HNR 134 FORGING CULTURE: BOOKS, POLITICS, CHILDHOOD

This course will examine children’s and young adult literature as a fulcrum of cultural, political, and historical identity in the United States. Members of the class will look at how children’s literature helps give us shared values and allusions that provide us with a cultural identity and sense of community. Simultaneously, we will also look at the many conflicts raised by the introduction of complicated or contentious ideas in books for children and young adults. We will look at book culture for children in terms of entertainment, education, and socialization. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to challenge members of the class to think more deeply about their ideas of childhood, story, books, and U.S. culture and how all of these things are produced.