Masters Degrees (Children's Literature)

This unique, two-year degree provides an interdisciplinary study of the interaction between children, texts and media, along with the opportunity to study and live in at least three European countries. You will be able to engage with an array of cultural events related to children’s literature and media, and participate in a placement with a practitioner organisation.

● This is a unique programme that draws on the recognised strengths of the consortium partners to offer a joint degree that engages in children’s literature, media and culture.

● Glasgow is the leading partner in the consortium of universities that have developed this programme. The other universities are Aarhus University, Tilburg University and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

● The programme includes the study of a wide variety of genres and considers new developments in the production of texts and media for children, including multimodal forms and digital technologies.

● You will receive a theoretical grounding in children’s literature and media as well as the opportunity to complete bespoke placements.

● You will be supported by a friendly, internationally acclaimed team of scholars who work in both the arts and humanities and the social sciences.

● You will have access to world class libraries, teaching and research facilities, as well as museums and other cultural organisations.

● The programme builds upon the foundations of the MEd in Children’s Literature & Literacies at the University of Glasgow which has been running for 6 years.

Programme Structure

The programme is structured around a series of mobility periods across two years where you study at the programme universities for one semester. The periods of mobility are designed to enable you to engage with a variety of perspectives on the three core themes of the programme and promote valuable knowledge and practical skills based outcomes that will feed into future career opportunities.

During year 1 you will undertake a series of core courses which reflect the main themes of the programme and methods of enquiry delivered in Glasgow and Aarhus. In year 2 you will choose a specialist pathway in either Barcelona or Tilburg and will complete a work-based learning placement. The final mobility period can be spent with either partner, depending on your chosen topic of dissertation. The programme also includes an optional summer school at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver at the end of year 1.

Semester 1: September - December (Glasgow): Historical and critical perspectives
Semester 2: January - May (Aarhus): Children’s Literature in a mediatised world
Summer (optional): June-August (Vancouver)
Semester 3: September – January: Pathway 1 (Barcelona) – Promotion of reading OR Pathway 2 (Tilburg) - Transcultural trajectories
Semester 4: February - July (Glasgow, Aarhus, Tilburg or Barcelona): independent study; dissertation
Core courses

Year 1
Children’s literature and childhood
Children’s literature, texts and media
Children’s literature: critical enquiry
Children’s literature: from the printing press to virtual reality
Crossing boundaries: children’s literature and other media (online)
Digital literature (online)
Life writing and fan fiction
Literature and picturebooks for the early years (0-8).
Year 2
Canon formation
Children’s literature for a diverse world
Children’s literature in translation
Developing reading programmes for different contexts
Literature and media in wider social contexts
Placements with publishers/libraries
Promoting reading through cultural activities
Research on literary education
Reviewing children’s and young adult books.
Optional courses (summer school)

Historical and archival children’s literature
Illustrated literature and other materials for children
Writing, publishing and the book trade for children.

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Summary

This unique course allows you to study children’s literature in a flexible, part-time format. You’ll engage with staff working in the UK’s leading centre in the field and explore a range of landmark texts for young people, from fairy tales and picturebooks to classics and graphic novels.

This programme invites you to explore the exciting and varied world of children’s literature, and to examine how texts aimed at young people convey and challenge ideas about childhood. You will be taught by a team of staff with international reputations and expertise in areas such as philosophy, popular fiction, adolescence, critical theory, landscape, and memory.

As a distance learner you will have access to specialist services, and a wide range of e-books and digitised items from the Children’s Literature Collection at the University Library which contains 3,000 critical, theoretical, bibliographical and reference works and approximately 40 specialist children's literature journals.

As a Children’s Literature student, you will become a member of the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL), regarded as the premier institution for children’s literature research in Britain. The NCRCL has close links with organisations that work to further the study and teaching of children's literature, including The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Seven Stories (The National Centre for Children’s Books), and Booktrust. The University is also the exclusive Creative Partner of Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, London’s largest event dedicated to children’s writing. You can stay up-to-date with the NCRCL by following their blog.

Content

This programme asks you to think about children’s literature in new ways. In your first year you will be introduced to essential critical approaches, from feminist theory, psychoanalysis, and reader-response criticism, to new ideas about the child, power and ethics. Using these tools, you’ll study fairy tales such as 'Snow White' and 'Puss in Boots,' classic children’s literature including Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows and Judith Kerr’s landmark picturebook The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and the contemporary innovations of authors like Melvin Burgess, Shaun Tan and Jackie Kay.

In optional modules you can study the history of British children’s literature from its origins to the present day, as well as texts in translation, and visual and verse forms. Throughout the course you will gain knowledge of literary works produced for children, and the social, cultural and historical contexts of their production. The eclectic and rigorous nature of the programme allows you to contribute original work from a variety of perspectives, particularly in the extended critical Dissertation. The creative writing modules, ‘Writing for a Child Audience’ and ‘Creative Dissertation’ represent exciting additions to the programme, recognising the fact that many of our students have ambitions to write for children.

The Distance Learning MA is taught through a mixture of independent study, tutor feedback, and peer support. Most modules on offer include a course pack, with digital materials and links to an online learning environment. You will work through the materials, undertake learning activities, and discuss ideas with other students through online discussion boards and online seminars. At the end of each module, you will complete a piece of coursework, usually an essay, to demonstrate your understanding of the subject.

This MA can also be studied on site.

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The University of British Columbia offers a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature (MACL) program, jointly offered by the Departments of English and Language and Literacy Education, the Creative Writing Program, and the School of Library, Archival & Information Studies. The Program Chair and administrative support of the MACL program are housed at the School of Library, Archival & Information Studies.

MACL Overview

The MACL program provides specialized education for graduate students in the study of children’s and young adult literature and media using a multi-disciplinary approach. It provides each student with the opportunity to study the creative writing and publishing of this literature, to examine models of sharing its rich heritage with the young, and also to facilitate the literary, social, historic, and psychological analyses of children’s literature as literature. This multi-disciplinary approach exposes students to many schools of literary criticism, educational theory, and professional and creative practice. It acquaints students with the broad literary canon of children’s literature across a spectrum of languages and cultures, and with a variety of critical perspectives and professional application. Across various disciplines, departments, and faculties, a broad range of courses provide disciplined, academic study of children’s and young adult literature and media.

The MACL Program is the only one of its kind in the world offered from such a broad, multidisciplinary perspective and the only Master’s program in children’s literature in Canada. The program is unique in that the two faculties and the four academic units jointly provide faculty, courses, thesis supervision and committee support to give the graduate academic study of children’s literature a perspective on the full life cycle of the literature – the creation of the literature (through Creative Writing), its critical analysis (through English) and pedagogical approaches to the literature in interaction with children in schools, homes and libraries (Language and Literacy Education; School of Library, Archival & Information Studies).

Faculty in these departments are authors of both acclaimed children’s books and scholarly guides to the literature. They serve on national and international children’s book juries, lead national research studies, and have received awards for scholarship, service, and teaching.

The University Library's collections in historical and contemporary children’s books and the critical study of children’s literature are considered among the strongest such collections in an academic library in Canada, including some 4,000 early and rare children’s books and some 50,000 modern children’s books. As well, the Library maintains a large collection of research materials on children’s literature, including histories, criticisms, bibliographies, catalogues, and biographies.

Students in the MACL Program have come from China, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the United States, and from across Canada. The program provides specialized study of children’s books to those who are, or who intend to be, involved in teaching, school and public library services, writing, editing/publishing, theatre/film, storytelling, or affiliated fields.

The Master of Arts in Children’s Literature Program extends beyond its four departments and two faculties in a strong outreach to the community across and outside the University. Members of all departments involved in the program sit on the Steering Committee of the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable which plans a series of annual events and conferences to bring award-winning authors, illustrators, editors and publishers such as Philip Pullman, Gregory Maguire, Shaun Tan, Katherine Paterson, and Lois Lowry to speak with students and Vancouver’s dynamic children’s literature community.

Quick Facts

- Degree: Master of Arts
- Specialization: Children's Literature
- Subject: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
- Mode of delivery: On campus
- Program components: Coursework + Thesis required
- Faculty: Faculty of Arts
- School: School of Library, Archival and Information Studies

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Summary

Now running for over twenty five years, the MA in Children’s Literature is recognised internationally as a benchmark programme in the field and is delivered by the award-winning National Centre of Research in Children’s Literature.

On this acclaimed MA/PG Dip in Children’s Literature you will explore landmark books such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or The Railway Children, alongside the contemporary innovations of Patrick Ness or Emily Gravett.

You will work alongside staff with international reputations in areas such as adolescence, critical theory, landscape, and philosophy. Plus, many of you will have the chance of working with Roehampton's Chancellor and renowned author Professor Dame Jacqueline Wilson.

As a Children’s Literature student you will become a member of the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL), regarded as the premier institution for children’s literature research in Britain. NCRCL has close links with organisations that work to further the study and teaching of children's literature, including The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Seven Stories (The National Centre for Children’s Books) and Booktrust. The centre also hosts and co-organises an annual one-day British IBBY/NCRCL MA Conference and runs a biennial NCRCL Conference, showcasing themes from members' research interests. Keynote speakers have included Michael Rosen, Matthew Grenby, Emer O’Sullivan, Neil Gaiman, and Julia Eccleshare.

The University is the exclusive Creative Partner of Barnes Children’s Literature Festival, London’s largest event dedicated to children’s writing. The partnership provides paid and voluntary work experience opportunities for students at the festival, as well as opportunities to attend events for free.

Roehampton also hosts a number of Children’s' Literature collections in our library containing 3,000 critical, theoretical, bibliographical and reference works and approximately 40 specialist children's literature journals. We are also home to the Richmal Crompton Collection. This includes her personal library, editions and translations of her famous Just William stories and scripts including short stories and radio plays.

Content

This stimulating programme allows for the exploration of a range of literary texts from medieval learning materials, through landmark books such as Treasure Island, The Tale of Peter Rabbit or The Eagle of the Ninth, to the contemporary innovations of Mark Haddon, Shaun Tan or Jackie Kay.

Although this is a literature programme, study is not limited to children’s books. You will also examine the relationship (both historical and ongoing) between children’s books and social constructions of childhood.

The creative writing modules, which currently include ‘Writing for a Child Audience’ and ‘Creative Dissertation’, represent exciting additions to the programme, recognising the fact that many of our students have ambitions to write for children.

MA students will complete the course by undertaking either a dissertation or creative dissertation. The dissertation is a supervised research project involving an in-depth study of an aspect of children’s literature that interests you. For the creative dissertation, you will produce a creative portfolio that could include short stories, picturebook scripts, poems, or a novella, alongside a critical reflections of your work.

Children's literature can also be studied by distance learning.

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This exciting new programme is ideal if you have an interest in the academic study of children’s literature, or work in education (e.g. as a teacher or librarian), publishing or children's media. It's also aimed at authors who want to create texts for children- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature/

Award-winning author Michael Rosen is just one of the leading teaching staff on this programme, which is taught mainly in the Department of Educational Studies at Goldsmiths, although those pursuing the Creative Writing pathway will also study modules in the Department of English and Comparative Literature.

From classic works to contemporary texts

You will deepen your familiarity with the range and diversity of genres for children from ‘classic’ works to contemporary texts and develop detailed knowledge and critical understanding of issues and debates in the field. Studying children’s literature at Goldsmiths will also involve examining how texts for children reflect contested constructions of childhood.

Creative writing opportunities

If you are already a committed writer, although you may not have experience of writing for children/young adults, the MA in children's Literature offers a Creative Writing pathway which is taught in partnership with the Department of English and Comparative Literature. You can select modules that will support creative writing practices and enable you to work with practising and published creative writing lecturers and education lecturers to study and explore the nature of writing for children/young adults, creating original texts in the genres of short story, novel and poetry (but not script/screen writing or picture books/graphic novels).

The sociopolitical contexts of children's literature

Goldsmiths' MA in Children’s Literature is unique in its focus on inclusive practices and social justice. We will question the sociopolitical contexts in which texts are produced and interpreted and you will be encouraged to explore how texts for children can challenge or reinforce dominant ideological constructions. We interrogate the power relations that determine what is published, distributed and selected to be read by children in schools.

You will explore the relationship between reader, writer, text and context, and consider the processes that underpin those interactions. We will also examine the inherent paradox that studying children’s literature will involve adults' writing, selecting and responding to texts that are normally intended for children.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Maggie Pitfield.

Careers

Graduates will be well placed to specialise in children’s literature in a range of careers:

Teaching
Publishing
Children’s media
Writing texts for children
Librarianship
Academic study
Youth and community work
Skills
You will acquire a wide-ranging understanding of the field of children’s literature and the social, political cultural processes that surround it. You will also develop your critical thinking, communication and research skills.

Additional Entry Requirement for the Creative Writing Pathway

To study on the Creative Writing Pathway as part of the MA in Children's Literature you should follow the usual application process. If offered a place on the programme, you will submit a substantial piece or pieces of original creative writing, up to a maximum of 3,000 words, prior to the beginning of the programme. This work does not have to be in the form of writing for children/young adults. It will be considered by the Moudle Leader of the Workshop in Creative and Life Writing.

Your submission should include one item from the following list: Your submission should include one item from the following list: 1 short story; 7-10 poems; 1 or 2 extracts from a novel; 1 or 2 extracts from non-fiction writing, for example, memoir.

Submissions can be emailed directly to Maggie Pitfield, Head of Programme.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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A good children’s book stays with you for life. Study the key critical and business contexts of children’s literature and prepare for a lifelong career as a writer, teacher, publisher or scholar.

• Join the only MA Children’s Literature course in the East of England and London
• Study without disrupting your work / family life with our blended learning delivery
• Explore the global children’s literature market in depth

Our MA Children’s Literature will introduce you to the key issues in the field of children’s books, from current critical debates to changing fashions in the publishing industry.

You can explore the two major traditions in children’s literature, mimetic (realist) and the literature of the fantastic, while also gaining wider perspectives on critical theory and research methodologies.

Your studies will embrace the all-important subject of the growing children’s literature market, including its changing nature, the role of translation and the impact of adaptation.

All of your modules will be delivered through blended learning. Each will begin with a period of guided reading, with your personal studies supported by online fora, discussions, tutorials and other VLE-based resources. You will also attend one week of on-site, intensive teaching for each module. This will include lectures, seminars, workshops, student presentations and student-led discussions. For the rest of your studies, including your major project, you will continue to receive weekly tutorial support in essay writing via email or Skype.

All your studies will be supported by a teaching team comprising experts in the field of children’s literature, including Professor Eugene Giddens (co-author of Lewis Carroll’sAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: A Publishing History) and Dr Mick Gowar, who has written or edited more than 120 books for children and young people.

You will also have the chance to attend both internal and external events, such as talks by guest speakers and national conferences.


Careers:

Our MA Children’s Literature is developed with working professionals in mind. If you are a teacher, librarian, publisher or scholar and want to specialise in working with children’s literature, this course will help to enhance your professional and intellectual development. There are also many other fields that require the combination of market awareness, critical / analytical understanding and research skills that you will develop.

Once you graduate, you might also be interested in taking a research degree, such as our MPhil / PhD in English Literature, Creative Writing or Publishing.

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An MA in English is increasingly regarded as a valuable extension from undergraduate study in that it goes beyond a “baseline” BA qualification by:

--offering students an anticipated edge in the professional job market;

--enhancing applications for teacher training where advanced specialist knowledge can be an asset;

--providing necessary postgraduate experience for students who intend to continue their study of literature at MPhil/PhD level;

--providing a year of literary study for those who wish to take a career break.

Intended to meet the needs of students who have a passion for English literature and wish to extend their undergraduate study by engaging in further fast-track study leading to a Master’s qualification, our MA is designed as a one-year full-time programme. (In some years a part-time route may be available-please check our website for details).

The MA timetable has been designed to enable concentration of seminars within two days (Monday and Tuesday) to offer flexibility with students’ other commitments.

Our MA offers opportunities to those who wish to pursue an eclectic generalist programme of modules and to those who seek specialisation in particular areas of literary study. Students, therefore, enrol on one of three pathways.

MA IN ENGLISH LITERATURE
The MA in English Literature pathway enables students to select from a range of modules and work in a variety of areas either not covered in their undergraduate choices, or which they desire more deeply to examine. Contributing tutors are acknowledged experts in their specialisms.

MA IN ENGLISH: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
The MA in English: Children's Literature focuses on key areas within children’s literature and draws on the department’s long-established reputation in this field. Our 1981 introduction of an undergraduate module in Children’s Literature made us one of the earliest English departments, nationally or internationally, to offer modules in this rapidly expanding and popular field of study.

MA IN ENGLISH: LITERATURES VICTORIAN AND MODERN
The MA in English: Literatures Victorian and Modern attends to specific genres, types, and sub-periods of literature within the consistently popular Victorian and Modern periods. It differs from period-based MAs in other institutions by offering modules in specific literary types rather than generalist or panoramic treatments of period.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
All MA students complete “Issues, Scholarship and Method in Literary Research” 1 and 2, four option modules, and produce a 15,000-word dissertation. Taught modules run for one term each. The dissertation is completed during Term 3 and the summer.

MANDATORY ELEMENTS:

MLS4ISM1: Issues, Scholarship and Method in Literary Research 1

MLS4ISM2: Issues, Scholarship and Method in Literary Research 2

MLS4DIS: Dissertation

OPTION MODULES:

MLS4CMCL: Classics of Modern Children’s Literature *#

MLS4NCCL: Nineteenth-century Children’s Literature *#

MLS4VCF: Victorian Crime Fiction #

MLS4LFS: Literature of the Fin de Siècle #

MLS4LWTC: Literature and War in the Twentieth Century #

MLS4LYAF: Young Adult Fiction *#

PATHWAY REQUIREMENTS
Students taking the MA in English Literature pathway can choose any four options and may write their dissertation on an approved topic in any area of English literature.

Students taking the MA in English: Children's Literature pathway must take at least two of the modules marked * over the course of the year and complete their dissertation on an approved topic in children’s literature.

Students taking the MA in English: Literatures Victorian and Modern pathway must take at least two of the modules marked # over the course of the year and complete their dissertation on an approved topic in Victorian and/or Modern literatures.

Please see our website for further details. The Programme Convenor welcomes enquiries about any aspect of the programme.

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About the course:
-Provides in-depth knowledge of approaches to, and the history of, children’s literature
-Oldest accredited master’s degree in the world on children’s literature from literary perspectives
-Small seminar group teaching by renowned specialists
-Interdisciplinary degree, engaging with Childhood Studies and Children’s Media
-Outstanding preparation for PhD and various careers in cultural, educational and media industries

WHAT WILL YOU STUDY?

Sample modules:
-Theory of children’s literature criticism
-Twentieth and twenty-first century children’s literature
-Nineteenth century children’s literature
-Myth and folktale in children’s literature
-Children’s radio, film, television

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

WHAT CAREER CAN YOU HAVE?

Our students continue on to, or return to, careers in teaching, publishing, the media, the civil service, the charity sector and advertising, as well as going on to do PhD research.

Students report that their careers are supported by the skills they have acquired not only in terms of subject expertise, but also critical thinking, advanced understanding and writing.

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This MA offers students the opportunity to study in both the Department of Educational Studies and the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths.

It's designed for those who have an interest in the academic study of children’s literature and/or work in education such as teachers or librarians, those in publishing and children’s media and authors and artists who want to create texts for children.

What you study

You will deepen your familiarity with the range and diversity of genres for children from ‘classic’ works to contemporary texts and develop detailed knowledge and critical understanding of issues and debates in the field. Studying children’s literature at Goldsmiths will also involve examining how texts for children reflect contested constructions of childhood.

If you choose to, you can select modules that will support creative writing practices and enable you to work with practising and published creative writing lecturers and education lecturers to study and explore the nature of writing for children.

Goldsmiths MA in Children’s Literature is unique in its focus on inclusive practices and social justice. We will question the sociopolitical contexts in which texts are produced and interpreted and you will be encouraged to explore how texts for children can challenge or reinforce dominant ideological constructions. We interrogate the power relations that determine what is published, distributed and selected to be read by children in schools.

You will explore the relationship between reader, writer, text and context, and consider the processes that underpin those interactions. We will also examine the inherent paradox that studying children’s literature will involve adults writing, selecting and responding to texts that are normally intended for children.

Assessment

Coursework, essays, project, dissertation, creative writing (optional).

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This course is aimed at applicants who already have knowledge of and interest in children's literature and who want to develop expertise in the subject at masters' level. In this course students will meet old favourites and make new exciting acquaintances. They will be introduced to the most recent debates on the nature and social function of this controversial and multifaceted kind of literature. They will also be provided with the tools for critical assessment of books written and marketed for a young audience. Students will follow modules covering: researching picturebooks and their readers; texts, contexts and childhoods; and what makes this Masters in Children's Literature.

As well as considering picturebooks, poetry, media texts and writing for children, this thematic route concentrates on a wide range of fiction for children, including the 'classics', texts for very young readers, international literature and novels for young adults. Close textual study and the history of children's literature are embedded within the route, which also concerns itself with exciting new texts, (sometimes using sound and image) produced by ever changing new technologies. Qualitative action research involving empirical work with children on visual literacy will be undertaken during the route. Participants are encouraged to keep a working journal and to include references to their own reading autobiographies.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/ededmpecl

Course detail

The course focuses throughout on different representations of childhood in the texts that are studied and examines what is meant by the contested term 'children' literature'. Participants will be expected to engage with some of the key debates in the field and to consider a range of theoretical perspectives - from Romanticism to reader-response theory; gender issues to postmodernism; historical studies to new historicism; sociocultural viewpoints to semiotics - as well as examining critically views of young readers and their reading choices.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

- a comprehensive understanding of research techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their specific educational domain;
- demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
- shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies;
- demonstrated self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.

Format

The course is composed of two key elements: (i) the research methods training course and (ii) the 'Critical Approaches to Children's Literature' thematic route. Teaching time is split between both elements, with 32 hours of teaching being provided in research methods and 64 hours in the thematic route. The elements are taught through a mixture of lectures, smaller group seminars and individual supervisions.

Each term, written work is submitted and formative feedback is provided. Informally, feedback will also be provided through regular supervisions (three times a term). At the end of each term, supervisors are required to provide a report on student progress which can be viewed by the student through CGSRS.

Assessment

- Thesis: Up to 20,000 words.
- Essay 1: 6,000-6,500 words.
- Essay 2: 6,000-6,500 words.

Continuing

Students wishing to continue from the MPhil in Education to PhD are required to achieve:

Either
1) an average of 70 across both sections with the thesis counting as double-weighted (eg: (Essay 1 + Essay 2 + thesis + thesis) divided by 4 = 70 or above.

Or
2) a straight mark of 70 or higher for the thesis.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

The Faculty is pleased to say that, in general, education students are successful in most of the funding competitions, and, in a typical year, will host students who have been awarded funding from all of the major funding bodies.

In addition, a number of Colleges have their own scholarships/bursaries, but these will be restricted to College members. Finally, it is important to note that deadlines for scholarships and bursaries are early, so applicants are strongly encouraged to explore funding opportunities as soon as possible - at least a year in advance of the start of the course.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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This route is aimed at applicants who already have knowledge of and interest in children's literature and who want to develop expertise in the subject at masters' level. In this route students will meet old favourites and make new exciting acquaintances. They will be introduced to the most recent debates on the nature and social function of this controversial and multifaceted kind of literature. They will also be provided with the tools for critical assessment of books written and marketed for a young audience. Students will follow modules covering: researching picturebooks and their readers; texts, contexts and childhoods; and what makes this Masters in Children's Literature.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/ededmeecl

Course detail

As well as considering picturebooks, poetry, media texts and writing for children, this thematic route concentrates on a wide range of fiction for children, including the 'classics', texts for very young readers, international literature and novels for young adults. Close textual study and the history of children's literature are embedded within the route, which also concerns itself with exciting new texts, (sometimes using sound and image) produced by ever changing new technologies. Qualitative action research involving empirical work with children on visual literacy will be undertaken during the route. Participants are encouraged to keep a working journal and to include references to their own reading autobiographies.

The route focuses throughout on different representations of childhood in the texts that are studied and examines what is meant by the contested term 'children' literature'. Participants will be expected to engage with some of the key debates in the field and to consider a range of theoretical perspectives - from Romanticism to reader-response theory; gender issues to postmodernism; historical studies to new historicism; sociocultural viewpoints to semiotics - as well as examining critically views of young readers and their reading choices.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

- a comprehensive understanding of research techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their specific educational domain;
- demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
- shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies;
- demonstrated self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.

Format

The course is composed of two key elements: (i) the research methods training course and (ii) the 'Critical Approaches to Children's Literature' thematic route. Teaching time is split between the two elements, with 32 hours of teaching being given to research methods and 64 hours being given to the subject specific content. The course is taught through a mixture of lectures, smaller group seminars and individual supervisions.

Written feedback is provided on the thesis by two independent assessors. Informally, feedback will also be provided through regular supervisions. Supervisors are required to provide a report on student progress which can be viewed by the student through CGSRS.

Assessment

Thesis: Up to 20,000 words.

Students following the two year MEd programme are required to submit the following in Year 1:
Essay 1: 6,000-6,500 words.
Essay 2: 6,000-6,500 words.

Continuing

Students wishing to continue from the MEd in Education to PhD or Ed D are required to achieve:

1) an average of 70 across both sections with the thesis counting as double-weighted (eg: (Essay 1 + Essay 2 + thesis + thesis) divided by 4 = 70 or above.
Or
2) a straight mark of 70 or higher for the thesis.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

The Faculty is pleased to say that, in general, education students are successful in most of the funding competitions, and, in a typical year, will host students who have been awarded funding from all of the major funding bodies.

In addition, a number of Colleges have their own scholarships/bursaries, but these will be restricted to College members. Finally, it is important to note that deadlines for scholarships and bursaries are early, so applicants are strongly encouraged to explore funding opportunities as soon as possible - at least a year in advance of the start of the course.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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The MA in Children’s Literature and Culture at the University of Bolton is the only course in the North West dedicated to this area of study.

The course is designed for anyone who has an interest in children’s literature and culture, including professionals who work with children, such as teachers, librarians or those in health and social service occupations, and also interested parents who want to learn more about this exciting world and share it with their children.

What you will study

You will study many aspects of the field including the work of children’s authors such as David Almond and Philip Pullman and ‘adult’ authors who have also written for this growing market, such as Neil Gaiman and Salman Rushdie. You will also examine the broader field of children’s culture, including picture books, graphic novels, films, television and toys.

You will examine these different media from both historical and contemporary perspectives, exploring how the market for children’s culture has become big business and how it often attracts both child and adult audiences.

You will learn what comprises children’s literature and culture, build up your knowledge from examples of work in different media and develop an understanding of how this field is often more complex than many people believe.

By studying on this course you will develop insights and analytical skills allowing you to appreciate the debates around contemporary childhood culture.

In addition to building a fascinating body of knowledge that you can apply in either a professional or personal context, you will also acquire the higher level skills of Masters study including information handling skills, ICT and research skills, and a critical and analytical ability to read both visual and verbal texts.

For more information please visit http://www.bolton.ac.uk/postgrad

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This programme is the only programme in Scotland dedicated to children’s and young adult’s literature as a primary resource and a field of academic study. You will develop a specialisation that is highly valued in professions such as education, library services and children’s media.

Why this programme

◾The programme gives you the opportunity to take a literary and critical stance to well-loved texts, as well as to contemporary authors whose texts push the boundaries of children’s literature.
◾The programme takes into account new developments in the production of texts for children using multimodal forms and digital technologies.
◾You will also discuss recent theories of language and literacy development and consider how they can be supported by traditional and multimodal texts for children.
◾You can balance your study commitments with a full-time role, and tailor research projects to provide the maximum relevance and benefit for your work.

Programme structure

You will take five core courses, one optional course and produce a dissertation based on a specialised topic.

Core courses

◾Reframing language, literature and literacies for 21st century life
◾Texts for children: from the printing press to virtual reality
◾Introduction to educational and social research
◾Modern educational thought
◾Children's literature and literacies: critical enquiry
◾Professional enquiry.

Optional courses

◾Texts for diversity: language across learning for children with English as an additional language
◾Texts for children: visual and multimodal
◾Further options may be drawn from courses offered on the MEd in Educational Studies.

Career prospects

This programme is an excellent source of professional development if you’re already working in education, library services and children’s media, or are looking to move into these areas.

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Overview

Turn your passion for children’s books into a specialist postgraduate qualification!

Macquarie is a world leader in the field of children's literature. Gain practical experience in analysing and critiquing a diversity of texts and genres, including picture books, children’s films, graphic novels and young adult fiction, from the perspective of literary and cultural theory, as well as their social and historical contexts. And, if creative writing is also your passion you can elect to add units from our acclaimed Master of Creative Writing to create a personalised program.

See the website http://courses.mq.edu.au/international/postgraduate/master/master-of-children's-literature

Key benefits

- Access to specialist teachers whose publications have achieved critical and international acclaim within the field of children’s literary criticism
- Opportunities to complete a research thesis on a topic of your choice
- Create an e-portfolio of your work and learn new skills in our state-of-the art online learning platforms
- Your choice of studying on campus or online
- Flexibility of part-time or full-time study options

Suitable for

Primary and secondary teachers; librarians; editors and publishers; as well as people generally concerned with the production and dissemination of children's literature.

Recognition of prior learning

Course Duration
- 1.5 year program
Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline;
Bachelor degree in any discipline and work experience in a relevant field;
Relevant work experience at a senior level.

- 1 year program
Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline and work experience in a relevant field;
Honours or Graduate Diploma in a relevant discipline, including 15-20,000 word thesis.

- Relevant disciplines
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, including literature, cultural studies, media studies, education, librarianship, creative arts.

- Relevant areas
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, including literature, cultural studies, media studies, education, librarianship, creative arts.

English language requirements

IELTS of 7.0 overall (with minimum 6.5 in Reading, 7.0 in Writing, 6.5 in Listening, 6.5 in Speaking) or equivalent

All applicants for undergraduate or postgraduate coursework studies at Macquarie University are required to provide evidence of proficiency in English.
For more information see English Language Requirements. http://mq.edu.au/study/international/how_to_apply/english_language_requirements/

You may satisfy the English language requirements if you have completed:
- senior secondary studies equivalent to the NSW HSC
- one year of Australian or comparable tertiary study in a country of qualification

Careers

Career Opportunities
Graduates launch new careers, freelance or develop and promote their existing careers in Education or the Arts and Media industries, including:
- arts journalism and magazine writing, online and in print
- author/novelist
- book publishing – editorial, public relations, and copy editing
- children's TV writer/script editor
- secondary, tertiary and continuing education creative writing, literature and English studies teaching

- Employers
Employers in Education and the Arts and Media industries, including schools, online and print education, publishing and entertainment media.

See the website http://courses.mq.edu.au/international/postgraduate/master/master-of-children's-literature

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This three module course will develop your understanding of the new National Curriculum focus on reading for pleasure.

You will focus on understanding how texts are constructed using a range of narrative models and how this aspect of your subject knowledge can be employed in the primary classroom to develop children's abilities to read a range of texts.

See the website http://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/pgcert-education-childrens-literature/

Why choose this course?

- There is a strong focus on applied classroom practice

- You will be taught by an experienced team of colleagues researching and teaching in the area of children's literature

- You will explore a variety of texts currently available, including classic texts, comics, novels in verse form, literature in translation and interactive texts.

This course in detail

The three modules are:

- Reading for pleasure in the primary classroom
(7 sessions in the Autumn term)

Grounded in reader response theory, the focus of this module is to enhance your skills as a teacher of reading in its broadest sense. With an excellent range of high quality texts at the module's heart, you will explore how to read picture books, novels, poetry and interactive texts across the primary ages. By the end of the module, you will have the tools to support children in being able to talk critically and comprehensively about texts and have the knowledge to build a community of successful, lifelong readers.

- Children's literature through the ages: from classic texts to interactive texts and their use in the classroom
(7 sessions in the Spring term)

The profile of children's books has undergone an unparalleled change compared to other fields of literature. From its early days of didactic and moralistic undertones pre-18th century, to the present day where stories are not just written for pleasure but actively encourage children to question the ideologies that surround them, this genre's journey has been fascinating and, arguably, the most diverse. This module will begin with studying some of the early classics and end with children's stories in today's multimedia world. Through a range of theoretical perspectives such as feminism, marxism and post-modernism, this module will explore a range of texts including: classics, novels in verse, literature in translation, apps, traditional tales and comics.

- Investigating practice
(3 workshops and tutorial support in the Summer term)

You will develop an inquiry related to your own practice which can then be assessed through either a report or a portfolio of work. This might include the development of pedagogical approaches or curriculum materials, or investigations into the achievement levels or the opportunities provided for particular groups of learners. It could also include the development of professional practice through shadowing others or engaging in collaborative work across organisations.

The inquiry will be supported by a personal tutor. Group seminars and workshops will provide guidance on the development of methodological tools for the inquiry and enable you to share the stages of project development with other members of the group. You will be allocated a personal tutor for this assignment who will signpost you to relevant academic theory and research and support material.

Please note: as our courses are reviewed regularly, the modules available may vary from those shown here.

Attendance pattern

This course takes place on Wednesday evenings 5.00pm - 8.00pm at the Harcourt Hill Campus.

How this course helps you develop

The PGCertificate aims to develop reflective practitioners at master's level.

Careers

Your learning on the course may lead to better prospects for career advancement and students frequently change role / direction as a result of developing new understandings and skills from their work on the course.

Free language courses for students - the Open Module

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:
- studying at a Brookes partner college
- studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.

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