This course intends to direct students towards the comprehension of pedagogical, educational and cultural subject matters concerning literature for children and young adults. In particular, the goals are oriented towards:

• the knowledge of the main psycho-pedagogical and cultural references regarding the relationship between child and book, starting form early childhood;
• the comprehension of the importance of using images and the role played by the narration, with which the adult narrates to the child through voice, posture, etc.
• the awareness of the pedagogical implications regarding the relationship between the meaning of visual communication and the development of imagination;
• the analysis of different narrative and visual languages, with particular attention to the nature of each medium;
• an in-depth analysis of the comic strip, with reference to the Disney’s world.

The narration and imagery as expressive instruments aimed at self care and at knowledge of the world

This course intends to comprehend and analyze the function of the book which, since early childhood, plays an important formative role. Starting from illustrated books, from pictures, the narration and the narrator's voice, and getting to the mixture of the various media, everything converges in an educational path, which involves not only family and the formal educational system, but recalls all the structures present in the child's life context.

These structures play an important role in helping the child to get familiar with reading, which turns to narrative possibility and construction of the self, thanks to the chance of a plurality of expressions (media).

Knowledge and analysis of the various media, Disney's comics in particular, allow the student to get familiar with pedagogical planning in which narration, throughout the many possible expressions, supports the construction of a personal understanding of the self and of the world.

Among the contents, these topics will be especially debated:

·     psycho-pedagogical theories about the adult-child relationship and the child-reading one;

·     narrative/analogical thought;

·     illustrated books and early childhood narrative;

·     educational contexts and reading (family, school, library, etc.);

·     analysis of the media;

·     Disney's comic;

·     connection between image and imagery, emotions and construction of knowledge of the self and of the world.

By the end of this course the student:

• knows the contemporary sociocultural landscape concerning the subject of children’s literature, with particular reference to the growing recognition of the educational and  formative role played starting from early childhood;

·  Masters the main theoretical and methodological models both in psycho-pedagogical and in inter-disciplinary field, aimed at acknowledging the importance of reading-narration to build the relationship between adult and child;

·  Knows the literary and narrative genres, starting from an historiographic point of view and getting to the analysis of the contemporary landscape;

·  Knows how to analyze language in literary and iconographical texts, understanding peculiar values and possible connections;

·  Understands the possible educational implications, during child's growth, about the role of narration and imagery in the process of acknowledging the self and the world;

·  Knows the pedagogical themes linked to children literature, and especially linked to the use of images, meant to be educational resources for the formation and the expression of the self, starting from early childhood;

·  Knows methodological and didactic possibilities regarding the connection between literary and iconographic texts;

·  Is able to integrate the theoretical-methodological topics dealt with in the educational and didactic planning;

·  Is able to independently update his knowledge of the themes, promoting a dialogue between the media.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

During the course, beside the lectures, many books, or pages of books, will be read, shown, projected onto a screen and analysed together, as well as illustrations and films having children as protagonists, in order to try and grasp (with the help of the best literary and artistic metaphores and images) the inner world of childhood.

Course books

• Antonio Faeti, In trappola col topo. Una lettura di Mickey Mouse, Luni editrice, Milano 2016.
• Marnie Campagnaro, Marco Dallari, Incanto e racconto nel labirinto delle figure. Albi illustrati e relazione educativa, Erikson, Trento 2013. 

Assessment

Oral Exam + Concept map

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

• Antonio Faeti, In trappola col topo. Una lettura di Mickey Mouse, Luni editrice, Milano 2016.
• Marnie Campagnaro, Marco Dallari, Incanto e racconto nel labirinto delle figure. Albi illustrati e relazione educativa, Erikson, Trento 2013. 

Assessment

Oral Exam + Concept map

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.