A survey of literature for young children beginning with the oral tradition of story telling and continuing with folklore, folk tales and mythology, poems, plays, as well as the illustrated story books, novels, short stories, and biographies of modern times. Emphasizes books written and illustrated by authors of diverse gender, ethnicity, race, and religion. The course elicits student responses to the literature to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills. See COM 220. Designed for students who wish to emphasize writing and communications in their academic program.
Subject matter varies.
May berepeated when topics vary. Not a course for students with weak writing skills. This historically organized survey examines the characteristics of American literature in various periods of its development from Native-American narrative and poetry to Emily Dickinson, illustrating the diverse American voices and their seminal traditions of myth, folklore and orature, and providing a framework for further study in this area. Students analyze the representations of American culture, examine the historical and cultural contexts underlying American literature, and interpret the literature in written assignments, oral presentations and discussion. In this historically organized survey, students analyze the representations of American culture in literature and examine the emergence of contemporary consciousness in 20th century American writing and culture.