IN THE CLASSROOM: “Multicultural Children's Literature”

Course title: “Multicultural Children's Literature”
Taught by: Professor Gerald Campano

Description:
This course is a collaborative investigation of multicultural children’s literature. It provides opportunities to develop and deepen students’ familiarity with contemporary texts and to explore ways of facilitating enjoyable, effective, and critical literary experiences. It considers works from a variety of genres, as well as issues and practices in children’s literature and students’ responses to text. The inquiries include (1) critical readings of multicultural children’s literature; (2) pedagogies for facilitating and learning from students’ responses to texts in a variety of modalities; and (3) issues of power and identity in relationship to children’s literature texts and practices. A major component of the course is students’ own reading and response to a wide range of children’s literature across genres—they discover and revisit books and consider their implications for classroom literacy instruction. They explore children’s literature and scholarship on literature response to provide a grounding for designing literacy experiences across the content areas.
 

Says Campano:
“This class takes a global perspective. We do not shy away from addressing issues of equity and diversity, especially in this period of book banning and the erasure of histories and identities. We discuss disability justice, feature literature with trans characters, and discuss the immigrant experience. The books become a platform for inquiring into universal human rights and dignity. We have middle grades and young adult novels that take place in Mexico, Philippines, Pakistan, and the U.S. We read poetry from every continent and address the diasporic experiences of many communities. And many of our students draw on their own transnational lives as they engage the texts. So many of the challenges the world faces—climate change, mass human displacement, war—require thinking across political borders and social boundaries. Children’s literature can be a vehicle through which to cultivate cosmopolitan citizenship.”

Students’ reactions:
"Taking the class not only changed the way I look at the issue of representation in children's texts, but also the way I read any text in general.” says Isya Pradhiastari, a master’s student in the Education, Culture, and Society program. “I now pay more attention to whose voices are missing in the story: What part of the history is being overlooked? Does the text perpetuate stereotypes against a particular group or community? What kind of support can we provide as educators when teaching multicultural texts? Professor Campano has done amazing work in teaching, and I am just happy to be able to get involved and contribute to our classroom community."

Xinning (Aurora) Wang, from the Literacy Studies program, said: “This class has shown me how stories can create connections across cultures, identities, and memories. It has changed the way I think about teaching and learning. The [classroom] community creates spaces where every child’s identity can be recognized, valued, and heard, while honoring the memories and experiences students bring with them.”

The course's current TA, a doctoral student in the Literacy Studies program, Kelsey Trudo, said, “Being a part of the community within the 'Multicultural Children’s Literature' course has been a formative experience for me at GSE. One of the most amazing components of our course is that we read children’s literature for each class and engage in book discussions each week. Learning alongside every member of our class community this semester is truly inspiring. The interactive activities and a curated collection of diverse stories make this a truly valuable learning experience.”