Young Adult Literature and Culture

Catalog description

Young adult literature has experienced a surge in popularity since the mid-1990s, but its roots actually trace back much farther than that. In this course, students explore the authors and texts that have contributed to the evolution of this genre since the 1950s by reading across a range of literary styles, voices, and time periods. Major units in the course pay close attention to issues of literary value and publishing markets; representations of gender, race, sexuality, and disability; debates over censorship and the definition of "appropriate" content; and inclusion of adolescent literature in today's secondary English Language Arts classrooms. While a majority of the course is devoted to the study of primary texts including novels, poetry, nonfiction, and/or graphic novels; students are also expected to work closely with secondary materials as they situate this ever-expanding genre in multiple social, historical, and political contexts. one of the following; ENG 200 , ENG 201 , ENG 202 , ENG 203 , ENG 204 , ENG 205 , or ENG 206 . Offered Annually.