Courses

Penn State's online Graduate Certificate in Children's Literature is designed for teachers, school librarians, and aspiring authors and illustrators who want to help children discover the joys of reading.

In the courses in this program you will:

explore classic works of children's literature
study the best works by modern-day authors
learn more about the use of picturebooks, folklore, and myths

Potential for Growth

All credits earned in this 15-credit graduate certificate program (with the advanced assistance from a Student Services adviser) may be applied toward the online master of education degree program in curriculum and instruction. Completion of the certificate program does not guarantee admission into the master's program. Please contact a Student Services adviser at the start of your certificate program for more information about the master's program and your interest in transferring credits.

Convenient and Flexible

Each course is taught using a blend of web technology, print, and other media to maximize flexibility while maintaining teacher and student interaction. As a Penn State online student, you have the opportunity to learn when and where it's most convenient for you.

Course List - Graduate Certificate in Children's Literature

Required Course (3 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Studies in Literature for Children	LL ED 502	Study of various genres of children's literature, from various critical perspectives. Emphasis on role of literature in children's lives.	3 credits

Electives (12 credits — select four courses)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Theories of Childhood	CI 560	The study of childhood from cultural, historical, psychological and philosophical perspectives.	3 credits
The Art of the Picturebook	LLED 462	Picturebooks are a peculiar form of literary and visual art. They appear to be simple to read, but are they really so simple? In this course we will read pictures. We will attempt to stretch our own repertoire of strategies for reading picturebooks, and we'll be looking at how we can help children find meaning in picturebooks.	3 credits
Nonfiction Literature for Children and Adolescents	LLED 464	A study of nonfiction literature for children and adolescents with an emphasis on inspiring curiosity and agency.	3 credits
Fantasy Literature for Children	LLED 465	Good fantasy literature can be critical to children's understandings of themselves and the world. This course will examine work by writers of classic fantasies (H. C. Andersen, A. A. Milne, etc.) written for children, as well as the work of contemporary authors (J. K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, etc.). We will also look at the role of the imagination in the lives of children.	3 credits
Literature for Adolescents	LLED 520	Critical study of adolescent literature, its diversity of cultural voices, and designs for its use in secondary school classrooms.	3 credits
Cultural Pluralism in Children's and Adolescent Literature	LLED 561	Reading/discussing literature from multicultural/critical multicultural lenses and how this impacts literacy.	3 credits
Myths and Folktales in Children's Literature	LLED 563	An in-depth study of myths and folktales shared with children and how these stories are remade and disseminated today.	3 credits
Writing for Children	LLED 564	Supervised workshop in the craft and techniques of writing picture books, short stories, longer fiction, and nonfiction literature for children.	3 credits
Doing Research in Children's Literature	LLED 568	This course addresses the different research approaches to children's literature—specifically, research methods and topics in a wide range of theoretical and practical fields—including psychoanalysis, literacy, genre studies, teaching in children's literature, biographical studies, and reader responses.	3 credits

*Note: Only two of the four additional courses can be at the 400 level.
No more than 15 nondegree graduate credits may be transferred into a graduate degree program.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

Ready to Learn More?

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