Children's Literature
Studies at EMU
|Department of English Language
and Literature|Pray-Harrold Hall|Ypsilanti, MI|48197|
Winter 2009 CHL455 Adolescent
Literature
Instructor: Dr. Annette Wannamaker
Office Hours: Mon/Wed 12:15 – 2 p.m.
and Wednesdays 5-6:30 p.m.
Students also are encouraged to make appointments and to email
with any questions: awannamak AT emich DOT edu
Description: The
course will expose students to quality adolescent literature
available for reading and study in middle and high school
classes. It will examine issues relevant to the reading and
teaching of adolescent literature, among them current debates
about the appropriateness of adolescent literature in a rigorous
secondary curriculum; issues related to censorship of adolescent
literature and ways to address it before and during a crisis;
various approaches to reading adolescent literature, including
reader response criticism, close reading strategies, and contemporary
critical theories; the imagined reader(s) of young adult texts,
and, by extension, the recent history of the cultural construction
of the “teenager”; the application of cultural
theories to analyses of adolescent literature as not only
literary texts but also as cultural artifacts and mass-produced
products; issues of multiculturalism, globalism, and diverse
audiences and subject matter; the relation of adolescent literature
to "classic" adult literature; the role of adolescent
literature in interdisciplinary studies; and adolescent literature
as an incentive to extracurricular reading.
Course Rationale (Why
take a class in YA Lit?):
Adolescent Literature (also
called Young Adult Literature) is often referred to disparagingly
as “problem novels,” and thought to consist mostly
of poorly written, melodramatic stories featuring fifteen-year-old
heroine addicts, anorexics, or gang members. This genre is
often derided as either lowbrow fluff not worthy of critical
attention, or as offensive, inflammatory material not suitable
for young people. Kay Vandergrift writes, “Young adult
literature is often thought of as a great abyss between the
wonderfully exciting and engaging materials for children and
those for adults--just as young adults are often ignored in
planning library facilities and services. There is, however,
a wealth of fiction created especially for teens that deals
with the possibilities and problems of contemporary life as
experienced by this age group.” There are, indeed, wonderfully
exciting, complex texts in this genre, which have increasingly
gained critical attention from literary and cultural critics.
A course in Adolescent Literature
will explore the history of, characteristics of, benefits
of, and problems surrounding this ambiguously defined genre—many
experts disagree about how to define Adolescent Literature,
how to distinguish it from children’s literature and
adult literature (for example, where do the Harry Potter books
fit when they are read and enjoyed by members of all three
age groups?). There is even disagreement about what to call
the literature (juvenile or adolescent or young adult). Furthermore,
how do we define the adolescent, and how do our definitions
of young people (what we believe them to be or what we believe
they should become) affect the literature we write for them?
Who defines the genre (scholars, teachers, publishers, readers?)
and what is at stake in the various definitions? For example,
some scholars claim that adolescent literature as a genre—and
even the use of the terms adolescent or teenager to refer
to a distinctly separate stage of life—is a recent invention
tied to contemporary capitalism and the construction of young
people as consumers. If this is the case, then is adolescent
literature necessarily a postmodern form? In its mass-marketed
forms it is often quite conventional, but the better works
of adolescent literature are often sites of experimentation
with subject matter and literary form that blur borders between
genres. For example, graphic novels, especially Japanese Manga,
are currently very popular with American teenagers, as are
novels in verse and hypertexts. What texts are the young people
in our communities currently reading? Which texts are chosen
for them by teachers, parents, and librarians, and which texts
do they choose for themselves? What tools can we use to better
understand these texts, their benefits, their drawbacks, and
their influence? How, when, and why should these texts be
taught to young people? This course provides a forum for intense
reading, discussion, and exploration of the texts and issues
associated with adolescent literature.
Course Outcomes:
Students who have successfully completed this course will
be able to:
1. Describe the historical development of the genre, its characteristics,
and its specific connections to the publishing industry. Know
the historical/social context of adolescent texts, relationships
among texts, and the recent history of the cultural construction
of the “teenager” in texts.
2. Identify and discuss current
debates about the genre taking place among literary and educational
theorists, including issues of literary merit, appropriateness,
and censorship.
3. Understand the current reading
interests of adolescents and plan to accommodate their needs
and interests.
4. Identify, select, and discuss
a broad range of adolescent/YA texts representing a variety
of time periods, diverse cultures, types of authors, and drawing
from a variety of sub-genres (e.g., poetry, lyrics, novels,
hypertexts).
5. Apply current critical theory,
discussion strategies, and reading strategies to the reading
and teaching of adolescent/YA texts.
Some
Useful Links:
Adolescent Lit
Adolescent Lit
resources
Required novels and
graphic novels:
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War.
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak.
J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in The Rye.
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Gaiman, Neil. Preludes and Nocturnes (the first book
in The Sandman series)
Yang, Gene. American Born Chinese.
Anderson, M.T. Feed.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time
Indian.
Block, Francesca. Weetzie Bat.
Meyers, Stephanie. Twilight.
Reading and Assignment
Schedule:
Note on reading quizzes:
Most books will take us a week to discuss. I expect
students to have read half the book for the first meeting
listed, and the second half of the book for the second meeting.
Reading quizzes will be based on the first and second halves
of each book. Students should have the material listed for
that day read before attending class, so, for example, when
we meet Monday, January 12, I’ll expect that students
have read the first half of The Outsiders.
Monday Jan 5 and Wednesday
Jan 7: Introduction to course
Beginnings of a genre:
Monday Jan 12 and Wednesday
Jan 14: Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin,
1967.
Monday Jan 19: MLK Day –
No class
Wednesday Jan 21 and Monday
Jan 26: Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York:
Pantheon, 1974.
Classic Y.A. lit in
dialogue with contemporary:
Wednesday Jan 28 and Monday
Feb 2: Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Wednesday Feb 4 and Monday Feb
9: Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar
Straus Giroux, 1999.
Wednesday Feb 11 and Monday
Feb 16: J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in The Rye. Boston:
Little Brown, 1951.
Wednesday Feb 18: Chbosky, Stephen.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Pocket
Books, 1999.
Monday Feb 23 and Wednesday
Feb 25 – Winter Break – No classes
Defining the genre:
Where is the line between Y.A. lit and adult lit
and between Y.A. lit and children’s lit?
Monday March 2 and Wednesday
March 4:
Gaiman, Neil. Preludes
and Nocturnes (the first book in The Sandman series).
Wednesday
March 4: Essay No. 1 due: Classic Y.A. Lit in dialogue w/
contemporary Y.A. Lit
Monday March 9: Yang, Gene.
American Born Chinese.
Contemporary examples
representing various genres:
Wednesday, March 11: Episode
1, Season 1: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
Monday March 16 and Wednesday
March 18: Film: "Heathers"
Monday March 23 and Wednesday
March 25: Anderson, M.T. Feed.
Monday March 30 and Wednesday
April 1: Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of
a Part-time Indian.
Monday April 6: Block, Francesca.
Weetzie Bat.
Monday April 6: Essay No. 2 Due: Defining Young Adult/Adolescent
Literature
Wednesday April 8 and Monday April 13: Meyers, Stephanie. Twilight.
Wednesday April 15: Hand out
take-home final exam.
Wednesday April 22:
Take-home final exam due 11 a.m.
Assignments and Grades
Essay No. 1 (classic/contemporary):
250
Essay No. 2 (definition): 250
Take-home final: 250
Reading quizzes (15 quizzes @ 20 points each = 300): 250
Total points: 1000 (50 extra possible w/quizzes=1050)
Scale: 1000-940=A; 900-939=A-;
870-899=B+; 840-869=B; 800-839=B-; etc.)
Essays and Exam:
Students will receive written assignments outlining the requirements
for the two essays and the exam before each assignment is
due.
Reading Quizzes:
During the course of the term, students will take 15 quizzes
based on the reading due for that day’s class. It is
very important to me that students taking a literature course
read all or most of the literary works assigned. Therefore,
completing the assigned reading will count for a significant
portion (25 percent) of the course grade. Furthermore, students
who regularly attend class are more likely to succeed. Therefore,
the quiz grading system is also designed to encourage regular
and punctual attendance. If you attend every class and complete
all the assigned reading, the quizzes are an opportunity to
earn extra credit points in the class! Students who earn 50
extra credit points can, potentially, raise their grade for
the course by half a letter grade!
The way the quiz/attendance/reading
system works:
* Each quiz is worth 20 points (20 x 12 = 300). Since quizzes
only count as 250 points, this creates an opportunity to
earn extra points or an opportunity to miss a few quizzes
without affecting your grade for the course.
* If you are absent, you earn a zero on that day’s
quiz. Quizzes cannot be made up after class and cannot be
taken early before class begins. The reason quizzes cannot
be made up is because they count as extra credit and because
they serve as the attendance and participation grade for
the class.
* If you come to class too late to take the quiz, you will
earn a zero on that day’s quiz. Students should come
to all classes on time.
* It is not acceptable to take the quiz, and then leave
class. This is rude. (If you don’t want to attend
classes, then please drop the course).
* An example of how the system works: If, for example, you
miss two days of class and then have a few other days when
you don’t complete all the reading and only earn some
of the points on a few quizzes, it is still possible to
get full credit, or an A+ (250 points) for the quiz grade!
In other words, I assume most students will need to miss
a class or two because of illness or family matters and
I also assume that most students will not always be able
to complete every bit of the reading.
* In this way, the quizzes work as your attendance grade,
and a few “excused” absences are built into
the grading system. Every student gets two “excused”
absences. Absences above and beyond these two—for
any reason—will begin to lower your grade (the more
absences, the lower your grade). Please plan accordingly
and use your “excused” absences wisely. If,
for example, you are taking a trip later in the term and
know you will miss two days of class, then plan for these
days to count as your “excused absences.” What
you don’t want to do is miss some classes early in
the term because you slept in or had the sniffles, and then
have to miss more later on for a genuine emergency.
Some General Policies:
Official Attendance Policy: The official
English Department policy is that students who miss two weeks
worth of a class (four classes in a section that meets twice
a week) should expect to fail that course and should withdraw.
Students who have missed three classes will receive a written
warning. Students who miss four classes will be encouraged
to withdraw from the course.
Politeness Policies: Part of my job as a
professor is to create a learning environment where students
feel safe, respected, and able to get the most out of their
learning experiences. I promise to treat all students with
respect, but also must work to maintain a structured learning
environment where student learning is the top priority. This
means that I must limit behaviors that are disruptive to the
learning environment.
Be on time. When you come to class late,
it is disruptive to everyone around you. If you cannot make
it to my class on time (11 a.m., not 11:02) please drop the
course.
Turn off your cell phone. It is not okay
for your cell phone to ring in class. It is not okay to text
message during class. If you are expecting a very important
call (your wife is about to have a baby, for instance) you
can talk to me and to your classmates before class to let
us know that your cell phone will be on. Otherwise, please
turn it off and put it away.
No laptops. Some students take notes on
laptops, but too many students use their laptops to poke one
another on Facebook, to check email, or to play World of Warcraft
during class. Only students with a documented learning disability
are allowed to use laptops during class.
Be respectful of the instructor and your fellow students:
These are examples of behaviors that are not respectful.
When students exhibit the following behaviors, I assume they
do not want to be in class and will ask if they prefer to
leave.
• doing your math homework or reading the newspaper
during a lecture.
• coming to class unprepared. We cannot have a discussion
about a text if students have not done the assigned reading.
Since my classes are based on the assumption that students
have read the assigned material, most often, you will not
get a lot out of our discussions if you didn’t do the
reading.
• text messaging a friend on your cell phone or blackberry;
playing a game on your cell phone.
• whispering or making notes to the person sitting next
to you.
• putting your books into your backpack 5 minutes before
class is over.
• interrupting other students when they are speaking,
telling a fellow student to “shut up,” telling
a fellow student his/her beliefs are stupid, immoral, wrong,
silly, etc.
• Walking in and out of the classroom during class (unless,
of course, there is an emergency).
These are examples of behaviors that are okay:
• You can always raise your hand to interrupt me (even
in mid lecture) to ask a question or ask for clarification.
• As you will soon learn, children’s/adolescent
literature is a controversial field of study (people have
a lot invested in the texts young people read, in what they
think children should or shouldn’t read, etc.). It is
okay to disagree with me or with your fellow students, but
you must engage in intellectual debates in ways that are polite
and you must keep your mind open to a variety of viewpoints.
• Is it okay to dislike a text we are reading or to
openly disagree with an interpretation of a text taught in
class (in discussion or in writing), however, you must complete
all of the required reading.
Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism is a complicated
thing: sometimes students plagiarize material because they
simply do not know they are doing so (forgetting to cite paraphrased
ideas, for example). Other times, students intentionally plagiarize
by downloading an entire paper from the Internet, “borrowing”
a paper from a friend, or by copying from a book or cutting
and pasting text from the Internet. Plagiarism will be handled
on a case-by-case basis. I can usually tell if it is accidental
or purposeful. If it is an accident, the student will be allowed
to rewrite the paper, if it is done on purpose, the student
will receive a 0 on the plagiarized assignment and may fail
the course. We will go over this issue in detail in class
when we discuss the essay assignments.
Language, Literature, and Writing Majors
taking CHL455 will need to report to Livetext that the following
NCTE standards have been achieved. The English Department
is working to develop assessments for these standards, and
student input in the process is vital. More on this later
in the term . . . Chart of NCTE standards and assessments
on printed syllabus.
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