Courses

Penn State's online Graduate Certificate in Children's Literature program 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 an academic adviser) may be applied toward the online Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction degree program. Completion of the certificate program does not guarantee admission into the master's program. Please contact an academic 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 World Campus student, you have the opportunity to learn when and where it's most convenient for you.

Required Course (3 credits)

3

credits

Study of various genres of children's literature, from various critical perspectives. Emphasis on role of literature in children's lives.

Electives (select 12 credits)

Note: Only two of the four elective courses can be at the 400 level.

3

credits

The study of childhood from cultural, historical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives.
3

credits

An in-depth study of picturebooks as art objects providing aesthetic experiences and contributing to our aesthetic development in literacy education.
3

credits

A study of nonfiction literature for children and adolescents with an emphasis on inspiring curiosity and agency.
3

credits

Examine work by writers of classic fantasies (H. C. Andersen, A. A. Milne, etc.) written for children, as well as the work of some contemporary authors (J. K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, Tomi Adeyemi, Nnedi Okorafor, etc.) and popular comics. We will also look at the role of the imagination in the lives of children and the important ways children may transform their private spaces into spaces of wonder that allow them to flourish and reimagine their possibilities.
3

credits

Critical study of adolescent literature, its diversity of cultural voices, and designs for its use in secondary school classrooms.
3

credits

Read, discuss, analyze, and reflect on diverse literature from multicultural and critical multicultural perspectives to demonstrate how such ways of readings not only expand literacies but center issues of social justice.
3

credits

An in-depth study of myths and folktales shared with children and how these stories are remade across different modes and disseminated today across multiple communities of practices.
3

credits

Supervised workshop in the craft and techniques of writing picture books, short stories, longer fiction, and nonfiction literature for children.
3

credits

Addresses the different research approaches for doing research in children's literature. Specifically, it discusses research methods and topics in a wide range of theoretical and practical fields — including psychoanalysis, literacies, genre studies, critical pedagogies, biographical studies, critical race theory, and reader responses — guiding learners on how to conduct original research around any topic of choice. It also addresses research methods for doing research on creative writing.

Note
Students in the Children's Literature path will take this core course instead of CI 501

Timing
This course should be taken near the end of your program, but not as your last course

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?

Get the resources you need to make informed decisions about your education. Request information on this program and other programs of interest by completing this form.