Materials for Children
INFO 263

Elizabeth (Beth) Wrenn-Estes, Full-Time Lecturer
E-mail
Cell Phone: 510-410-1959
Office Hours: By Appointment

Mandatory Zoom Sessions: 3/7 & 4/11 (Both from 6:30-8:30pm PT)

THE CANVAS COURSE SITE AND COURSE SYLLABUS

NOTE: The Instructor uses “I” and/or “me” throughout the document.

This course will open on CANVAS Wednesday, January 25th, 2022

• Students are responsible to review the Syllabus and the Canvas course site.
• These two important information sources (Syllabus and Canvas Course site) work in tandem to give students directions, requirements, and information needed to be successful in understanding issues in intellectual freedom for youth. You need to understand both.
• Questions should be posted to the instructor through the "Ask the Professor" discussion tread on the Canvas site.
• Each student is expected to check the CANVAS site at least once per day for course updates, additional resources, announcements, and other new information that may be posted by the instructor.
• The student should read the Syllabus carefully and then visit the website and read through everything that is there. Compile questions or clarifications that you need to ask and post to “Ask the Professor”. Only send me emails for critical things like sickness, death of a loved one, etc.
• The instructor makes every effort to proofread the information in both the syllabus and the Canvas course website. However, errors may occur.

"Ask the Professor" Discussion Thread

Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments on the discussion thread under Discussion Threads on the CANVAS class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature, send directly to the instructor’s email address ([email protected]).

Questions, Comments, Concerns- Discussion Thread
Please post all questions, concerns, and general comments on the "Ask the Professor" discussion thread under the Modules link on the CANVAS class site. If the question or concern is of a personal nature, you may send directly to the instructor’s email address ([email protected]).

E-mail Subject Lines/Naming of Assignment Files – Mandatory

• Format for subject line for all email correspondence
  INFO 263_10_YOUR LAST NAME
• Format the file name for all assignments:
  INFO 263_10_YOUR LAST NAME_KEYWORD OF ASSIGNMENT TITLE

Official school Email Policy

• Instructor will respond to student emails within 24 hours of receipt. The instructor will inform the class if a longer response time is needed (instructor out of town, illness, etc.).
• Students are expected to answer emails from the instructor and fellow students within the same timeframe.

Crisis or Emergency:

• Please CALL, TEXT or EMAIL the instructor (in advance if at all possible) if a situation will prevent you from completing assignments or another class activity. You will receive a zero for any coursework missed unless you have received permission from the instructor for an extension. Most extensions are granted for extenuating circumstances only and not for being overwhelmed at work (for example).
• The instructor reserves the right to deduct points (the number of points is determined by the instructor) for any work not submitted on time or lack of participation in any class activities or assignments.

Survey of materials in a variety of formats including nonfiction, beginning chapter books, fictional genres, paperback series and electronic resources, and how they can help meet developmental needs. Collection development tools and techniques for this material will also be included.

Note: This course will also cover "toy" books, flap books, board books, picture books, juvenile literature various media and technology appropriate for the age groups 0-8 years, and how they can meet the developmental needs of those ages. The course adds content that is also relevant for lower aged tweens. 

Expectations

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate fully in discussions in class and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. Disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. In accordance with San José State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.

Course Workload

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group; contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes) Supported

INFO 263 supports the following core competencies:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the external (societal) and internal (developmental) forces that influence children's choices of recreational and informational sources and materials.
2. Evaluate selection tools, and demonstrate the ability to use appropriate resources to develop a collection of materials for the preschool and elementary school-aged children (ages 0-9), including all appropriate formats.
3. Critically examine representative materials designed for the pre-school and elementary school-aged child (ages 0-9), including but not limited to books, television, movies, and the Internet, and apply criteria to evaluate them in relation to child development, multicultural concerns, and creating a collection that meets the informational and recreational needs of this age group.
4. Evaluate children's digital resources to determine the most developmentally appropriate ones to recommend to parents, and identify ones that are less appropriate or useful.
5. Assist parents and caregivers with questions about appropriate materials for their children 0-9 years old.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Huck, C. (2018). Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Available through Amazon: B07HHCQBLP

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

Per University Policy S16-9 (PDF), relevant university policy concerning all courses, such as student responsibilities, academic integrity, accommodations, dropping and adding, consent for recording of class, etc. and available student services (e.g. learning assistance, counseling, and other resources) are listed on the Syllabus Information web page. Make sure to visit this page to review and be aware of these university policies and resources.

COURSE CALENDAR - Points/Assignments with Due Dates - TOTAL POINTS FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS = 100