through the study of various genres of fantasy, including heroic and epic fantasy, talking animal fantasy, and time-travel fantasy. The roots of fantasy in Victorian and Edwardian fantasy, in Britain, the United States, and Europe, will be explored, as will the evolution of literature, film, and game fantasy from throughout the 20 th and 21 st centuries, including contemporary manifestations of fantasy in children s and young people s culture. EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION This course develops students familiarity with the key features of modern fantasy as displayed in children s literature and culture. Modern fantasy refers to the body of literature in which the events, the settings, or the characters are outside the bounds of possibility. For critics Kathy Short and Carol Lynch-Brown, a fantasy is a story that cannot happen in the real world, and for this reason this genre has been called the literature of the fanciful impossible. Although events in such literature could not happen in real life, modern fantasies often contain truths that help the reader understand today s world. The power of fantasy for many readers (child and adult) is that the fantastical world represents a safe place to explore an alternative world as a metaphor for life in their own world. In its survey of modes of modern fantasy, this course will read animal fantasies (Charlotte s Web), quest stories (Treasure Island, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), fantastical stories that feature unusual characters or strange situations (Alice s Adventures in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), as well as texts that are iconic of high fantasy (The Hobbit).

2 2 Science fiction is growing in popularity among children and adolescents. Science fiction is a form of imaginative literature that provides a picture of something that could happen based on scientific facts or principles. Madeleine L Engle s A Wrinkle in Time and Suzanne Collins first novel in The Hunger Games trilogy will allow us to explore this aspect of fantasy. Fantasy also includes supernatural elements, such as magic, witches, wizards, vampires that some adults connect to the occult, and so has frequently been censored. The Harry Potter series was on the American Library Association s Most Frequently Challenged Children s Books list for several years due to the wizardry and magic explored in the books. We will explore some Gothic children s texts and their visual adaptations (Coraline) to discuss the appeal of such dark fantastical topics for child readers. This course will give us the opportunity to discuss a growing trend, the cycle format or series format in relation to modern fantasy, the purpose of this trend in relation to the Harry Potter books and the culture that grows out of these books, not to mention Lewis Narnia books and Suzanne Collins s Hunger Games trilogy. In this course, students will learn to observe, understand, and evaluate how modern fantasy texts work and how they intersect with children s culture. What is going on in these texts? Why are they so important to children? How and why have they been incorporated into children s culture? Through the study of the theoretical language of fantasy and through the preparation of their own essays, students will learn to read and write effectively, to develop persuasive arguments appropriate to their discipline (CHST), to conduct research and present the results both orally and in writing, and to cite their sources correctly according to the prevailing style guide (MLA). Finally, the course will equip students to demonstrate their understanding of the activity and sweep of fantasy in their own time and in children s culture. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Acquisition of the vocabulary for the critical analysis of many different modes of fantasy. Development of academic thinking, writing, and research skills through the preparation of a major research essay. Development of critical and analytical reading skills appropriate for the study of children s culture and the humanities. Improved ability to think critically about form, theme, and context. Development of academic speaking / listening skills through seminar participation and presentations, which encourage students to share their ideas and engage in discussions with peers.

3 3 COURSE DELIVERY The course combines weekly three-hour seminar meetings. Seminars introduce students to the key formal and thematic features of the text at hand, along with its literary and historical contexts. Seminars offer opportunities to discuss the texts in a small group while deploying the theoretical knowledge for the course. Writing assignments will support the development of students understanding of the texts, the development of a persuasive argument, effective research, and proper citation. COURSE EVALUATION Attendance and Participation 15% Online Discussion about Readings 10% Two Class Presentations in Pairs about Readings (2 X 10%) 20% Mid-Term Test (in class) 10% Children s Culture Analytical Essay 15% Outline and Annotated Works Cited 10% Comparative Research Essay 20% REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS Please purchase editions of the following texts from the University Bookstore in York Lanes: Barrie, J. M. Peter Pan. Bantam. Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Signet. Adler, Bill, ed. Kids Letters to Harry Potter from Around the World. Running Press. Carroll, Lewis. Alice s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Oxford. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic. Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Penguin. Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. Harper Perennial. L Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Square Fish. Lewis, C. S. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. HarperTrophy. Nesbitt, E. The Enchanted Castle. Puffin. Oppel, Kenneth. Silverwing. HarperCollins. Philip Pullman. The Golden Compass. Yearling. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Raincoast. Russell, P. Craig. Coraline. Harper Trophy. Stevenson, R. L. Treasure Island. Oxford. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit. HarperCollins. White, E. B. Charlotte s Web. HarperTrophy. REQUIRED FILMS Note: In addition to the readings you will also be required to view clips from

4 4 the following films in seminar. If you miss the screening of these clips, the films may be borrowed from York's Sound and Moving Image Library (located in Scott Library). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney, 1937) Snow White: A Tale of Terror (Cohn, 1997) The Wizard of Oz (Fleming, 1939) Muppet Treasure Island (Henson, 1996) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005) Alice in Wonderland (Burton, 2010) Peter Pan (Disney, 1953) Coraline (Selick, 2009) Students are also responsible for assigned short readings and other critical materials, which will be made available through the course Moodle site or are on reserve in the library. SUGGESTED REFERENCE TEXTS James, Allison. Key Concepts in Childhood Studies, 2 nd ed. (2012). Sage. Reynolds, Kimberley. Children s Literature: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2011.

5 5 TOPICS AND READINGS Fall Semester September 12 September 19 General Introduction to the Course and Course Concepts Introduction: Why Fantasy? And, What Is It, Anyway? Readings: Parts I and II in Nina Mikkelsen, Powerful Magic: Learning from Children s Responses to Fantasy Literature (On 2- Hour Reserve in Scott Library) N.b.: September 21 is the last day to enroll without permission of the course instructors. September 26 October 3 Octo ber 10 October 17 Fairytales and Modern-Day Re-Tellings Readings: Grimm s Little Snow White ; Roald Dahl s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ; Anne s Sexton s Snow White ; Snow White (The Merseyside Fairy Story Collective) (Moodle readings) Andrea Immel, U.C. Knoepflmacher and Julia Briggs, Fantasy s Alternative Geography for Children in The Cambridge Companion to Children s Literature (Moodle reading) Clips from: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Fairytales and Modern-Day Re-Tellings, cont. Readings: Peggy Orenstein, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Chapters 1 and 2 (Moodle reading) Bruno Bettelheim, Introduction to The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Moodle reading) Clips from: Snow White: A Tale of Terror Thanksgiving (NO CLASSES) Animal Fantasy Readings: E. B. White, Charlotte s Web Susie Garber, Our Own Stories: Weaving a Literary Discussion with Charlotte s Web. The Reading Teacher 50.7 (April 1997): (Moodle reading). N.b.: October 19 is the last date to enroll with permission of the course instructors. October 24 October 31 Animal Fantasy cont. Reading: Kenneth Oppel, Silverwing Quest Stories Victorian Boys Fantasy

6 6 Reading: R. L. Stevenson, Treasure Island November 7 November 14 American Fantasy Reading: L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Repackaging Baum s Fantasy Screening: The Wizard of Oz DUE: Children s Culture Analytical Essay (15%) November 21 November 28 Fantasy, Children, and the Phenomenon of Harry Potter Reading: J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Children s Reception of Harry Potter Reading: Bill Adler, ed., Kids Letters to Harry Potter from Around the World (160 pages) (On Two-Hour Reserve in Scott Library) December 5 Mid-Term (in-class) (10%) Winter Semester January 9 January 16 January 23 January 30 February 6 High Fantasy Reading: J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit Fantasy and Allegory Readings: C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Susan Hancock, Fantasy, Psychology and Feminism in Modern Children s Literature: An Introduction (Moodle reading) Fantasy and Religion Reading: Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass Unusual Characters and Strange Situations Victorian Fantasy and Nonsense Reading: Lewis Carroll, Alice s Adventures in Wonderland Victorian Fantasy and Nonsense, cont. Reading: Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Screening clips from various adaptations N.b.: February 10 is the last date to drop courses without receiving a grade

7 7 February 13 The Cautionary Fantasy Tale Reading: Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DUE: Outline and Annotated Works Cited (10%) February 20 February 27 March 6 March 13 March 20 Winter Reading Week (NO CLASSES) Adult Fantasies about Childhood Reading: J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan Children s Fantasies about Adulthood Reading: E. Nesbitt, The Enchanted Castle Science Fiction and Science Fantasy Time and Fantasy Reading: Madeleine L Engle, A Wrinkle in Time Dystopian Fantasy Reading: Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games DUE: Comparative Research Essay (20%) March 27 April 3 Post-Modern Fantasy Readings: Neil Gaiman, Coraline Selections (II, III) from Freud s essay on The Uncanny (Moodle reading) Visual Adaptations of Gaiman s Novel Reading: P. Craig Russell, Coraline

8 8 ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES AND EXTENSION POLICY On-Line Discussion about Readings (10%) The course Moodle site contains valuable resources to enhance the course and provides a discussion forum for participants to stay actively engaged with course content between weekly classes. Check in on our Moodle site at least twice per week, and post at least two questions or brief comments about course readings, viewings, presentations or theoretical issues each week of the course. Two Class Presentations in Pairs about Readings (2X10% = 20%) With a different partner for each of the two presentations, prepare and present a lively dialogue about your assigned text(s), incorporating concepts from the theoretical secondary texts we study (and others you discover in your research). Your first presentation will take place in the fall semester; your second in the winter semester. Children s Culture Analytical Essay (15%) Your task is to select one or some examples of children s culture that are related in some way to a text that is on our course syllabus. This essay will analyze HOW and WHY you think these examples of children s culture interact with, adapt, rethink the basic narrative(s) of one of our course texts. Due: November 14, 2016 (8 pages) Mid-Term Test (in-class) (10%) Students will write a test in seminar that aims to test them on their knowledge of the course concepts and their ability to apply this knowledge. Written: Monday, December 5, 2016 IN SEMINAR Outline and Annotated Works Cited (10%) An Annotated Works Cited is a bibliography that gives a summary of each of the entries. The purpose of the annotations is to provide your reader with a summary and evaluation of the sources. Students will produce an outline and an annotated works cited for your final Research Essay. Due: Monday, February 13, 2017 Comparative Research Essay on Literary and Film / Game Versions of Children s Fantasy (20%) In the winter semester, research and write an essay comparing and contrasting a literary fantasy picture book or novel studied on the course and its film and / or video game adaptation(s). Focus on significant similarities and (especially) differences between the various versions of the fantasy. Analyze how and by whom these fantasy texts have been produced and why they were produced that way. Due: Monday, March 20, 2017 Attendance and Participation (15%)

9 9 This grade will be based on your attendance, contributions to tutorial discussions, awareness of issues in required readings, and ability to relate issues to broader concerns of the course. Participation in tutorial means being present and engaged. Students who are habitually late, texting or using social media will be marked absent. Extension Policy In order to get an extension, you must me at least a week before the due date. If you do not hear from me by the week before the due date, you will not have an extension and your paper will be penalized at a reduction of a 2% per school day with a one week maximum for submission. policy Please use sparingly; do not abuse it by overusing it. Always check the course outline, lecture schedule, policies, and assignments already posted on our Moodle site for the course before ing questions to me. Also, please be patient in waiting for responses. I will not necessarily be able to respond the same or the next day. Lastly, do not use as an excuse to vent about a grade or course material. Such actions are inappropriate and will be documented. Academic Honesty All components of the course must comply with the University's policy on academic honesty. Please inform yourself of these policies by reading the University Policies, Procedures & Regulations Database, This is a paperless course. For the assignments I am asking that you upload your essays and assignments to Turnitin via the link on our Moodle site by the assignment due date. You will NOT have to submit a hard-copy to your instructor for grading. Turnitin.com is an Internet-based service that scans submitted works for similarity to material that may have been copied from public websites, including essays and assignments submitted previously to Turnitin. The use of the service is an aid to the instructor in the normal process of assessing, marking, and grading assignments in courses. Withdrawing from the course If you are unable to complete the course requirements, you should withdraw from the course by February 10, This date is the deadline for withdrawing from a full year course without academic penalty.

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