Course Description
Performance surrounds us every day and has always been a vital part of conveying narrative. Oral Interpretation is “the art of communicating to an audience a work of literary art in its intellectual emotional and aesthetic entirety.” (Gura, 2010 Oral Interpretation) I look forward to working with you all as we explore storytelling through children’s literature to bring to life the words on a page.
This semester, we will work on communication and interpretation skills by exploring storytelling cultures through a study of children’s literature and related texts that have been told and retold for generations. We will do this by tapping into our creativity through a combination of oral presentations and written work. This course is a space for experimenting with techniques of presentation and our own interpretation of the stories and performances that surround us.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will:
- Be better understand the importance of storytelling to the development of culture.
- Be able to consider and evaluate why some stories are told and retold.
- Identify and analyze intertextuality and adaptation.
- To better understand genres and historical styles and consider and evaluate a ‘canon’ of children’s literature.
- To be able to trace the evolution of imagery and tropes in children’s literature and media and apply it to issues in children’s literature today.
- Employ storytelling techniques in varying settings with focuses on character, language, emotion, and the overall body.
- Perform literature in order to evoke: a) feelings behind the words, b) meanings of the literature, c) enjoyment of the total reading/listening/seeing experiences, d) appreciation of the various means of communicating literature
- Develop oral and written interpretations of a text supported with evidence gained through close reading, visual analysis, and performance analysis.
- Develop a toolbox of performance techniques and exercises with which to approach presentation.
What you will do each week
Read.
Each week, there is a module comprising texts, videos, and other types of engagement. It is the best way to learn.
Modules should be completed BEFORE class sessions.
Write. Research. Edit.
You will be responding in informal ways through weekly modules.
You will have one major research and formal writing assignment in the form of an annotated bibliography.
Engage
You will have five presentations over the course of the semester involving sharing a book or story with the class.
Participate in class discussions.
