Cirrus@Austlit

Children learn about themselves and others from their families, their educational settings and from texts – the books, films and other media – they consume. Our focus in this unit is on how children’s texts position their readers, paying attention to the narrative strategies they use and the ideologies they promote. The unit provides an overview of children’s literature, its origins and its place within children’s culture and socialising practices. It engages with a wide range of genres and texts (picture book, novel, screen) from a variety of cultural traditions. This first year unit introduces students to key concepts essential to the analysis of children’s texts.