Idylls
of the Kid?: Young Adult Literature and
the Culture of Adolescence
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Angela Insenga
Office: TLC 2245
Office hours: MW 9-10 and by
appointment
E-Mail: ainsenga@westga.edu
Website: http://www.westga.edu/~ainsenga/
THE CLASS
Curriculum specialists exclude it. Scholars resist critiquing
it. Parents fear it. Graduate students don’t often learn about or specialize in
it. Teachers question it. Adolescents, on the other hand, read it, reread it,
and read it yet again before passing it off to a friend who does the same. So,
what gives?
In a cultural climate where almost every teacher-training
program, school administrator, teacher, and parent trumpet the educational
imperative that students become civic-minded “lifelong learners” and “avid
readers,” Young Adult literature—the genre often considered “a great abyss
between the wonderfully exciting and engaging materials for children and those
for adults” (Vandergrift)—is often maligned and distrusted. If one of the
desired ends of education, as our performance standards tell us, is to produce
a reader who reads of her own volition, to produce a reader who, through
practice, comes to understand literature and the world in increasingly complex
ways, why ignore the obvious means at our disposal? Why find academically
objectionable that huddle of students whispering about Twilight’s love
affair or the latest Avi novel, which is written like a screenplay that married
a diary and produced a newspaper exposé? Why not bridge to the Brontë novel
alluded to in Meyer’s text or discuss Avi’s method as postmodern pastiche put
down for tweens, or, further, why not work to see the value in the thing
itself, in adolescents reading texts that mirror their own varied lives, the
good, bad, and, unfortunately, the sometimes deeply ugly?
This course seeks to investigate such issues by studying the
sometimes troublesome genre of Young Adult literature. We will read and
critique primary texts from its milieu. Students will also learn about the
theoretical frameworks—pedagogical, political, legal, and literary—that envelop
the genre.
THE LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Students
will engage in close reading of both primary and secondary texts related
to the genre recognized as “Young Adult Literature.”
- Students
will discuss how said texts epitomize and/or problematize the genre known
as “Young Adult Literature.”
- Students
will demonstrate their evolving understanding(s) of the genre known as
“Young Adult Literature” through analytical writing and active seminar
discussion.
- Students
will write analytically and reflectively about primary and secondary
materials related to the course topic, and they will exemplify the tenets
of Standard English in all writing.
- Students
will hone presentation skills through verbal discussion of material and
initiation of critical dialogue with professor and peers.
- Students
will complete scholarly research in the field and craft a scholarly
project that reflects their findings.
THE WORK
REQUIRED TEXTS
- The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
- Feed, M.T.
Anderson
- The
Chocolate War,
Robert Cormier
- Speak,
Laurie Halse-Anderson
- The
Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl, Barry
Lyga
- Children
of Heaven,
dir. Majid Majidi
- Twilight,
Stephanie Meyer
- Scorpions,
Walter Dean Meyers
- Catcher
in the
There is one copy of Children of Heaven on reserve in the
library for student use. You may also obtain this film from Netflix
and Blockbuster, and, if needed, I will schedule a screening of the film.
Students will also read assigned secondary materials located on
Docutek, the library’s electronic reserve system. Please see the detailed
syllabus below for specific articles and directions for accessing Docutek.
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
- One
In-Class Presentation on secondary material (15%)
- 3
Reader Responses, 3-4 pages each (10%, 15%, and 20%)
- One
major project (30%)
- Active
participation in seminar discussion (10%)
DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
In-Class Presentation on Secondary Material:
Each student will sign up for, read, research, and reflect in preparation
for a discussion-generating, In-Class Presentation on assigned secondary
materials. During each thirty-minute presentation, students should focus
not on what the material is about—we will all have read it—but rather on
how/why the material matters, how/why it fits in with course
objectives, challenges common perceptions, or offers up concepts or conflicts
for our analysis. Posing complex questions to the class and discussing
your own interpretations will also be important, and I’d expect, too, that each
presentation may build on the last or include and challenge previous positions.
For each presentation, students will create a brief handout for
the class that summarizes the presentation’s content by offering up main goals
and posing comprehensive questions for discussion. Referring to texts
specifically—key passages, an author’s central argument and/or support, etc.—is
a great idea as well. Many will occur at the beginning of class,
but all should serve as catalysts for discussion.
Students will sign up for presentations during the first week of
classes. After their presentations, students can expect a brief, written
response and grade within five days.
Reader Responses:
All seminar members will compose three Reader Responses, each
due at the beginning of the specific class periods delineated on the daily
syllabus below. Each response should have an argument and supporting
analysis of that argument. Students should write about issues related to
readings completed within two weeks of each response’s due date. MLA
format and Standard English apply, and all students must turn in hard copies of
their work on the appropriate due dates.
Suggestions for topics include but are not limited to: a
text’s pedagogical and/or classroom value; a text’s representation of race,
gender, class, or historical period; a close-reading of a passage or
examination of a salient sign in a text; or an examination of a particular
conflict, character, concept, or theme. The best responses will
possess a carefully narrowed-down argument, specific reference the text(s),
appropriate and organized development, and attention to Standard English.
Major Project:
Students may choose one of three options for the culminating
project: a traditional seminar paper (18-20 pages), a case
study (18-20 pages), or a pedagogy project (18-30 pages).
The first option involves posing a research question about young
adult literature, gathering materials from both primary and secondary texts
that work to answer the question, and then arguing your case and backing it up
with evidence (15-20 pages). The second option involves posing a salient
research question or problem, finding a suitable test subject—a teen or teen
group—, and working with the subject(s) throughout a reading event. In the
resulting project, the analyst will present the research question or problem,
discuss the questions posed and/or activities created for the teen or group,
and will report both quantitative and qualitative data before concluding the
study. For example, one might, after reading about the low reading rates
amongst male adolescents, pose a research question about methods deployed to
increase adolescent male literacy. One could ask young men to read an
appropriate young adult text and then pose specific phenomenological questions
pertinent to the research question/problem before sharing findings and
concluding. The third option is the pedagogy project. Those that
choose this option will select a young adult literature text, research it, and
then, in detail, discuss methods for teaching the text to a particular group of
students. Students who choose this option will want to reference
particular ELA standards and/or course objectives as they propose
methodologies, come up with detailed classroom activities and/or
discussion questions, and justify their proposed pedagogical implementations in
an accompanying unit overview and narrative.
In lieu of a written proposal for this
major project, each enrolled student will conference with me to discuss your
chosen text and option by mid-term. After mid-term, you may set up
voluntary conferences with me to discuss your progress, and you are welcome to
draft early so that you may receive my verbal and/or written feedback.
THE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE
Summer courses present challenges, for we must cover in eight
weeks what we would cover in sixteen. Graduate courses during the summer
present further challenges, as the workload is intensive. For these
reasons, missing more than two of our fifteen class meetings will be
detrimental to your performance and grade. Any student who misses more than two
class periods cannot pass the course and should withdraw if those absences
occur before the drop date.
PLAGIARISM
From the English Department’s website: “The Department of
English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the
words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and
verbal sources.” The Department expects that students will accurately credit
sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating
sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism
is grounds for failing the assignment and/or course. You can also be
subject to a university disciplinary review, and the university requires
professors to report plagiarism in writing to the appropriate university
office. Other university policies for handling cheaters are found here: The Faculty Handbook and
the “Rights and Responsibilities”
section of the UWG Connection and Student Handbook
Plagiarism is grounds for failing this course.
CLASSROOM DECORUM
Please turn off all electronic communication devices before
entering our classroom. These devices are inappropriate in the classroom
setting. If you must have access to such communication, please be sure that the
device is set to signal you silently. As for classroom etiquette, I
expect passionate intensity during our discussions about the course
material. I am here as a guide, not a lecturer, and your full attention,
participation, and allowance for a multitude of voices are a must.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Any student who has a special need should inform me during the
first week of class. We will then set up a conference to discuss the
specifics of the official paperwork from the appropriate department.
WEBSITE
Some courses utilize
GRADING RUBRIC
All
REQUIRED FORMAT
All coursework must be MLA-documented and formatted. If
you need a refresher on this documentation system, please examine this MLA link from
Purdue’s OWL, or feel free to come see me to discuss it. All
coursework must be word-processed. All students must turn in hard copies
of assignments on due dates provided below unless other arrangements have been
made.
THE SYLLABUS
Note: You will find all scholarly article titles assigned below
on Docutek, UWG’s Electronic Course Reserve System. You should print them
out, read and annotate, and bring them to class for discussion on the
appropriate days.
Directions to get into Docutek:
2.
Click on “Course Reserves” underneath “Find Information.”
- Click
on “Electronic Reserves and Reserves Pages.”
- Enter
the information requested (course number—6385—or instructor name—Insenga).
- Click
on course number for the appropriate semester (
- Enter
password (“read”).
- Click
on “accept.”
- Look
at the list, find, and click on the assigned title.
- The
password for each article is also “read,” and some articles may also
require the current Galileo password because of copyright laws. Follow site directions to get the
Galileo password.
- Print
out, read, and annotate the article(s).
June 8
-Course Introduction
-Autobiography, Ethnography, and Young Adult Literature
-Sign up for In-Class Presentations
For next class:
-Read Catcher in the Rye, chapters 1-10
-Read Bushman’s “Young Adult Literature: A Brief History”
and Tomlinson’s “Understanding Young Adults and Young Adult Literature”
June 10
-Discuss articles and Catcher in the Rye
-Finish signing up for In-Class Presentations
For next class:
-Finish Catcher in the Rye, chapters 11-26
-Read Kroger’s “Adolescence and the Problem of Identity:
Historical, Socio-Cultural, and Developmental Views,” Costello’s “The Language
of ‘The Catcher in the
-Work on and finish Reader Response One
June 15
-Reader Response One due
-Discuss articles and Catcher in the Rye
-Presentation One on Costello
-Presentation Two on Coles
For next class:
-Read The Chocolate War, chapters 1-15
-Read Cavazos-Kottke’s “Tuned Out But Turned On: Boys’
(Dis)engaged
June 17
-Discuss articles and The Chocolate War
-Presentation Three on Junko
-Presentation Four on Cavazos-Kottke
For next class:
-Finish The Chocolate War, chapters 16-39
-Begin Scorpions, pages 3-57
-Read Tatum’s “Breaking Down Barriers that Disenfranchise African-American
Adolescent Readers in Low-Level Tracks”
June 22
-Discuss articles and The Chocolate War
-Presentation Five on Tatum
-Introduction to Scorpions
For next class:
-Finish Scorpions, pages 58-216
-Now is a great time to begin research for your final project
and set up a conference with me to discuss your ideas.
June 24
-Discuss Scorpions and articles
For next class:
-Read all of Feed
-Read Wyatt’s “Young Adult Dystopian Fiction and Its
Impact: How
-Please make time to conduct preliminary research for your final
project and remember to meet with me by mid-term to discuss your text choice,
options, and questions and/or ideas you may have.
-Work on and finish Reader Response Two
June 29
-Reader Response Two due
-Discuss Feed
-Presentation Six on Wyatt
For next class:
-Begin The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
pages 1-129
-Make sure to meet with me to discuss your final project by
today.
July 1: Mid-Term—Last Day to Withdraw with a “W”
-Discuss Feed
-Introduction to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian
For next class:
-Finish The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,
pages 130-230
-Read White-Kaulaity’s “The Voices of Power and the Power of
Voices: Teaching with Native American Literature”
July 6
-Discuss The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
-Presentation Seven on White-Kaulaity
For next class:
-Begin The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl,
pages 1-106
-Read Kaywell’s "Growing Up Female around the Globe with
Young Adult Literature"
July 8
-Finish discussion of The Absolutely True Diary of a
Part-Time Indian and begin discussing The Astonishing Adventures of
FanBoy and Goth Girl
-Presentation Eight on Kaywell
For next class:
-Finish The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl,
pages 107-311
-Read Tal’s “Worlds of Hurt: Reading the Literature of
Trauma” and chapters 1 and 3 from Teasley and Wilder’s Reel Conversations
-
July 13
-Discuss The Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and Goth Girl
-Presentation Nine on Tal
-Presentation Ten on Teasley and Wilder
For next class:
-Watch Children of Heaven
-Begin Speak, pages 3-46
-Read Weinberger’s “Neorealism, Iranian Style” and Cardullo’s
“The ‘Children of Heaven' on Earth: Neorealism, Iranian Style"
-Work on and finish Reader Response Three
July 15
-Reader Response Three due
-Discuss Children of Heaven
-Presentation Eleven on Weinberger
-Presentation Twelve on Cardullo
For next class:
-Finish Speak, pages 49-198
-Begin Twilight, pages 1-52
-Read Simmons’s “The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls”
-Reconsider the ideas in Kroger’s and Tal’s essays as you read
Halse-Anderson
July 20
-Finish Discussion of Children of Heaven and begin
discussion of Speak
-Presentation Thirteen on Simmons
For next class:
-Read Twilight, pages 53-178
-Read Dalfonzo’s “In Love with Death: The Twilight of
American Fiction” and Valasquez’s “The Twilight of Good Writing”
July 22
-Discuss Speak and articles
For next class:
-Finish Twilight, pages 179-498
-Read Khan’s “Rough Flight: Boys Fleeing the Feminine in
Young Adult Literature”
July 27: Last Day of Classes
-Discuss Twilight, articles, and sheer “Meyer Mania”
-Presentation Fourteen on Khan
-Presentation Fifteen on Dalfonzo and Valasquez
-Course Evaluations and Course Wrap-Up
July 30:
-Final projects are due at my office by