Children's literature is an inherently modern category and central to young people's formal and informal learning experiences. The development of the category of child – educable, innocent, malleable, and distinctly different from adults – is a product of seventeenth and eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophies. It comes as no surprise that literature written specifically for children emerges after, and often in response to, the proliferation of these notions of childhood. In this unit, you will investigate three distinct epochs of children's literature and their relationship to the social and historical moments that they spring from:  the "Golden Age of Children's Literature" (1860-1910) including exploration of the works of Lewis Carroll, R.L. Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling and J.M. Barry; the "Second Golden Age" (1950s and 1960s) including works by C.S. Lewis, Phillipa Pearce, Lucy M. Boston and Roald Dahl; and contemporary writing for children and young adults including the work of Philip Pulman, Nail Gaiman and Diana Wynn Jones. This unit is designed for teachers of students of all ages with a deep interest in literature and context. By the end of the unit, you will develop specialised knowledge of the most significant texts and epochs in children's literature, giving you an informed position from which to a) select texts for teaching and b) devise innovative programs and classes. This course is designed to facilitate deep immersion in texts and related cultures through engaged exchanges in groups and independent research.