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ENG-30092 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

ENG-30092 - 'Golden Age' Children's Fiction
Coordinator: Tim Lustig Room: CBB1.049 Tel: +44 1782 7 33011
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Yes

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

Fiction for children has arguably had a greater social effect than any writing intended for an adult audience, yet the field of children's literary criticism is relatively new, with much exciting work still to be done. This module takes you on a whistle-stop tour of some of the most famous and influential novels for children written in Great Britain and the United States between the middle of the nineteenth century and the middle of the twentieth century. You will have an opportunity to discuss texts in detail with your tutor and fellow students. You will gain familiarity with a wide range of critical and theoretical materials. Think children's literature is simple and innocent? Think again ...

Aims
To study prominent texts in the field to an advanced level.
To place children's fiction within cultural, political and historical contexts.
To compare and contrast traditions of children's fiction in Great Britain and the United States.
To consider and make use of critical and theoretical debates about children's fiction.
To consider and apply concepts of literary genre and form.
To consider and apply concepts of ideology.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Produce advanced level critical readings of texts in the field: 1,2
Critically situate children's fiction within its cultural, political and historical contexts: 2
Critically compare and contrast traditions of children's fiction in Great Britain and the United States: 2
Critically apply concepts of literary genre and form: 1,2
Critically apply concepts of ideology: 2
Reflect critically on the epistemological implications of changing technologies in relation to a specialist field of study: 1

Study hours

24 hours seminars (12 two-hour meetings)
12 hours workshops (12 one-hour meetings)
114 independent study hours and assessment preparation and completion
The tutor will also hold weekly office hours for individual consultation with students

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Short Paper weighted 20%
Students choose to produce either a review of an article or a commentary
Students produce a reflective commentary (500 words) based on text created using free-to-use generative AI software (e.g. ChatGPT freemium). Note that AI text will be provided for the students.

2: Essay weighted 80%
Critical essay
A 2,500-word essay (+/- 10%) which critically explores two or three core texts using appropriate secondary materials.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024