LITR 306: Children's Literature (CRN 106)
MWF 12:00-12:50, SCHU 102

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Instructor: Dr. Amie A. Doughty
Office: 313 Netzer Administration Building
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-9:45, MF 11:00-11:45, and by appointment
Phone: 436-2493
E-mail: Amie.Doughty@oneonta.edu
Web Address: http://employees.oneonta.edu/doughtaa

Required Texts:*
Bruchac, Joseph. Killer of Enemies. Tu Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-1620142769
Crews, Donald. Shortcut. Greenwillow, 1996. ISBN: 978-0688135768
Lai, Thanhha. Inside out and Back Again. HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN: 978-0061962790
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011. ISBN: 978-0316038638
Machado, Ana Maria. From Another World. Illus. Lucia Brandao. Groundwood Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-0888996411
Morales, Yuyi. Just a Minute! Chronicle Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-0811864831
Nelson, Jerdine. Thunder Rose. Illus. Kadir Nelson. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2007. ISBN: 978-0152060060
Okorafor, Nnedi. Binti. Macmillan, 2015. ISBN: 978-0765385253
Shraya, Vivek. The Boy & the Bindi. Illus. Rajni Perera. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1551526683
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Indian Shoes. Illus. Jim Madsen. HarperCollins, 2002. ISBN: 978-0060295318
Waboose, Jan Bourdeau. SkySisters. Illus. Brian Deines. Kids Can Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-1550746990
Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Square Fish, 2008. ISBN: 978-0312384487
Yoon, Nicola. Everything Everything. Ember, 2017. ISBN: 978-0553496673

*Note that you may use any unabridged edition of the books above. The ISBN numbers correspond to the editions ordered through Damascene.

Course Description:
Catalog Description: This course explores the diverse literatures for children and adolescents, particularly the multicultural and generic variety of literatures available. Students will read books from a variety of American and international children’s authors and situate the texts within the children’s literary tradition. Emphasis will be on literary analyses of these children’s and adolescent texts. (LA)
Prerequisites: COMP 100, and LITR 150, and 6 s.h. of 200-level ENGL coursework.

Course Objectives:

• Students will learn about the specific development of literature for children and current trends in the field.
• Students will gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of multicultural and formal genres of children’s literature.
• Students will expand their abilities to engage critically with texts.

Course Policies:
Contacting Me: My preferred method of communication outside of class is via e-mail, and I am usually quick to respond to e-mail. If you send me an e-mail message, you should hear back from me within 24 hours during weekdays. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours, try again because it means that I have not received your message. I check my e-mail periodically Monday through Friday between 8 and 5. I am offline on Saturdays and Sundays. You may also contact me via phone or come by my office during office hours. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours, though I recommend making one during busy times of the semester (i.e. pre-enrollment, near finals). You can either make an appointment directly with me or by contacting Mrs. Carr, the English Department secretary (607-436-3446).

Attendance: You are expected to attend class and to be prepared to discuss the assigned readings and homework. If you are unable to come to class, it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed and to get notes from a classmate or from me during my office hours. See below for the University Policy on WIs due to excessive absences.

Class Discussions: I firmly believe that the best learning comes from student-generated class discussions. Therefore, I expect you to come to class having read the materials and prepared to discuss them. If I call on you, I expect you to have something to say about the readings we're doing, even if it's a question about what was going on or your objections to what we've been saying about the text. It is OK to disagree with me and with your classmates, as long as you express your disagreement in a courteous manner. It is important that everyone has something to say, so leave your discussion inhibitions at the door.

Assignments: You will be assessed in 5 ways for this class. See the separate Assignments Sheet for a full description of each assignment:

• Blackboard Posts and Miscellaneous (20%)
• Picturebook Essay (20%)
• Group Presentation and Handout (25%)
• Participation (15%)
• Final Exam (20%)

Classroom Etiquette: You are expected to comport yourself politely in class. I expect you to refrain from talking to your classmates during lectures and discussions unless you are asked to work in groups. If you have a question about what is being presented, ask me, not your neighbor. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be asked to leave the classroom, and I will determine what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Cell Phones: Phones must be turned off for the duration of the class period. If your phone rings in class, you may be asked to leave. If I see you texting in class, I may ask you to leave. If you believe you should be excluded from the cell phone restriction, see me individually.

Assignment Formatting: All assignments must be submitted according to MLA formatting guidelines. For this class, do not use a title page for any of your papers unless instructed to do so in class. Use a 12-point font (yes, I can tell the difference) in Times New Roman (no fancy fonts in this class and no use of Courier). Failure to follow formatting instructions will result in your paper’s grade being lowered. I will explain what MLA formatting looks like to the class before the first paper is due. You may also find instructions for it in any handbook.

Grammar and Mechanics: I expect your papers to have correct grammar and mechanics and to be proofread. Grammatical, mechanical, and formatting errors, especially proofreading errors, will lower your paper grade in the following manner: For every page of your out-of-class papers, you will be allowed one different type of error (e.g. 2 types of errors on a 2-page paper; 12 types of errors on a 12-page paper). Once you have exceeded your error allowance, you will lose 1/2 point per additional error type. Error types will be defined using the following rubric:

• Each proofreading error will count as 1 type (thus 5 proofreading errors will count as 5 types of errors).
• Homonym, usage, spelling, and other word-level errors will be counted by word (e.g., their/they’re/there is 1 type; it’s/its is 1 type; and wonder/wander is 1 type—if all 3 appear in the same paper, it will count as 3 types).
• MLA, mechanical (punctuation), and grammatical errors will be counted by first occurrence of an error only (e.g., 12 comma splices will count as 1 type; 5 comma errors will count as 1 type; a missing header will count as 1 type; a subject-verb agreement error will count as 1 type).

There is no limit to the number of points you can lose with this policy, so go through your papers carefully.

Late Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements for an extension.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the passing off of another's work (whether quoted, paraphrased or summarized) as your own without proper documentation, including on exams. If you are caught plagiarizing, you are subject to a variety of punishments, including expulsion from the university. Do your own work. See the University’s policy below for details on the Academic Dishonesty policy.

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

Emergency Evacuation/Shelter-in-Place Procedures: In the event of an emergency evacuation (i.e., fire or other emergency), classes meeting in this building are directed to reassemble at IRC Lobby so that all persons can be accounted for.  Complete details of the College’s emergency evacuation, shelter-in-place and other emergency procedures can be found at <http://www.oneonta.edu/security/>.

University Policies: The following policies can be found in your Student Handbook or the Code of Student Conduct (both available online) and are particularly applicable to this class.

Flagrant Non-Attendance
• Students missing 25% or more of class, any time from the second week of class up until the last day to withdraw from an individual course (see Keydates and Deadlines or Faculty Reference Guide for specific dates) may be removed from the course by the instructor.
• The Registrar will assign a “WI” (Involuntary Withdrawal) grade.
• Students appearing on the final grade sheet will be assigned a final grade (not a “W”, Incomplete or Pending grade), regardless of student’s class attendance.

Final Exams
Instructors must follow the final exam schedule as posted in Keydates and Deadlines (www.oneonta.edu/registrar). The final exam week is part of the 15 class weeks required by the State Education Department. If an instructor does not hold a final examination, the final examination period must be used as the final class day. Exceptions to this may be made only in an emergency and only with prior approval of the department chair and the division dean. Under no condition shall a study day be used to administer a final exam. Students are held responsible for selecting a course schedule with the final exam schedule in mind. There is no policy preventing a student from having exams in one day.

Accessibility Resources
Accessibility Resources (formerly Student Disability Services) provides a base of personal and academic support for students with a documented history of disability. The office provides consultation, advocacy, referral, testing and classroom accommodations. Students should call for an appointment (607) 436-2137. Located at 209 Alumni Hall. All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Accessibility Resources, 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the Accessibility Resources Office. It is entirely your responsibility to contact Accessibility Resources and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an Accessibility Resources accommodation plan.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty is defined as any act by a student that misrepresents or attempts to misrepresent to an instructor or any College official, the proficiency or achievement of that student or another student in any academic exercise for the purpose of influencing a grade on a piece of assigned work, on an examination or quiz or in a Course as a whole, or that is intended to alter any record of a student's academic performance by unauthorized means.
A Student deemed guilty of an act of academic dishonesty may, depending on the nature of the offense, be subject to one or more of the following measures: failure of the assignment or examination, failure of the course, or dismissal from the College. Furthermore, for a second offense, referral of the case to the Standing Disciplinary Board is mandatory. The penalties that may be assessed by the Board are listed under the Procedures of the Standing Disciplinary Board as published in this publication; however, the normal penalty is suspension or dismissal.
It is the Student's responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty as published in this publication and the Undergraduate Catalog. However, individual faculty members may wish to explain the policy as it relates to their courses. It is emphasized that a student who has any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty has the responsibility of clarifying them by conferring with his/her instructors.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
The following examples, although not all-inclusive, are intended to help students understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Other acts should not necessarily, be considered as falling outside the scope of this policy because of their absence from this list.
• Plagiarism that is, using materials from another's work without acknowledgment, using quotations without identification as such or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.
• Copying and/or modifying another person's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Knowingly permitting one's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination, laboratory procedure, or other exercise.
• Taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
• Altering or attempting to alter a grade on any piece of graded work, a grade written in an instructor's personal records, or a grade written on any College form or transcribed in any official College record.
• Submitting a College form with a forged signature.

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