Hello, dear friend, you can consult us at any time if you have any questions, add WeChat: daixieit

SYLLABUS

ENGL 1040 Reading Pop Culture: Writing Requirement

Winter 2026

Course Description:

Why do fairy tales endure? Why do they echo across children’s books, prestige television, horror films, advertising, and digital culture? In this section of English 1040: Reading Popular Culture, we will approach the study of popular media through the lens of the fairy tale, a form that has shaped and circulated through countless modes of cultural expression. This course introduces students to methods of analysing a wide range of creative media—including film, television, literature, video games, online texts, and visual culture—by examining how fairy-tale narratives, tropes, and symbols appear, adapt, and transform across these forms. We will explore the long history and cultural power of fairy tales, considering their narrative structures, recurring motifs, and social functions from their earliest oral traditions to their modern reinventions in global popular culture. Students will read classic literary tales—Perrault, the Grimms, Andersen, and other international traditions—as well as contemporary adaptations in film, television, literature, digital storytelling, and interactive media.

As this course fulfils a college writing requirement, students will also develop the skills necessary to produce effective academic prose. We will practice the fundamentals of college-level composition, including close reading, thesis development, evidence-based argumentation, revision strategies, and research methods. Assignments will scaffold the process of writing a polished academic essay, culminating in a researched analytical paper on a fairy tale or contemporary adaptation of the student’s choosing.

Required Readings
(Links to all sources are included on the course Brightspace website, unless stated otherwise)

Charles Perrault, Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper; Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots
Brothers Grimm, Cinderella (Aschenputtel); Little Red Cap
Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Match Girl

Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince

Rosamund Hodge, Gilded Ashes

Alexander Afanasyev, Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf

Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings (selections)

Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast
Jack and the Beanstalk
Momotarō

Films

Cinderella (1950)

Ever After (1998)

Cinderella [Royal Opera House ballet] (2024)

Into the Woods (1991)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Note on Email Communication

Email is an authorized means of communication for academic and administrative purposes within Dalhousie. The University will assign all students an official email address. This address will remain in effect while the student remains a student and for one academic term following a student's last registration. This is the only email address that will be used for communication with students regarding all academic and administrative matters. Any redirection of email will be at the student's own risk. Each student is expected to check their official email address frequently in order to stay current with Dalhousie communications.

This policy is found in the University Regulations portion of the University Calendar at https://academiccalendar.dal.ca/Catalog/ViewCatalog.aspx?pageid=viewcatalog&catalogid=135&chapterid=9144&loaduseredits=False

Deadline for Dropping the Course

For Winter-term courses, the deadline by which a student may withdraw without a “W” is February 5^th, and the deadline to withdraw with a “W” is March 9^th.

Course Schedule

All H.W. reading/viewing assignments (in blue) are to be completed before the following class period. All reflections (in green) are to be submitted on Brightspace and are due on the following Sunday of the class they are assigned (specific due dates may be found on each respective submission folder).

Jan  7 Introduction, Overview - Oral Tradition to Modern day adaptation

H.W. Read: Philip Pullman, “Introduction” in Grimm Stories

9 What is a fairytale? Tropes, conventions and practices

H.W. Read: Jack and the Beanstalk, Momotarō

Jack Zipes, “The Changing Function of the Fairy Tale”

Watch: Into the Woods (1991)

Write: Reflection 1: What assumptions do you bring to this course about fairytales, and how do those assumptions shape your expectations for what the genre can do as the class moves forward?

14 Stock characters and symbolism. Case study - Jack and the Beanstalk, Momotarō

16 Tutorial

H.W. Read: Charles Perrault, Puss in Boots; Alexander Afanasyev, Tsarevitch Ivan, the

Firebird and the Gray Wolf and Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings (selections)

Harold Scheub, “Introduction” in Trickster and Hero

Thursday, January 22^nd, Last day to change and add classes

21 Tropes Continued, The Charming Trickster. Puss in Boots, Brer Rabbit, The

Firebird

H.W. Read: Charles Perrault, Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper

Anne Duggan, “Fairy Tale and Adaptation: The Case of Cinderella”

Watch: Cinderella [ballet] (2024)

23 Close reading analysis: Perrault’s Cinderella

H.W. Read: Grimm Brother’s Aschenputtel, Rosamund Hodge, Gilded Ashes

Write: Reflection 2: How does Cinderella illustrate the nature of adaptation, and why does this story appear across so many cultures and historical moments? What accounts for its universality and long-lasting appeal?

28 Close reading analysis: The Brother’s Grimm Aschenputtel

30 Tutorial

H.W. Watch: Disney’s Cinderella (1950)

Read: Tracey L. Mollet, “The Classic Era (1937–1959)” in A Cultural History of the Disney Fairy Tale

Feb  4 Universalizing folktales: Disney’s Cinderella (1950)

H.W. Watch: Ever After (1998)

Read: Rosalind Sibielski, “Reviving Cinderella: Contested Feminism and Conflicting Models of Female Empowerment in 21st-Century Film and Television Adaptations of ‘Cinderella’”

Elisabeth Rose Gruner, “Saving "Cinderella": History and Story in Ashpet and Ever After”

Write: Reflection 3: How do modern variations and adaptations of fairy tales— including those beyond the texts discussed in class—respond to dramatically different reboots? What factors shape their success or failure, and why do such reimaginings need to exist, or do they?

Thursday, February 5^th, Last day to drop winter courses without a “W”
Last day to change from Audit to Credit and Vice Versa

Friday, February 6^th, Munro Day, University Closed

11 Subverting Tropes: Ever After (1998)

H.W. Be prepared to submit your topic for your final essay to the professor/ TA in the

next class (tutorial).

13 Tutorial

Monday, February 16^th, Nova Scotia Heritage Day, University Closed

16 – 20 Winter Study Break, no classes

25 How to write a thesis statement/ How to build an introduction

27 How to build an argument

Midterm (Close Reading analysis) Due Today 11.59 PM

Mar 4 How to cite / How to incorporate sources into your argument

H.W. Write: Peer review introduction with thesis statement and at least 2 cited sources.

6 Tutorial

H.W. Write: Reflection 4: What role do fairy tales play in moral education and

childhood, and how did this function emerge from earlier, darker, and more adult forms of the genre? How does awareness of these origins reshape how you understand the role fairy tales played in your own childhood?

Monday, March 9^th, Last day to drop Winter courses with a “W”

11 How to write a context paragraph/ how to find and use sources

H.W. Read: Charles Perrault, Little Red Riding Hood; Grimm Brother’s Little Red Cap

Claudia R. Barnett, “Little Red Riding Hood: A Discourse of Disciplinary Punishment”

13 Didactic Texts/ fairytales as lessons: Little Red Riding Hood

Final Essay Outline Due Today 11.59 PM

H.W. Read: Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Match Girl; Oscar Wilde, The Happy

Prince

Justin T. Jones, “Morality's Ugly Implications in Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales”

18 Moralizing Fairytales: Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Match Girl; Oscar

Wilde, The Happy Prince

H.W. Write: Final Essay Draft for Peer Review Tomorrow

20 Tutorial – Draft Due/Peer Review

H.W. Read: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast

Jack Zipes, "The Dark Side of Beauty and the Beast: The Origins of the Literary Fairy Tale for Children"

25 Case study: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast

H.W. Read: Grimm Brother’s The Frog King or Iron Heinrich, Angela Carter, "The

Tiger's Bride"

Watch: Lindsay Ellis, "My Monster Boyfriend"

27 The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom

H.W. Watch: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving

Castle (2004)

Write: Reflection 5: How does Beauty and the Beast reflect the tradition of animal-husband tales, and what is the legacy of this narrative type? How do these stories continue to shape modern storytelling and cultural attitudes today?

Apr 1 Challenging old tropes: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991), Studio Ghibli’s

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Friday, April 3, Good Friday, University Closed

8 Tutorial

Final Essay Due Today 11.59 PM

13-20 Final Exam

Assessment

(HW) Reflection 10%

Midterm (Close Reading analysis) 20%

Final Essay Outline 10%

Final Essay 30%

Final Exam 20%

Participation 10%

100%

Homework Reflection (10%): Throughout the semester, you will complete short written reflections responding to questions about the fairy tales we read and their cultural, historical, and modern contexts. These reflections ask you to think critically about how fairytales function—their narrative structures, recurring tropes, cultural values, and ongoing adaptations—and how your own understanding of these stories develops over time. Each entry should be 400–500 words and should demonstrate thoughtful engagement with the week’s materials, including close reading, analysis of themes or motifs, and consideration of how fairy tales evolve across media. You are encouraged to use these reflections as a space to explore ideas, test interpretations, and begin brainstorming possible directions for your final research essay.

Midterm: Close Reading analysis (20%): Choose a fairy tale not included on our required reading list—this may be a literary version, a folktale from a specific cultural tradition, or a modern written retelling. Your chosen text must be approved by the professor and/or TA before you begin.

For this assignment, you will produce a close-reading exercise (1200–1700 words) that analyses two or three short passages from your selected fairy tale. Your goal is to offer a detailed interpretation of how the tale works on the level of language, structure, imagery, symbolism, or theme. Rather than writing a formal argumentative essay, focus on exploring how these passages reveal the tale’s narrative strategies, use of familiar fairy-tale conventions, cultural values, or departures from traditional motifs. You are not required to use secondary sources, though you may reference them if helpful. The primary goal is to demonstrate attentive reading, thoughtful interpretation, and a nuanced understanding of how fairy tales communicate meaning through their form and language.

All assignments must be ONLY submitted electronically to the ENGL1040 Brightspace site before 11.59 PM on 27 February 2026.  Always keep more than one electronic copy of your assignments. Late submissions are not accepted without proper medical documentation.

The midterm should be double-spaced and have 1” margins.  All assignments should include full bibliographical information:  please follow the MLA style as outlined in “MLA Style 9^th edition”.

Final Essay Outline (10%): Before writing your final essay, you will submit a brief outline (600-1000 words) to map out your argument and research plan. Your outline should include a working thesis statement, a clear and arguable claim about your chosen text from the reading list. Include a list of probable secondary sources, with at least one scholarly source you plan to consult, and a summary of your main points or sections, outlining how your essay will be organized. You should also identify key passages or examples from the text that you will analyze and provide a preliminary reflection on your theoretical framework, explaining how your chosen critical lens will guide your interpretation. The outline must be submitted electronically to the ENGL1040 Brightspace site before 11.59 PM on 13 March 2026.

Final Essay (30%): For your final essay, choose a text from any of the media discussed during the course, including the texts on the required reading/viewing list. Your task is to write an analytical essay (1700–2500 words) that develops an original, arguable thesis about your chosen text. You must include a minimum of one secondary source in your essay that supports and enhances your argument. The goal is to produce a nuanced, critical interpretation that integrates textual analysis, theoretical insight, and an understanding of the fairy tale’s historical and cultural dimensions. This essay builds on ideas you have explored in your homework reflections and the midterm close reading, so consider using those earlier exercises to help brainstorm and develop your argument.

Possible topics and assignment details are made available well in advance of the due date and posted on the ENGL1040 Brightspace site.  All essays must be ONLY submitted electronically to the ENGL1040 Brightspace site before 11.59 PM on 8 April 2026.  Always keep more than one electronic copy of your assignments. Late submissions are not accepted without proper medical documentation.

Essays should be double-spaced and have 1” margins.  All essays should include full bibliographical information:  please follow the MLA style as outlined in “MLA Style 9^th edition”.

Final Exam (20%): The final exam consists of a series of short written responses (150–200 words each) to questions related to the major themes, concepts, and texts studied throughout the course. Students will answer several focused prompts that require them to analyse specific fairy tales, films, motifs, or theoretical ideas covered in class. These questions assess students’ ability to interpret texts, identify key patterns in fairy-tale storytelling, and connect course materials to broader cultural contexts. The exam will take place online during the fixed time range indicated in the course schedule. Students may consult their notes, readings, and course materials while completing the exam, but all writing must be their own. The goal is to evaluate clear, concise analytical thinking and the application of interpretive skills developed over the semester.

Participation (10%): Successful learning depends on meaningful engagement, and students are expected to participate regularly in class meetings and tutorials, which include detailed discussion of the assigned readings. Attendance will be taken at tutorials, though not during lectures and will be part of the participation grade. Note that ENGL1040 adheres to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Guidelines for assessing participation:

1. Class participation should not solely be determined by a student's attendance in a class.

2. In addition to traditional forms of participation, faculty members may consider a variety of alternate participation methods.

3. Participation grades should address the quality, and not merely the quantity, of students' input.

4. Especially where a participation grade constitutes a significant portion of the students' final mark, the precise nature of "participation" should be articulated as clearly as possible in the "method of evaluation" section of the class outline.

5. Students should be able to obtain feedback from professors on their participation performance during the term if they request it.

6. Unless class participation is an integral aspect of a discipline or program, a class participation grade should not comprise a significant element of a student's final grade.

Student Absence Policy

Short-term Absence

Students experiencing short-term absences of three (3) consecutive days or fewer resulting in missed or late academic requirements must:

- Contact their instructor by phone or email prior to the academic requirement deadline or scheduled time and;

- Complete a Student Declaration of Absence form or provide alternate verification of the absence to their instructor or to the instructor’s designate in-person, on-line through Brightspace, or via instructor e-mail within three (3) calendar days following the last day of absence.

A student may submit a maximum of two (2) separate Student Declaration of Absence forms per course during a term. Faculty, College, School, instructor or course-specific guidelines may set a lower maximum.

Students who have recurring short-term absences and who exceed two (2) submissions per course during a term are strongly encouraged to meet with a Faculty or Declared Major Advisor, or Faculty Program Coordinator. In cases of recurring short-term absences, instructors may request documentation to demonstrate a student has met with an Advisor or Coordinator and arrived at a course of action to manage the recurring absences before considering alternate academic requirement arrangements.

Long-term Absence
For long-term absences greater than three (3) consecutive days, students should contact their course instructor(s) or the instructor’s designate within five (5) calendar days following the last day of absence. The Student Declaration of Absence form will not be accepted for long-term absences. Where long-term absences are due to major or chronic physical or mental health conditions, documentation must be provided by on-campus or off-campus primary care health professionals. Documentation should indicate the dates and duration of the condition (confidential health information of the exact condition is not required), when possible should describe its impact on the student’s ability to fulfill academic requirements, and include any other information a primary care health professional considers relevant and appropriate.

For extenuating circumstances resulting in long-term student absences, instructors may request appropriate documentation depending on the situation. Students experiencing recurring long-term absences are strongly encouraged to meet with a Faculty or Declared Major Advisor, or Faculty Program Coordinator and refer to the University’s Student Accommodation Policy. In such a case, instructors may request documentation to demonstrate a student has met with an Advisor or Coordinator and arrived at a course of action to manage the recurring absences before considering alternate academic requirement arrangements.