The Young Adult Novel

Fall 2001

Course Objectives

• Learn how young adult novels reflect, relate to, and create popular culture, especially youth culture
  
• Develop an overall understanding of the young adult genre by reading, writing about, and discussing a range of young adult novels
  
• Improve thinking and communication skills:  literary analysis, research, speaking, and writing
  
• Link young adult literature to your own life and career goals such as writing, teaching, counseling, reading, and parenting

 Assignments

          Ongoing

1. journal:  keep a reading journal offering weekly insights on reading: do at least 1 page on each novel, preferably ½ to 1 page before and ½ to 1 page after class discussion for a total of 10+ pages.   The first section of the journal should include ways YA literature relates to your own life and goals.
   

2. weekly reading quizzes. 20%

           Papers

1. Plan for research project, one page, due Oct. 3.
   
2. compare an early and a late example of a young adult novel (4-5 pages, due Oct. 31) 20%
    
3. research project linking young adult novels to your own life and career (5-6 pages, due December 5 in draft form & December 12 in final form) 25%

Presentations

1. Informal 3-minute presentation/discussion of a piece of YA culture 5%
   

2. 5-minute panel presentation & discussion of your final project 5%

Attendance and Participation:

• It’s a given that you will attend class each week, prepared, and participate in discussions to the best of your ability.   The “quality” of your attendance will be measured in the quiz and journal grades; the “quantity” of your attendance will also be noted. Missing more than one class may lower your final grade by as much as one letter.
  
• Quizzes can’t be made up, but I will drop the lowest quiz grade.
  
• Late papers receive lower grades.
  
• For practical reasons, missed presentations can’t be made up. You may receive partial credit by turning in a one-page write up of what you planned to say

 

August 29:	Introduction to YA genre; YA audience analysis; class & individual goals analysis
September 5:	Catcher in the Rye
September 12:	Holes
September 19:	Bud, Not Buddy
September 26:	Little Women
October 3:	Movie & Discussion, Little Women.  Journal due (5+ typed pages); Paper #1 due.
October 10:	A White Romance
Fall Break:	October 13-16
October 17:	Meant to Be plus article about YA romance (on reserve)
October 24:	Carrie
October 31:	Movie & discussion, Carrie.   Paper #2 due.
November 7:	I Know What You Did Last Summer
November 14:	Journal due (5+ more pages typed). First half of class:  Informal student presentations of materials for adolescents.  Each student should bring in a magazine, videotaped clip from TV show targeted for adolescents, movie clip, or web site.  Be ready to discuss your offering informally, yet analytically, with the whole class or a sub-group. Second half of class:  workshop for final project including: “how to present a paper that will thrill your fellow students.  Turn in title and brief description by end of class.
November 21:	No class; Thanksgiving Break.
November 28:	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
December 5:	Student panels:5-minute presentation of final paper plus panel discussion.  Your paper must be finished in draft form by tonight; if you turn in the final version tonight, you may pick it up next week in my office at 6 p.m.
December 12:	Final exam period:  papers due in St. Joseph’s 406 by 6 p.m.

Disability Statement

If you have a disability, which may require consideration by the instructor, you should contact the Coordinator of Student Services at 724-838-4295.  This should be accomplished no later than the second class meeting.  If you need accommodations for successfully participating in class activities prior to your appointment at the Disabled Student Services office, you should offer information to the instructor in writing which includes suggestions for assistance in participating in and completing class assignments.  It is not necessary to disclose the nature of your disability. 

Assignment Descriptions

Journal:  graded by quantity, this is your chance to express yourself informally without pressure.  6 typed, complete pages = D, 8 pages = C, 10 pages = B, 12 pages = A.   Include reactions to the reading, ways class discussion changed your perception of the novel, and how the reading and discussion affect your own career goals.  For example, would you teach a Harry Potter book in class?  Might you use a romance in counseling a teenage girl?  Did Catcher in the Rye spark a creative story idea?  Did you love or loathe a particular book, and why?

Paper #1:  one-page description of research project.  This is your formal proposal for a research project in this course that fits in with your career goals as you now see them.  You should state your goals, and then describe a research project that fits into them.  See description of Paper #3 below.

Paper #2:  4-5 page comparison of an early and a late YA novel.  The early novel will be either Catcher in the Rye or Little Women; the modern novel may be any other novel we’ve read in the course.  Develop a thesis that is in line with your career goals as you perceive them now.  For example, if you are interested in creative writing, you could focus your paper on how style and topics have changed in the two novels.  If you’re interested in teaching, you could state a thesis like “classic YA novels have much more to offer today’s high school students than trendy contemporary novels.”  If you want to do counseling, you could write about the psychology of characters in the two novels.  If you plan to parent a child (who will eventually turn into a young adult), you could take a stand on what type of book you would buy your son or daughter as a gift, and why.   Be sure you do take a stand and state an arguable thesis that passes the “so what” test; then prove/illustrate the thesis with examples from the two books.

Paper #3:  5-6 page project on YA novels and your career goals.  Possibilities are endless here.  Some suggestions:

• Do a lesson plan and explanation of it for teaching a book or series of books to a particular group of students;
  

• Write a paper explaining the career of being a YA author, including the upside and the downside.  Research should include interviews with at least one YA author.
   

• Do a classic literary analysis of a theme in one or more of the novels (this works best if you’re considering graduate school in literature)
  

• Research an author and write a feature story on him/her and his/her novels; try to get in touch with the author (for journalists)
  

• Develop a therapy plan for an adolescent client using bibliotherapy.

Your bibliography for this project should include at least three reputable sources, and you should annotate them to prove their credibility.  (Example:  Joe Smith, 10^th grade student, is a less reputable source than Dr. Sondra Lettrich, Ph.D. if you are producing a teaching unit.  An unaffiliated website has almost no credibility.)  At least two of the sources must be print sources. 

Despite the research you do for this project, you need to have a main point to make, and the bulk of the project should be in your own words.  Long quotes (if needed at all) should be framed and explained. 

McClain’s Basic Rubric for papers:

• Paper takes a strong stand
  

• Sources back up the student’s thesis but don’t overwhelm student’s own ideas.
   

• Paper is well-organized, with paragraphs about one topic each and a logical progression from one idea to the next
  

• Writing is grammatically correct; no spelling or typographical errors
  

• Writing style is lively, interesting, creative, and/or distinctive

Back to Courses

Back to Lee McClain's Homepage