Major
English
Anticipated Graduation Year
2021
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
As I considered research topics, I was immediately drawn to children’s media and how it influences cultural and social development. To combine my literary skills and interest in social justice, I decided to analyze children’s literature with attention to identity expression, narrowing my project to an examination of gender roles, stereotypes, and performance. I focused on literary devices and used close reading to uncover themes and messages in best-selling books, both obvious and hidden. The project has culminated in an essay, raw and organized notes, a rubric, a gender-sensitive guide to some children’s novels, and an original children’s novel.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Suzanne Bost, Professor, Affiliate in Women’s Studies and Gender Studies, Department of English
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Gender in Children's Novels
As I considered research topics, I was immediately drawn to children’s media and how it influences cultural and social development. To combine my literary skills and interest in social justice, I decided to analyze children’s literature with attention to identity expression, narrowing my project to an examination of gender roles, stereotypes, and performance. I focused on literary devices and used close reading to uncover themes and messages in best-selling books, both obvious and hidden. The project has culminated in an essay, raw and organized notes, a rubric, a gender-sensitive guide to some children’s novels, and an original children’s novel.