CTSJ 210 Mother Goose to Mash-Ups: Children's Literature and Popular Texts

Why did the London Bridge fall down? Is Rub-a-Dub-Dub really about bath time? Why didn't an old man live in a shoe? Who is more imperialist Babar or Peter Pan? Is Tinky Winky gay? Is South Park a children's show? Is Harry Potter a Hero? How tired was Rosa Parks? Using different critical approaches this course will examine children's poetry, picture books, novels, cartoons, feature films, and music videos. Analysis will include topics related to gender, race, culture, and nation as they play out in the aesthetics, images, and poetics of children's texts. Emphasis topic: Critical Race Theory.