University
There have been great
societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did
not tell stories. ~ Ursula
Le Guin
LIS 718 01:
Storytelling for Adults & Children
Spring 2008
Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. Crown 310-B
Contact Info:
Janice M. Del Negro
Crown 323
708/524-6871
jdelnegro@dom.edu
Office Hours:
Wednesdays,
4-5 p.m.
Thursdays,
4-5 p.m.
(Appointments are strongly
encouraged.)
There is
no book on how to tell stories and what to tell. It is a call to go questing, an urge to
follow the way of the storyteller as pilgrims followed the way of St. James in
the Middle Ages, not for riches or knowledge or power, but that each might find
something for which his soul had cried out. ~Ruth Sawyer, The Way of the Storyteller.
Welcome to LIS 718 01. This
course will examine the history and techniques of storytelling in the library
oral tradition. The primary emphasis in
this class will be on the telling of traditional folktales to a specified target
audience. Five storytelling
presentations will be required of each student; all stories must be approved by
the instructor. Available folk materials
for children, research tools, online resources, and texts on storytelling,
folktales, and narrative will also be examined.
This is a class on oral presentation; nearly all written work will also
be presented in class.
During this course, each student will participate in discussions
re:
·
the history of storytelling for youth in
public libraries
·
available folk literature for youth and its
application in school and public libraries
·
the evaluation of folk literature for youth
·
library storytelling as a reading
motivational tool
·
current research in education, librarianship,
and storytelling regarding the storytelling/reading connection
·
other related issues.
Required
Textbooks:
·
Greene, Ellin. Storytelling:
Art and Technique. 3rd
edition. Libraries Unlimited, 1996.
·
MacDonald,
·
Sawyer, Ruth. The Way of the Storyteller. Viking,
1942.
Storytelling at its best is mutual
creation. Through the stories themselves and through the interaction
between teller and listener, traditional
storytelling goes beyond the surface child to speak to the inner child, to recreate and nurture the
human spirit.
~Augusta
Baker, Storytelling: Art and Technique.
Grading
Class participation
is worth 20% of your grade.
Infrequent
class participation will substantially lower your overall grade.
All
assignments must be turned in by the due date in order to receive full
credit. Due dates are not flexible
unless an agreement is made with the professor at least 24 hours in advance of
class time on the due date. Emergencies
will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Grades for
written assignments are based on clarity of writing, comprehensive attention to
both the topic and the assignment requirements, quality of work, and visible
demonstration of effort.
General
oral presentations are graded on the speaker’s ability to connect with the audience,
organization of information, use of language, fluency, volume, use of visual
aids, and adherence to time limits.
Storytelling
is graded on the amount of improvement shown over the length of the course.
Professional,
grammatically correct writing is expected.
To state this requirement plainly, spelling, punctuation, and grammar
count. If this is a problem, find
someone whose skills you trust to proofread your written work or go to the
For a
refresher course on grammar and punctuation, see William Strunk, Jr.’s The Elements of Style. FQ Classics,
2007. (The fourth edition will do as
well.)
Academic Honesty and Integrity
"All
students of the
Plagiarism is unethical and unprofessional and will result
in project failure. Each student is responsible for understanding
what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
See Purdue University's "Avoiding Plagiarism," http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
or Indiana University's "How to Recognize Plagiarism", http://education.indiana.edu/~istd/test.html
if you are unsure about what is and what is not considered acceptable behavior
when using other people's words and ideas.
GSLIS GRADING POLICY (Effective 12/15/2004)
According to the
The faculty of
|
Grade |
Numeric Equivalent |
Definition |
|
A |
4.0 |
Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full
command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality
and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations; nearly flawless
work. |
|
A- |
3.67 |
Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough
knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by
completing all requirements in a superior manner. |
|
B+ |
3.33 |
Good solid work. Student demonstrates strong comprehension
of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks as
defined in the course syllabus. |
|
B |
3.0 |
Satisfactory acceptable work. Student performance meets
designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course
materials and performs at an acceptable level. |
|
B- |
2.67 |
Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates
incomplete, substandard understanding of course materials, or absence of
required work; indicates danger of falling below acceptable grading standard. |
|
C+ |
2.33 |
Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates unsatisfactory understanding of course
materials and inability to meet course requirements. |
|
C |
2.0 |
Unacceptable work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete
and inadequate understanding of course materials. |
|
C- |
1.67 |
Poor work. |
|
F |
0.0 |
Failing grade. |
The term “narrative”
is often confused with the term “plot,” but they're not the same thing. If I
tell you that the king died, and then the queen died, that's not narrative;
that's plot. But, if I tell you that the king died, and then the queen died of
a broken heart, that's narrative.
~Vladimir Nabokov
Format for Written Assignments
Assignments
2.
Class discussion and participation, including
evaluation of in-class storytelling presentations and participation in
workshop-style exercises, are a crucial part of this class. You are expected to have read the assigned material and to
come to class prepared to discuss and critique these readings. Habitual lateness and/or absences will
affect your class participation grade. Infrequent class participation will
substantially lower your overall grade for this course. (20%)
If you
don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in
life. ~Siberian Proverb
Class
Schedule
January 16
Introduction to class
Storytelling
& Literature-Based Programming in Public Libraries
January 23
Telling Stories
to PreSchoolers: Techniques and Resources
Class discussion
of MacDonald’s Storyteller's Start-Up
Book.
January 30
Evaluating
Folktales for Youth and Other Issues
Stories for
preschoolers for 2/6 must be approved by today
February 6
Story#1a/Story
for preschoolers
Folktales: Sources,
resources, and dilemmas; researching, selecting, and learning stories
Books for
abstracts must be approved by today
Stories for
preschoolers for 2/13 must be approved by today
Annotations 1-4 due today
Narrative
is a compulsion, the quickest bait on the sharpest hook. The first taste of it
makes you desperate for the rest, the end, the place where the circle swallows
its tail. ~Amanda Henry
February 13
Story#1b/Story
for preschoolers
Stories for 2/20
must be approved by today
February 20
Story#2a/Story
for Gr. 1-3
Stories for 2/27
must be approved by today
Book abstract due today
February 27
Story#2b/Story
for Gr. 1-3
Stories for 3/12
must be approved by today
March 5: Spring Break
March 12
Story#3a/Story for Gr. 4-6
Stories for 3/19 must
be approved by today
Essays for
abstracts must be approved by today
March 19
Story#3b/Story for Gr. 4-6
Stories for 4/9
must be approved by today
Annotations 5-8
due today
March 26:
Contemporary Storytelling in the
Essay abstract due today
April 2
StoryCrafting Workshop Exercise
Annotations 9-12
due today
April 9
Story#4a/Story
for Gr. 7-8
Stories for 4/16 must be approved by
today
April 16
Story#4b/Story
for Gr. 7-8
Annotations 13-16
due today
Stories for 4/23
must be approved by today
April 23
Story#5a/Story
for HS & Adults
Stories for April 30 must be approved
by today
April 30
Story#5b/Story for HS & Adults
Storytelling Event Observations due
today
Annotations 17-20
due today
Say it, say it. The
universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
~Muriel Rukeyser