Children’s books are among the best loved and remembered of all works of literature. They also provide some of the most important early learning experiences. In recent years, literature written for children has attracted increasing interest from scholars and students as well as parents, educators, publishers, and journalists. What kinds of stories do we consider appropriate for children, and why? How have our opinions about this topic changed over time and across different cultures? And how is literacy changing, now that children are exposed not only to books, films, and television, but also to video games and the Internet?
Pitt's interdisciplinary, internationally recognized Certificate in Children’s Literature offers undergraduates the opportunity to bring together studies across a broad range of subjects as they contemplate these and other questions pertaining to youth literature and culture. The program is designed to meet an individual student’s interests and strengths and fulfills the Arts and Sciences requirement for a related area.
Many of our students pursue careers in elementary, secondary, and special education, or in information science, childcare, or social work. Others have gone on to graduate school in the humanities (English, History, Film Studies) or social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology). Graduates of our “Writing Youth Literature” course have moved into internships at Sesame Street Productions and the Harvey Klinger Literary Agency in New York City.
Read more about the history of our program and children's literature studies at Pitt and see what students are saying about the certificate program.