Adolescent Literature

This introductory seminar presents an overview of the historical, socio-cultural, academic, and political issues that provide context for the use and availability of adolescent literature today. Ideas that figure prominently in the course are: connections between reading and democracy and decolonizing the school curriculum. Particular attention focuses on reading engagement for adolescents, the availability of “own voices” texts, access to literacy and fluency through adolescent literature, and issues of censorship in American public school classrooms and libraries. Students in this course will develop an understanding of the place of adolescent literature in today’s curriculum debates as well as a background in choosing, reading, and analyzing the literature itself. Students design curriculum for new texts. Assignments include short weekly assignments, discussion board posts, multimedia assignments, curriculum development projects, and final paper and exhibition.