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CMNS 420: Topics in Communication: Children and Media (Rev. C3) Report a Broken Link

Children and Media focuses on how children up to the age of thirteen encounter and employ the media and genres of storytelling: from oral narrative and print, to the audio and visual mediation of narrative in picture books, radio and other audio forms, and screen technologies such as television, film, and video games. The course applies contemporary theory and methodology to examine narrative and considers the competencies, or “literacies,” that children develop in order to understand narrative and produce their own.

Unit 1

Unit 1 Audio

Required Readings
Fulton, Helen, Rosemary Huisman, Juliet Murphet, and Ann Dunn. Narrative and Media. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2005. E-book.

Please read

Chapter 2: Narrative Concepts, by Rosemary Huisman

Chapter 3: From Structuralism to Post-Structuralism, by Rosemary Huisman
Nikolajeva, Maria. "Beyond the Grammar of Story, or How Can Children's Literature Criticism Benefit from Narrative Theory?" Children's Literature Association Quarterly 28.1 (2003): 5–16.
aelialiciania. Approaches to Narrative Theory. Slideshare, 2008. Web. 5 Dec. 2018.

Unit 2

Unit 2 Audio

Required Readings
Brice Heath, Shirley. “What No Bedtime Story Means: Narrative Skills at Home and School.” Language and Society 11.1 (1982): 49-76.
Page, Judith L., and Sharon R. Stewart. "Story Grammar Skills in School-age Children." Topics in Language Disorders 5.2 (1985): 16–30.

Note: Link goes to issue Table of Contents.
Livingstone, Sonia. “Media Literacy and the Challenge of New Information and Communication Technologies.” The Communication Review 7.1 (2004): 3-14.
Biørgen, Anne Mette. “Boundary Crossing and Learning Identities – Digital Storytelling in Primary Schools.” Seminar.net: International Journal of Media, Technology & Lifelong Learning 6.2 (2010): 161-76.
Buckingham, David. Children Talking Television: The Making of Television Literacy. London and Washington: The Falmer Press, 1993.

Please read

Chapter 2: Rethinking Television Literacy
Supplemental Resource
Marshall, Nancy. “Using Story Grammar to Assess Reading Comprehension.” The Reading Teacher 36.7 (1983): 616-20.

Unit 3

Unit 3 Audio

Required Readings
Pullen, Paige C., and Laura M. Justice. “Enhancing Phonological Awareness, Print Awareness, and Oral Language Skills in Preschool Children.” Intervention in School and Clinic 39.2 (2003): 87-98.
Rooks, Di. “Can I Tell You My Story? How Storytelling Contributes to Pupils’ Achievements in Other Aspects of Speaking and Listening and to the Understanding of How Language Works.” Reading 32.1 (1998): 24-8.
Casbergue, Renee Michelet, and Karen Harris. “Listening and Literacy: Audiobooks in the Reading Program.” Reading Horizons 37.1 (1996): 49-59.
Varley, Pamela. “As Good as Reading? Kids and the Audio Book Revolution.” The Horn Book Magazine 78.3 (2002): 251-62.
Supplementary Readings
Wasik, Barbara A.  “Phonemic Awareness and Young Children.” Childhood Education 77.3 (2001): 128-33.
Leguy, Cécile, and R. H. Mitsch. “Revitalizing the Oral Tradition: Stories Broadcast by Radio Parana (San, Mali).” Research in African Literatures 38.3 (2007): 136-47.
Isbell, Rebecca, Joseph Sobol, Liana Lindauer, and April Lowrence. “The Effects of Storytelling and Story Reading on the Oral Language Complexity and Story Comprehension of Young Children.” Early Childhood Education Journal 32.3 (2004): 157-63.
Moerk, Ernst L. “Picture-Book Reading by Mothers and Young Children and Its Impact upon Language Development.” Journal of Pragmatics 9.4 (1985): 547-66.
Ferreri, Patricia. "Listening for Literacy." Teaching Pre K-8 31.2 (2000): 61.

Unit 4

Unit 4 Audio

Required Readings
Lyons, Martyn. “New Readers in the Nineteenth Century: Women, Children, Workers.” A History of Reading in the West. Ed. Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier. Amherst and Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2003. 313–44.
Henrick, Harry.  “Constructions and Reconstructions of British Childhood: An Interpretive Survey, 1800 to the Present.” Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Study of Childhood. 2nd ed. Ed. Allison James and Alan Prout. London: Routledge, 1997. 33-60. E-book.
Postman, Neil. “Children.” Building a Bridge to the 18th Century: How the Past Can Improve Our Future. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. 116–35.
Edwards, Gail, and Judith Saltman. “Beginnings to the 1890s: Canadian Children’s Books in the Imperial Era.” Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children’s Illustrated Books and Publishing. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2010. 17–30.

Unit 5

Unit 5 Audio

Required Readings
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. “Chapter 1: Unexpected Visitor” [excerpt]. By the Shores of Silver Lake. New York: Harper and Row, [1939] 1971. 1–4.
Desjardins, Michael. "The Accessible (e)Book." 2009. Graduate course paper.

Available through Pennsylvania State University via CiteSeerX
Chen, Minchu, Richard Ferdig, and Aisha Wood. “Understanding Technology-Enhanced Storybooks and Their Roles in Teaching and Learning: An Investigation of Electronic Storybooks in Education.” Journal of Literacy and Technology 3.1 (2003): 1–15.
Engelhardt, Tom. “Reading May Be Harmful to Your Kids: In the Nadirland of Today’s Children’s Books.” Harper’s Magazine (June 1991): 55-62.
Ross, Catherine Sheldrick. “‘If They Read Nancy Drew, So What?’: Series Book Readers Talk Back.” Library and Information Science Research 17.3 (1995): 201-36.
Supplementary Readings
Mayer, Connie. “What Really Matters in the Early Literacy Development of Deaf Children.” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 12.4 (2007): 411-31.
Capps, Lisa, Molly Losh, and Christopher Thurber. “‘The Frog Ate the Bug and Made his Mouth Sad’: Narrative Competence in Children with Autism.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 28.2 (2000): 193-204

Unit 6

Unit 6 Audio  

Required Readings
Foster, John. “Picture Books as Graphic Novels and Vice Versa: The Australian Experience.” Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature 49.4 (2011): 68-75.
McCloud, Scott. “Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter.” Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1993. 60–93.

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McCloud, Scott. “Chapter 4: Time Frames.” Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1993. 94–117.
Kervin, Lisa, and Jessica Mantei. “Using Computers to Support Children as Authors: An Examination of Three Cases.” Technology, Pedagogy and Education 18.1 (2009): 19-32.
Doiron, Ray. “Motivating the Lifelong Reading Habit Through a Balanced Use of Children’s Information Books.” School Libraries Worldwide 9.1 (2003): 39-49.
Benson, Vicki. “Informing Literacy: A New Paradigm for Assessing Nonfiction.” The New England Reading Association Journal 39.1 (2003): 13-20.
Varelas, Maria, Christine C. Pappas, Sofia Kokkino, and Ibett Ortiz. “Students as Authors.” Science & Children 45.7 (2008): 58-62.
Supplementary Readings
Howell, Lyn C. “Chapter 24: Using Technology to Create Books for Students by Students.” Handbook of Research on Literacy in Technology at the K-12 Level. Ed. Leo Tan Wee Hin and R. Subramaniam. IGI Global, 2006. 425-36.
Mercurio, Mia Lynn, and Abigail McNamee. “Monsters that Eat People – Oh My! Selecting Literature to Ease Children’s Fears.” Dimensions of Early Childhood 36.2 (2008): 29-38.
Boyd, Maureen P., and Meredith K. Devennie. “Student Voices and Teacher Choices: Selecting Chapter Book Read-alouds.” Childhood Education 85.3 (2009): 148-53.
Lo, Deborah Eville, and R. Jeffrey Cantrell. “Global Perspectives for Young Readers: Easy Readers and Picture Book Read-alouds from around the World.” Childhood Education 79.1 (2002): 21-5.
Kurkjian, Catherine, Nancy Livingston, and Vicki Cobb. “Inquiring Minds Want to Learn: The Info on Nonfiction and Informational Series Books.” The Reading Teacher 60.1 (2006): 86-96.

Unit 7

Unit 7 Audio

Required Readings
Spigel, Lynn, and Henry Jenkins. “Same Bat Channel, Different Bat Times: Mass Culture and Popular Memory.” The Many Lives of Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media. Ed. Roberta Pearson and William Uricchio. New York: Routledge, 1991. 117–48.
Fulton, Helen, Rosemary Huisman, Julian Murphet, and Anne Dunn, Eds. Narrative and Media. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 

Please read

Chapter 9: Film Narrative and Visual Cohesion, by Helen Fulton, pp. 108-122 only

Wohl, Michael. “The Language of Film.” Ken Stone’s Final Cut Pro Web Site, June 30, 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2019.
Alexander, Allison. “Children and Television.” Chicago, IL: The Museum of Broadcast Communications, 2019. Web. 18 Jan. 2019. 
Jones, Gerard. “Chapter 5: Girl Power.” Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence. New York: Basic Books, 2002. 77–96.
Livingstone, Sonia. “On the Future of Children’s Television: A Matter of Crisis?” The Price of Plurality: Choice, Diversity and Broadcasting Institutions in the Digital Age. Ed. Tim Gardam and David A. Levy. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2008. 175–82.
Supplementary Readings
Moses, Annie M., and Nell K. Duke. “Portrayals of Print Literacy in Children’s Television Programming.” Journal of Literacy Research 40.3 (2008): 251-89.

Unit 8

Unit 8 Audio

Required Readings
Brown, Harry J. “Chapter 1: Videogames and Storytelling.” Videogames and Education. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., 2008. 3-20.
Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Simon E., Jonas H. Smith, and Susana P. Tosca, “Chapter 8: Narrative.” Understanding Video Games. New York and London: Routledge, 2008. 169-204.
Lieberman, Debra A. “Chapter 25: What Can We Learn From Playing Interactive Games?” Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses and Consequences. Ed. Peter Vorderer and Jennings Bryant. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006. 379–98.
Kutner, Lawrence, and Cheryl K. Olson, “Chapter 2: Déjà Vu All Over Again and Again.” Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. 29-56.

Unit 9

Unit 9 Audio

Required Readings
Yampbell, Cat. “Judging a Book by Its Cover: Publishing Trends in Young Adult Literature.” The Lion and the Unicorn 29.3 (2005): 348-72.
Hade, Daniel D. “Curious George Gets Branded: Reading as Consuming.” Theory into Practice 40.3 (2001): 158-65.
Scoleri, Carlos Alberto. “Transmedia Storytelling: Implicit Consumers, Narrative Worlds, and Branding in Contemporary Media Production.” International Journal of Communication 3 (2009): 586-606.
Lacroix, Celeste. “Images of Animated Others: The Orientalization of Disney's Cartoon Heroines from The Little Mermaid to The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Popular Communication 2.4 (2004): 213-29.
Kline, Stephen. “Marketing Toys to Children and Youth.” Out of the Garden: Toys and Children’s Culture in the Age of TV Marketing. Toronto: Garamond Press, 1993. 143-72.
Guyot, Jacques. “Chapter 6: France: Disney in the Land of Cultural Exception.” Dazzled by Disney? Ed. Janet Wasko, Mark Phillips, and Eileen R. Meehan. London and New York: Leicester University Press, 2001. 121–34.
Buckingham, David.  Children Talking Television: The Making of Television Literacy. London: The Falmer Press, 1993.

Please read

Chapter 10: Hidden Persuaders? Advertising, Resistance and Pleasure
Tashjian, Jay, and Jamie Naidoo. “Licensing and Merchandising in Children’s Television and Media.” The Children’s Television Community. Ed. J. Alison Bryant. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007. 165–87.
Supplementary Readings
Ronai, Francesca. “All Tied Up.” The Bookseller 5384 (May 2009): 24-6.

Unit 10

Unit 10 Audio

Required Readings
Unsworth, Len. “Reframing Research and Digital Pedagogy Relating to CD Narratives: Addressing ‘Radical Change’ in Digital Age Literature for Children.” Issues in Educational Research 13.2 (2003).
Baumgarten, Miki. “Kids and the Internet: A Developmental Summary.” ACM Computers in Entertainment 1.1 (2003): 1-10.
Buckingham, David. “Defining Digital Literacy: What Do Young People Need to Know About Digital Media?” Digital Kompetanse 1 (April 2006): 263–76.
Hill, Susan. “Multiliteracies: Towards the Future.” Literacies in Childhood: Changing Views, Challenging Practice. Ed. Laurie Makin, Criss Jones Diaz, and Claire McLachlan. Marickville, NSW: Elsevier, 2007. 56–70.
Ohler, Jason. “The World of Digital Storytelling.” Learning in the Digital Age 63.4 (Dec 2005–Jan 2006): 44–7.
Hug, Theo. “Storytelling – EDU: Educational – Digital – Unlimited?” Seminar.net: International Journal of Media, Technology, and Lifelong Learning 8.1 (2012): 16-26.
Supplementary Readings
Colletta, Jean-Marc. “Comparative Analysis of Children’s Narratives at Different Ages: A Multimodal Approach.” Gesture 9.1 (2009): 61-96.
Wolf, Shelby, and Maryl Gearhart. Writing What You Read: A Guidebook for the Assessment of Children’s Narratives. CSE Resource Paper No. 10. Los Angeles, CA: National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), Sept. 1993.
Sefton-Green, Julian, Helen Nixon, and Ola Erstad. “Reviewing Approaches and Perspectives on ‘Digital Literacy.’” Pedagogies: An International Journal 4.2 (2009): 107-25.
Archer, Arlene. “A Multimodal Approach to Academic ‘Literacies’: Problematising the Visual/Verbal Divide.” Language and Education 20.6 (2006): 449-62.
Banaszewski, Tom. “Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom.” Multimedia Schools 9.1 (2002): 32-5.

Closing Notes from the Course Author

Closing Notes from the Course Author Audio