Children's Literature Faculty
The image "We and Our Instructor" used with permission of Milner Library, courtesy of the International Collection of Child Art.
Children's Literature
The Children's Literature program is a strong component of the English Studies Department at Illinois State University. We have been offering courses for over seventy years and are more established in Children's Literature than any other university's English Department in the U.S. In any given semester we offer fifteen to twenty sections of Children's Literature at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The Children's Literature program has long embraced both literary and educational approaches to Children's Literature. The program is cutting edge in its advocacy of using books written for children to foster the analytical study of children's texts. Moreover, our Children's Literature faculty employ a variety of theoretical models in their ongoing scholarship of the textual study of children's books.
Undergraduate Courses in Children's Literature
To view course descriptions for any undergraduate Children's Literature course, please check the Undergraduate Catalog.
- ENG 170: Foundations in Literature for Children
- ENG 271: Literature for Young Children
- ENG 272: Literature for Middle Grades
- ENG 290: Language Arts
- ENG 370: Studies in the History of Literature for Young People
- ENG 372: Studies in Contemporary Literature for Young People
- ENG 373: Poetry for Children
- ENG 374: Storytelling
- ENG 375: Young Adult Literature
Graduate Courses in Children's Literature
Illinois State University has a well-established graduate program in Children's Literature. Students in the Master's in English program may enroll in a Children's Literature emphasis, and students in the Ph.D. in English Studies may also choose Children's Literature as a specialization.
The following courses are available at the graduate level:
- ENG 370: Studies in the History of Literature for Young People
- ENG 372: Studies in Contemporary Literature for Young People
- ENG 373: Poetry for Children
- ENG 375: Young Adult Literature
- ENG 390: Research Studies in Language Arts
- ENG 470: Studies in Children's Literature (topics vary; may be repeated for credit)
- ENG 471: Critical Theories in Children's Literature
- ENG 492: Recent Research in the English Language Arts
Degree requirements for the Master's in English (emphasis in Children's Literature):
- ENG 401: Introduction to Graduate Study
- ENG 402: Teaching Composition (required only for students on assistantship)
- ENG 370: Studies in the History of Literature for Young People
- One course in critical theory (ENG 471 preferred; can substitute ENG 382 or ENG 482)
- At least 3 courses in Literature for children or adolescents
- At least 4 electives in literature, language, composition, or approved cognate fields (up to 6 hours from fields such as Fine Arts, Psychology, Curriculum & Instruction, History, or Sociology)
For more information, visit the Master's in English page.
Degree requirements for the Ph.D. in English Studies (emphasis in Children's Literature):
1. At least 13 courses and a teaching internship distributed as follows:
- 5 courses in Children's and/or Adolescent Literature
- 2 courses in the theory of Children's Literature, language arts, or a related pedagogical perspective
- Four graduate seminars: ENG 510, 540, 560, 590
- Two elective courses
- A teaching internship (ENG 591)
2. Written comprehensive exams in three areas: English Studies; research specialization; pedagogy and professional studies.
3. A dissertation of original scholarship in Children's and/or Adolescent Literature that explores some pedagogical aspect relevant to the field.
For more information, visit the Ph.D. in English Studies page.
To view course descriptions for any graduate Children's Literature course, please check the Graduate Catalog.