EDUC 235 Latinx Children's Literature

In this course, students read and analyze a variety of children's literature with Latinx content and by Latinx creators. Children's literature is often viewed erroneously as simple in message, theme, or literary quality. In this course, students will learn tools of literary analysis to add new layers of interpretation to literary works published for children. Students explore picturebooks as works of literature and visual art that convey culture and values. Further, they read multiple young adult novels to examine how creators convey universal and Latinx themes in literature for adolescent readers. Through analysis of the literature, close readings of the visual art, viewing interviews and speeches by Latinx creators of children's and young adult literature, and reading scholarship of children's and young adult literature, students develop awareness of cross-cultural and Latinx-specific themes and features of children's and young adult literature.