ENGLISH 406: Literature for Young Adults
Black Hills State University
Fall 2012/ 3 Credit Hours
________________________________________________________________________
Professor:
E-mail:
Course Site:
Course Location and Time:
Office Hours:
Dr. Courtney Huse Wika
Courtney.HuseWika@bhsu.edu
www.bhsu.edu/courtneyhusewika
Tuesdays 3:00-6:00 p.m. Jonas 104
MTH 10:00-11:30 and by appointment
@ Writing Center/ 642-6922
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Catalog Description
This course focuses on authors and the basic genres of literature for young adults with
analysis of literary quality, book selection, adolescent needs and reading interests. This
course also includes discussion of censorship, current publication practices and methods
of generating reading interests among young adults.
Course Overview & Instructional Methods
This course explores the idea of “adolescent literature,” considering not just adolescence
and literature, but also body politics, gender, class, race, and sexual orientation.
Specifically, we will study the tension between social constructions, social institutions,
and their effect on personal identity construction and maturity.
Additionally, adolescent literature will be examined through the lens of postmodernity.
The postmodern condition is one of ambiguity and fluidity, where the decentered,
fragmented self dwells. Here we find the society of the image and hyper-real, where
illusion can be more powerful and desirable than reality. Postmodernism lauds the
multiplicity of subject positions and the dissolution of grand narratives. As adolescence,
itself a “grand narrative,” reflects this ultimate destabilization, this course seeks to
understand not only the birth and rise of contemporary YA literature from S.E. Hinton’s
1967 The Outsiders, but also its current reflection of postmodern society, and ultimately
of postmodern adolescence.
In this class, education will not be a passive experience: discussion, debate, and the
exchange of ideas are expected. Students are expected to read the novels assigned, to
discuss them thoughtfully in class, and to make connections between the works and
various social, political, psychological, and critical issues discussed in class.
Required Texts and other Materials
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The Outsiders, SE Hinton 0-14-240733-X
The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier 0-375-82987-3
The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan 0385736827
Pure, Julianna Baggott 1455503061
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie 0316068209
House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros 067973477
Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins 0439023521
Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson 067001110X
Freak Show, James St. James 0525477993
If I Stay, Gayle Forman 014241543X
The Burn Journals, Brent Runyon 1400096421
Critical Articles on Reserve in E.Y. Berry Library
E-mail and regular WWW access*
*Students are required to have frequent access their BH email to stay informed about the
course and related campus communications, and to access and complete the IDEA course
evaluation at the end of the term. Students should check their school email daily for
BHSU announcements and course updates.
Grade Distribution
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Midterm and Final Exams (2 @ 20%)
In-Class Writings (ICWs) and Take-Home Writings (THWs)
Project Proposal/Abstract
Presentation
Conference Paper
40%
20%
10%
10%
20%
THE ASSIGNMENTS
The In-Class and Take-Home Writings
Frequent in-class and take-home writings will be scheduled during class time to facilitate
discussion and generate exam and essay ideas; they will serve as reflections on the
novels, textbook readings, personal experience, and the assigned critical articles. These
writing assignments will be graded solely on content, rather than form, and are not
expected to be typed. However, they must be legible, so please be aware of penmanship.
Depending on difficulty and/or length, points will range from 10 to 50.
The Extra Credit
While missed in-class and take-home writings cannot be made up, students can replace
one of the lowest grades by attending one campus event and writing a 1-page, doublespaced response to the activity.
The Exams
Comprehension of course content will be assessed through a midterm and final exam;
these exams may contain a combination of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short
and long essay response. Review sessions and study guides will be supplied for students.
The Final Project: Conference Paper, Proposal, and Presentation
The course will culminate in a final critical project; students will select 3-5 novels that
are linked through author, major theme(s), or genre, and will offer a well-developed
critical analysis of said texts in a conference-length paper (10 pages). Research and
MLA documentation will be required. Students will submit a project proposal and
abstract earlier in the semester to direct their research and solidify their ideas, and will
present their projects in mock conference panels at the end of the semester. Additional
information and requirements will be supplied in the form of an assignment sheet. Note:
Students will be required to visit the Writing Center while working on the final project.
The Class Reading, Writing, and Participation
Students are expected to be involved in class. Active and engaged in-class participation in
writing exercises, class discussions, and workshops is expected. The quality of this class
is directly related to the quality of discussions and participation, so students must take
responsibility by asking questions, bringing up ideas, and responding to their peers.
Students are responsible for completing assignments and readings (even if said readings
are not discussed in class), taking notes, and participating in class discussion and
exercises.
COURSE POLICIES
Email Policy
Emails addressed to your professor should be written in standard American English, with
complete sentences and correct grammar and punctuation. Emails written in “text-speak”
will be returned to the sender unanswered. For emails received after 9:00 p.m., the
professor reserves the right to defer replies until morning.
Conference Policy
You may request an individual conference at any time to discuss your work. Office hours
are Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00-11:30 a.m., but you are encouraged to stop into
the office or email at any time.
Attendance and Late Assignment Policy
According to the Academic Catalog: “In general, enrollment in a class implies the
responsibility for attending each class session. However, the attendance policy for a
specific class is at the discretion of the faculty member…. Students will be allowed to
make up graded work if an absence is due to participation in university-sponsored
activities, provided prior notification of the impending absence has been given to the
instructor” (81).
Because this is a hands-on, discussion-oriented class, attendance is a significant factor for
success in this course. You will be allowed two absences during the course of the
semester. For each absence beyond these, there will be a 50-point deduction from your
final grade. Four or more absences during the semester may result in a failing grade or an
instructor-initiated drop. Chronic tardiness during class discussion may also count as
absences at my discretion.
You are responsible for turning in assignments before the missed class. Students who
must miss class due to an official University event must let the instructor know in
advance (with appropriate documentation) in order to make up the missed in-class
exercises or quizzes. In the event of an unexpected serious illness or if you are a
commuting student who must miss class due to severely inclement weather, you must
contact the instructor and provide appropriate documentation to make arrangements for
make up work.
Major writing assignment deadlines (i.e. the proposals and final project) that are missed
will result in a reduction of one full letter grade per class period late. To be considered,
extensions on major assignments must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. In-class
writings, exams, and the final presentation will not be accepted late.
Class Etiquette Policy
Because writing courses rely heavily on the interaction of individuals in both small and
large groups, you will need to share your ideas and your writing in a manner respectful of
different positions and perspectives. Tolerance and respect are essential, but in addition,
working productively and collaboratively with others in class is an important rhetorical
skill. To foster this productive classroom and learning environment, I will take actions to
reduce behaviors that may compromise the classroom. Students may be asked to leave
and counted absent, or may be permanently removed from the course for disruptive or
inappropriate behavior.
Class disruptions will not be tolerated. In class, all cell phones and electronic devices
will be turned off, and you will refrain from sending email and instant messages, using
the Internet, or reading any material not specifically related to the course. If disruptions
such as these occur, you may be asked to leave the class and will be counted absent for
the day.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Academic Integrity
The 2007-08 BHSU Student Handbook defines “plagiarism” as follows:
the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work
of another person without full and clear acknowledgement consistent with
accepted practices of the discipline;…the unacknowledged use of materials
prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or
other academic materials. (25)
Plagiarism is act of taking another writer’s words or ideas and presenting them as your
own without quotation marks, an in-text citation and source introduction, and a works
cited entry. Plagiarism constitutes theft and fraud. Not only do you cheat yourself out of
your own education, you literally steal from the writer whose work you have taken.
The consequences of plagiarizing are many, but the immediate effect on a student’s
course standing is left to the discretion of the instructor. In almost all cases, the student
will be given a zero for the assignment for the first offense, and failed for the course for
the second.
Statement on Freedom in Learning
The following statement is required by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
Under Board of Regents and University policy student academic performance
may be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct in
matters unrelated to academic standards. Students should be free to take reasoned
exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve
judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the
content of any course of study for which they are enrolled. Students who believe
that an academic evaluation reflects prejudiced or capricious consideration of
student opinions or conduct unrelated to academic standards should contact the
chair of the department in which the course is being taught to initiate a review of
the evaluation.
Disabilities
Reasonable accommodations, as arranged through the Disabilities Services Coordinator,
will be provided students with documented disabilities. Contact the BHSU Disabilities
Services Coordinator, Mike McNeil, at 605-642-6099, (Woodburn 134) or via email at
mikemcneil@bhsu.edu for more information. Additional information can also be found
at http://www.bhsu.edu/StudentLife/Learning/DisabilityServices/tabid/162/Default.aspx
Literature for Young Adults: Tentative Schedule: Fall 2012
*Note: At the professor’s discretion, additional readings, homework, and
exercises may be assigned throughout the term. Critical and scholarly readings
listed below are on reserve at the E. Y. Berry Library circulation desk.
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T. August 28
1. Course introduction
2. Contemporary Adolescent Texts
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T. September 4
1. Trites, (ch. 1) “Do I Dare Disturb the
Universe?: Adolescent Literature in the
Postmodern Era”
2. The Outsiders
*W. September 5: Last day to add, and last day to drop without a transcript
entry
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1. The Chocolate War
2. Trites, (ch. 2) “I Don’t Know the Words:
Institutional Discourses in Adolescent Literature”
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T. September 11
1. Wintergirls
2. Bordo, “The Body and the Reproduction of
Femininity”
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T. September 18
1. Freak Show
2. Judith Butler “Performative Acts and Gender
Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory”
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T. September 25
1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian
2. YA Banned Books Debate: Alexie, Cox-Gurdon,
and Holmes
3. Scott Ahola, Research Workshop
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T. October 2
1. House on Mango Street
2. Marek, “Difference, Identity, and Sandra
Cisneros’s House on Mango Street”
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T. October 9
T. October 16
Midterm Exam
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T. October 23
1. Burn Journals
2. Goffman, “Stigma” excerpts
*W. October 24: DEF grades due to Webadvisor
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1. Pure
2. Cohen, “Monster Culture: Seven Theses”
3. Tentative Project Proposal
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T. October 30
T. November 6
1. Forest of Hands and Teeth
2. Freud, “The Uncanny”:
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~amtower/uncanny.html
3. Final Project Proposal and Abstract
*TH. November 8: Last day to drop with an automatic “W”
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T. November 13
1. Hunger Games
2. Adorno, excerpt from The Culture Industry:
Enlightenment as Mass Deception
3. Jameson, excerpt from Postmodernism, or
the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
*IDEAS Surveys open online
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1. If I Stay
2. Pratt, “Novel of Development”
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T. November 20
T. November 27
Movie: TBA
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T. December 4
Conference Panel Presentations
Final Papers
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M. December 11
Final Exam 1:15-2:45 p.m. Location TBA