LIT 4333: Literature for the Adolescent
University of Florida
Semester: Fall, 2020
Class Meetings: MWF (4:05 – 4:55pm)
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This course will examine some of the major themes and trends in American “Young Adult” literature (or “YA”). Concentrating on culturally-constructed understandings of adolescence, our course will trace the emergence of the YA genre from the 1950s onward with special attention paid to contemporary works of the last 15 years. Students will be asked to consider the ways in which young adult literature serves a multiplicity of material and sociopolitical functions and in what ways YA’s heroes and villains both inform and react to a particular historical moment’s conceptions of adolescence, gender, sexuality, race, nationality, and class.
Discussions will include examinations of YA’s often fraught definitions and its early roots in the 19th century (Northanger Abbey); the birth of the “All-American” teenager in the mid-twentieth century (Rebel Without a Cause; The Outsiders); the popularity of paranormal romance and the fairy tale remix; the history of LGBTQ representation in YA (Annie on My Mind); the Black Lives Matter movement and young adult literature as activism (Tyler Johnson Was Here); YA initiatives like “We Need Diverse Books” (American-Born Chinese) and recent remixes of Young Adult classics with an eye towards improving inclusivity (Carry On; Akata Witch; Every Heart a Doorway); and of the popularity of the genres still dominating the Young Adult market, including contemporary romance (To All the Boys I've Loved Before), fantasy and magical realism (Cemetery Boys) and dystopia (The Hunger Games). Texts our course will engage with includes literature, film, academic scholarship/cultural commentary, and graphic narrative. Class assignments will consist of short response papers, presentations or projects with a creative component, and a final research paper. |
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Office Location: Zoom Office Hours: F Period 7 & 8 or by appointment Email: [email protected] TEXTBOOKS:
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