2026/2027
Культура, ориентированная на детей
ID 1106680
Статус:
Майнор
Кто читает:
Департамент иностранных языков
Где читается:
Санкт-Петербургская школа гуманитарных наук и искусств
Охват аудитории:
для всех кампусов НИУ ВШЭ
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
5
Контактные часы:
64
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course investigates the phenomenon of children’s culture as a distinct segment of cultural production. From a diachronic perspective, it examines literature, media, games, as well as visual and digital formats created specifically for or adapted to a child audience. Issues of cultural policy, legislation, ethics, age-specific targeting, stereotypes, and representations of childhood are also addressed. Students learn to analyze children’s cultural products and understand their role in socialization, upbringing, and the formation of values.
Learning Objectives
- to introduce children’s culture as a distinct and historically evolving field of cultural production
- to develop students’ understanding of key forms of children-targeted culture, including literature, media, games, and digital environments
- to provide conceptual and analytical tools for examining representations of childhood across different cultural contexts
- to explore the role of children’s culture in socialization, value formation, and identity construction
- to familiarize students with ethical, ideological, and regulatory issues related to cultural production for children
- to enhance students’ ability to critically evaluate cultural products designed for or adapted to child audiences
Expected Learning Outcomes
- to demonstrate knowledge of the main forms, genres, and historical development of children’s culture
- to explain historically grounded peculiarities of children-targeted culture
- to be able to connect pedagogical though of the time with the concepts of childhood
- to identify and analyze representations of childhood in literary, visual, and digital texts
- to explain play and games from adopting different approaches
- to critically assess the role of ideology, values, and stereotypes in children-targeted culture
- to evaluate ethical and regulatory aspects of cultural production for children
- to take into account legal and ethical dimension while analyzing children-targeted culture
- to compare global and national traditions of children’s culture
- to conduct independent analysis of selected cultural artifacts and present findings in oral and written form
- to collaborate effectively in group discussions and project work in the context of children-targeted culture
Course Contents
- Childhood as a Cultural Concept. Representation of Childhood in Culture
- Games and Play as Cultural Forms
- Spaces for children: from playground to action park. Toys
- Visual Culture for Children: press, comic strips, movies, exhibitions
- Narratives for children: ancient and modern folk lore. Children's Literature as a Cultural System
- Digital Culture for Children
- Participatory culture for children: quests, camps, excursions, master classes
- Creative culture for children: drawing, music, fanfiction
- Children’s own culture
- Festivals and rituals
- Ethical and legal Issues of play. Revision
Assessment Elements
- TestsIn two lectures or seminars, students are given a test based on lectures by the course instructor and/or the seminars. The number and form of questions may vary within the same test and from test to test: open-ended, multiple-choice, matching, etc. The test is conducted at an advance notice. The number of tests is 2 per module. The tests can be retaken with the consent of the course instructor at a time allocated by the course instructor if a student has a valid reason for missing the test. Otherwise, the result for the missed test is marked 0 (zero). The mark for this course component is the average of the marks for all the tests offered throughout the course.
- Classroom participationThe students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars, complete homework and contribute to discussions. They need to be prepared for class by having read the assigned text(s) or watching the assigned video(s). They contribute to seminar discussions by answering and asking questions relevant to the corresponding class section. The course instructors take into consideration: student’s presence in the class and completion of assigned activities (80% of the grade) and extra willingness to participate (20% of the grade).
- Pre- and post-seminar assignmentsThroughout the course, the students submit assignments that check their command of the children-target culture and ability to apply the studied material.
- Team presentationsTeam presentations are delivered throughout the course and cover some aspects of the studied topics. Teams are assigned with a topic to conduct research on. Team members are graded individually. Inability to observe the time limit will result in the grade decrease for all team members.
- Case analysisCase analysis is conducted in teams during the final seminar(s) and is presented immediately. The case is assigned by the course instructor(s); the presentation is assessed by the course instructor(s) or by the course commission board (see below). The analysis should demonstrate the students’ ability to interpret the assigned product using concepts and pedagogical ideas studied throughout the course. Students are expected to identify the product’s cultural, educational, and developmental characteristics, support their observations with examples from the product, and situate the product within the broader context of children's culture and educational thought.
Interim Assessment
- 2026/2027 4th module0.2 * Pre- and post-seminar assignments + 0.15 * Team presentations + 0.15 * Tests + 0.3 * Case analysis + 0.2 * Classroom participation
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- 9781473942929 - Daniel Thomas Cook - The SAGE Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies - 2020 - SAGE Publications Limited - https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2431462 - nlebk - 2431462
- Kehily, M. J. (2015). An Introduction to Childhood Studies (Vol. Third edition). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1099346
- Successful dissertations : the complete guide for education, childhood and early childhood studies students, O'Hara, M., 2011
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Johnston, J. (2018). Early Childhood Studies : Principles and Practice (Vol. 2nd edition). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1704136
- Zelazo, P. D., Müller, U., Frye, D., Marcovitch, S., Argitis, G., Boseovski, J., … Sutherland, A. (2003). The development of executive function in early childhood. Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development, 68(3), vii-137. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=mdc&AN=14723273