Contemporary Spanish-language children's literature 3305-WHLD-01

The course is dedicated primarily to students interested in developing their ability to analyze and interpret texts for children, and also to place them in a broader context of popular culture as a whole. The aim of the classes is to encourage the development of critical reading skills, and also to introduce the fundamental concepts linked to the main currents of contemporary studies on children's and young people's literature.

Each class will be divided into three parts: a brief introduction to the topic, a study of theoretical texts (written in Spanish and English) and a discussion of chosen children's books. The readings proposed within the framework of the course form a wide variety, also with regard to different cultural backgrounds. From time to time the analysis will be accompanied by other examples, drawn from Anglo-Saxon or Polish culture, to mention just two.

The detailed program of the course is available in the section on activities in a particular didactic cycle.

Term 2026Z:

The program covers the following topics:

I. Wstęp: próby zdefiniowania przedmiotu badań i rozwój literatury dziecięcej

II. Części składowe książki dla dzieci
1. Projekt graficzny i parateksty
2. Kompozycja i polisemiotyczność (rola ilustracji)

III. Dylematy krytyki literatury dziecięcej
1. Aspekt ideologiczny książek dla dzieci
2. Czytelnik literatury dziecięcej i młodzieżowej: dziecko jako Inny, koncepcja podwójnego odbiorcy i adultcentrism

IV. Classification of children's literature: examples
1. Illustrated albums
2. Wordless books
3. Non-fiction books

V. Nostalgic readings: adult readers of children's literature

Course coordinators

Karolina Stępień

Type of course

elective courses

Prerequisites (description)

Knowledge of Spanish at the level attained after completing the first/ second year of undergraduate studies; knowledge of basic concepts in literary studies.

Learning outcomes

• Knowledge:
The student knows the singularities of various methodological approaches related to the analysis of children's literature. They know the basic terms related to the criticism of children's literature, especially Iberian and Ibero-American one, and its most important critics (K_W02, K_W03). They understand the phenomena related to books for children (K_W04). Furthermore, they know how to inscribe them in a broader context of the whole Spanish-speaking pop culture and compare them with trends in other cultural fields, e.g. Polish (K_W05). They know both the most recognized writers and illustrators in the field in question, as well as their most important works (K_W04).

• Abilities:
The student applies concepts central to contemporary literary studies on children’s literature in the analysis and interpretation of a selected children’s book (K_U07). They are also able to read and understand children's books written in Spanish (K_U01), and to carry out a critical analysis of the literary text — also in the form of an oral presentation — (K_U06) in an appropriate methodological context (K_U03). The skills listed above enable them to draw their own conclusions and reflect on contemporary popular culture intended for children (K_U02).

• Social skills:
The student is prepared to critically evaluate their own knowledge in the field of children's literature and to keep developing it (K_K01). They are also prepared to take part in a debate on the topic in question; they present the results of their own research in a 10-minute oral presentation and answers at least three questions from the audience (K_K02). The skills acquired enable them to actively participate in the Iberian and Ibero-American children's book market (K_K03). They are able to keep abreast of current trends in Spanish-speaking popular culture (K_K04).

Assessment criteria

Credit with a grade, which consists of: attendance, preparation for classes and active participation in classes.

Teaching methods:
- mini-lectures introducing theoretical concepts;
- students' presentations;
- group work, including the think–pair–share method;
- close (differential) reading;
- discussion.

Assessment criteria and passing threshold:
Point-based continuous assessment system including participation + final test:
• Participation: 45 pts; final test: 20 pts.
• Passing threshold: at least 60% of the total points from all assessment components (39 pts).
• Active participation in class includes participation in discussions (max. 12 pts), short oral contributions (max. 4 × 2 pts), reading and oral summaries of theoretical texts (max. 9 pts), and a final presentation (max. 16 pts).
• The final presentation consists of an analysis and interpretation of a selected children’s book using the theoretical approaches discussed in class (alignment with the topic and presentation of the aim: 1 pt; clear structure and organization: 1 pt; use of three selected theories from those discussed in class: 3 × 3 pts; independence, i.e., no use of supporting materials: 2 pts; answering questions from other participants and the instructor: 3 pts).
• The final test consists of answers to five questions (4 pts each) concerning theoretical issues covered during the course.

Grading scale: 60–67% = 3.0 | 68–75% = 3.5 | 76–83% = 4.0 | 84–91% = 4.5 | 92–99% = 5.0 | 100% = 5!

* The use of AI systems is prohibited when preparing theoretical text assignments, literary analyses, and presentations. The instructor may use publicly available tools to assess the likelihood of undisclosed AI use when evaluating student work.

Practical placement

Bibliography

Bibliography listed in the section on activities in a particular didactic cycle.

Term 2026Z:

[EN]
Primary resources
• Abadi, Ariel. (2017). Un rey de quién sabe dónde. A Fin de Cuentos. (original work published in 2003).
• Díaz Prieto, Mariano. (2015). Doña Elba. Adriana Hidalgo.
• Frankel, Yael (2015). A simple vista. Amanuta.
• Gusti (2019). La mosca. Calibroscopio.
• Isol (2002). El globo. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
• Isol (2013). Petit, el monstruo. Calibroscopio.
• Machado, Germán y Varela, Cecilia (2018). La jaula. Calibroscopio.
• Montes, Graciela (1995). Irulana y el ogronte: un cuento de mucho miedo. Gramón-Colihue.
• Montes, Graciela (2017). Irulana y el ogronte: un cuento de mucho miedo (Virginia Piñón, il.). Loqueleo.
• Sancia, Martín (2009). Breves historias de animales sabrosos, engreídos, enamorados, malditos, venenosos, enlatados, tristes, cobardes, crueles, espinosos… (y otras historias). Sudamericana.
• Santis, Pablo de (2021). El alumno nuevo. Calibroscopio.
• Schuff, Nicolás (2018). Quince ocasiones para pedir deseos en la calle (Marcos Guardiola, il.). Limonero.
• Zweig, Pablo (2005). El señor Pérez va al trabajo. SM.

Main secondary resources:
• Arizpe, Evelyn y Styles, Morag (2004). La naturaleza de los álbumes ilustrados. In: Lectura de imágenes. Los niños interpretan textos visuales (Maria Vinós Zelaya, Trans., pp. 43-70). Fondo de Cultura Económica. (original work published in 2003).
• Bird, E., Yokota J. (2018). Picturebooks and Illustrated Books. In: B. Kèummerling-Meibauer (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks (pp. 281-290). London & New York, NY: Routledge.
• Cackowska, Małgorzata (2013). Ideologie dzieciństwa a/i tabu w książkach obrazkowych dla dzieci. Opuscula Sociologica, 3(5), 19-30.
• Colomer Teresa (dir.) (2002). Los componentes de la imagen. En Siete llaves para valorar las historias infantiles (pp. 104-107). Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez.
• Dorfman, Ariel (1974). Inocencia y neocolonialismo: un caso de dominio ideológico en la literatura infantil. In: Reader’s nuestro que estás en la tierra: ensayos sobre el imperialismo cultural (pp. 15–54). Ediciones Godot. (original work published in 1971).
• Duran, Teresa y Bosh, Emma (2011). Before and After the Picturebook Frame: A Typology of Endpapers. New Review of Children´s Literature and Librarianship, 17(2), 122-143.
• Nodelman, Perry y Reimer, Mavis (2003). Common Assumptions About Childhood. In: The Pleasures of Children's Literature. Allyn & Bacon (pp. 79-98). (original work published in 1992).
• Pantaleo, Sylvia (2018). Paratexts in picturebooks. In: Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks (pp. 38-48). Routledge.
• Ramos, Ana Margarida, Costa, Ines (2021). Literatura sin palabras, el caso de los libros-álbum sin texto. Acta Poética, 42(1), 69-86.
• Silva-Díaz Ortega, María Cecilia (2005). Libros que enseñan a leer: álbumes metaficcionales y conocimiento literario [PhD thesis]. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
• von Merveldt, Nikola (2018). Informational Picturebooks. In: Bettina Kèummerling-Meibauer (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks (pp. 231-245). Routledge.
• Veryeri Alaca, Ilgim (2018). Materiality in Picturebooks. In: Bettina Kèummerling-Meibauer (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks (pp. 59-68). Routledge.
• Vásquez Vargas, Magdalena (2002). Fundamentos teóricos para una interpretación crítica de la literatura infantil. Revista Comunicación, 2(23), 91-108.