MA/PGDip Children's Literature Distance Learning

RAE 2008
100% of RU’s submitted work in English Language and Literature was recognised either internationally or nationally for its originality, significance and rigour, with more than 30% of that work regarded as being either ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. More information.

Why study Children’s Literature?

Many people embarking even on Bachelor’s level study of Children’s Literature have been confronted with superior friends seeing 'kiddy lit' as an easy option, where all they have to do is read endless comics and books. In fact, children’s literature, especially popular literature for children, raises a number of questions which require extensive knowledge of the social and educational conditionals prevailing in the period in which it was written.

It is difficult to think of another discipline which makes so many demands on its students as far as knowledge of historical and socio-economic background, culture, religious belief, pedagogy and philosophy are concerned. To this add the usual pre-requisites for literary study, which today involve not only an understanding of the language and literature of the past, but also an awareness of critical perspectives such as Feminism, Marxism, Psycho-analysis, Structuralism, and, particularly in the case of children, an awareness of the complex factors related to the reader’s response to the text. This needs also to be set into a context relating to questions involving the roles of author, publisher, bookseller and librarian, parent and teacher, before we reach the actual ‘child’ for whom the product is intended.

Many of the issues presented will be directly tackled in the modules of the course, particularly in the initial module, Critical and Theoretical Perspectives (CTP). Although the kind of study involved here may be new to some students, the fact that the theories are explored within specific children’s texts, notably the perennially popular but ever changing genres of fairy tale and animal story should make them more accessible. Many of the concerns relating to children’s literature are also explored in various ways throughout those modules which have more of a period basis, and the relation between text and picture is problematised in the Visual Texts course.

The chronological study of literature for children is pursued before the student is given the freer choice of subject and approach of individual study in the research enquiry and the dissertation.

Teaching and assessment

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 printed materials and links to an online learning environment. Students work through the materials and send formative assignments to their tutor for discussion. There is also chance to discuss ideas with other students through online discussion boards. At the end of each module students are asked to complete a summative assignment, usually an essay, to demonstrate their understanding of the subject.

Structure of the programmes

PostGraduate Diploma
Compulsory modules

Critical & Theoretical Perspectives
Research Methods Parts I & II

Plus three additional 20 credit modules from the module list below.

MA
Compulsory modules

Critical & Theoretical Perspectives
Research Methods Part I & II
Dissertation

Plus three additional 20 credit modules from the module list below.

Optional modules

Please note that this selection is subject to change.

Visual texts
Origins and development of children’s literature
Poetry written for children
British children’s literature from 1900 to 1960
British children’s literature from 1960 to the present day
Research Enquiry (this module enables a student to further investigate a topic studied on another module or to explore a specialism of one of the Centre’s staff, such as Adolescent Literature, the history of illustration in Children’s Literature, Fantasy in Children's Literature, Children’s Literature in translation, or Victorian Children's Literature).

Learning support

Tutors are at the core of the support we give to our distance learners. Staff in the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL) are well-known experts in the discipline.

The Information Services Department has developed a service for distance learners. Through the service you can:

access databases
access e-journals
perform document searches
order articles (there is a fee for this, but the service is subsidised)
use the postal loans service.

Further details will be sent to students at registration.

Resources

Roehampton houses the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature, which hosts major conferences in the field as well as conducting and facilitating research projects and initiating publications. The Centre helped establish and administer the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation and is actively involved in creating the new post of Children’s Laureate. In the year 2000 Roehampton University was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of the Centre's excellent work.

The award-winning children’s author Jacqueline Wilson has been named a Professorial Fellow of the University.

The programme is supported by the specialist Children’s Literature Collection (including the Richmal Crompton Collection) in the University Library and librarians with an extensive knowledge of the subject.

Career opportunities

Students of the MA in Children's Literature have gone on to study for PhDs at other universities and at Roehampton, have used their qualifications to change careers or for professional development in their existing professions, and as preparation for PGCE programmes.

A large number of overseas students have also found this qualification equally useful in their home countries.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have either a good second-class honours degree (or above) in a relevant subject (normally English, History or other Humanities subject)
or a teaching qualification with further relevant experience in related areas such as publishing, librarianship, freelance research etc…..
The English requirement is IELTS 6.5 overall, or equivalent, with no less than 6 in any of the bands.

Length of programme

2-6 years

Number of places

up to 20

Programme start date

September

Number of Credits

PGDip: 120 MA: 180

Fees

Band 3

Contact the course convener

Dr Lisa Sainsbury