LIB 617
Research in
Young adult Literature

Course Syllabus:  Fall  2008

Last updated:  Wednesday, August 20, 2008 

Table of Contents

II.        Catalog Description

 

An in-depth study of chosen areas of young adult literature with emphasis on electronic and print sources by and about authors, genres and issues, which may include a field experience where students explore the pedagogical implications of their study.

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III.          Purpose

 

The purposes of this course are to provide students with opportunities for extensive readings in the various genres of young adult literature; readings and discussion of research informing the reading and teaching of young adult literature; and thorough and extensive research into a chosen area of young adult literature.

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IV.          Course Objectives

 

Class activities will be centered on the attainment of the course objectives listed below. These objectives are understood to be reflective of, but not limited to those behaviors advocated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act guidelines.  Curriculum connections will be made with KERA Initiatives: Kentucky Learner Goals and Academic Expectations, Program of Studies, and Core Content.

The COE Conceptual Framework and the Theme of Educator as Reflective Decision-Maker are addressed in this course through the use of reflective journals and a reflective component in the collaborative unit. The COE emphasis on constructivism is emphasized when discussing criteria for the evaluation of children’s literature. The COE dispositions are informally assessed during class activities.

The Theme of Diversity is explored in the course through the examination of multicultural literature. The Theme of Literacy/Reading is stressed throughout every course activity as students discuss evaluation criteria. The Theme of Leadership appears in the assignment to write a professional paper suitable for submission to a professional journal on a topic related to children’s literature.

Technology is a central issue that is integrated throughout the course. 

The Code of Ethics is discussed in connection with the issue of censorship and book challenges.

Each of the objectives has been associated with corresponding

Kentucky Teacher Standards 2008 (KTS),

  
the ALA/AASL/NCATE Program Standards, (AASL)

and the

Murray State University College of Education Student Dispositions associated with the Conceptual Framework.

1.     Be able to evaluate selections of young adult literature in accordance with a set of established criteria. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 4) (COE 1, 2, 5)

2.     Understand the benefits of young adult literature and develop their own criteria for evaluating children’s literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1, 2, 4, 5)

3.     Have an in-depth understanding of a particular issue in young adult literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1-6)

4.     Have an in-depth knowledge of a particular genre or other subdivision of young adult literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 2, 4) (COE 1-6)

5.     Write a professional paper suitable for submission to a professional journal on a topic related to young adult literature. (KTS 1, 7) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 2, 5)

6.     Understand the elements of literature. (KTS 1) (ALA 1, 4)

7.     Be familiar with the different genres in young adult literature and criteria for evaluating books in each genre. (KTS 1) (COE 1-5)

8.     Identify strategies for using literature in the classroom. (KTS 1, 2) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 1-6)

9.     Be familiar with a variety of reading strategies. (KTS 2, 4) (ALA 1, 2) (COE 1-6)

10.     Be able to use technology in the study or teaching of young adult literature. (KTS 2, 6) (ALA 1, 4)

11.     Be able to work collaboratively, display team membership skills, and analyze their collaborative experiences to improve future collaborations. (KTS 8, 9) (ALA 3) (COE 1-6)

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V.              Content outline  

 

Topics and Readings
August 20-September 1 Welcome and Introductions
September 1
September 2-September 14 Who or What is a Young Adult?     Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 1 "Understanding Young Adult Literature," "Describing Adolescents," p. 2-4.
September 15-September 28 What is Young Adult Literature?         Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 1 "Understanding Young Adult Literature," "Defining Young Adult Literature," p. 4-19.
September 27-October 4 Banned Books Week     Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 12 "Protecting Intellectual Freedom" p. 340-379.
MSU FALL BREAK October 3
October 6-12 Multicultural Reading for YA
October 12-October 19 Teen Read Week     Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 11 "Teaching, Using, and Appreciating Young Adult Literature," p. 305-339.
October 20-November 9 Books for Girls:   Horses & Rainbows or Chick lit?       Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 2 "Evaluating and Selecting Young Adult Literature," "Gender Perspectives in Young Adult Literature," p. 44-48.
November 10-November 26 Books for Boys: Sports & Cars or Lad Lit*?       Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 2 "Evaluating and Selecting Young Adult Literature," "Gender Perspectives in Young Adult Literature," p. 44-48.           *Lad lit lad lit n. A literary genre that features books written by men and focusing on young, male characters, particularly those who are selfish, insensitive, and afraid of commitment. Also: lad literature. —lad-lit adj.
December 1-5 Graphic Novels and Manga     Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation Ch. 10 "Exploring Other Formats:  Graphic (Comic Format) Novels, and Magazines," p. 278-304.

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VI.          Instructional Activities

 

Because active involvement through speaking, writing, and interaction with ideas brings about in-depth learning, students will be expected to participate in diverse activities.

Course discussion will take place using the class Master Blog at http://murrayyalit.org .

1. Students will actively participate in class discussions and activities on the class blog.

2. Students will read and discuss books written for young adults.

3. Students will reflect upon what they have learned through reflective writing activities

4. Students will write a professional-quality, publishable paper.

5. Students will develop literature units to use in their classrooms in collaboration with their school's library media specialist.

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VII.      Field and Clinical Experiences

 

None.

 

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VIII.  Resources
 

A page of links to library and internet Resources for Research in Children's Literature is available at

 http://coekate.murraystate.edu/professors/koren/ELE616/ChildLitResources.htm

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IX.          Grading Procedures
 

A.   Grading Scale

Students will be evaluated on class participation, contributions to the class and the quality of presentations, papers and collaborative projects and tests.  The grading scale will be:
 

93-100%=A         86-92%=B           79-85%=C           72-78%=D           0-71%=F


 

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B.   Course Assignments

For more information on the assignments, see Blackboard at http://estudy.murraystate.edu/

and .

The links are to the rubrics for each assignment, which also provide descriptions of the requirements.

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C. Style Guide

Remember to include your name and class either on the header of the first page or on a cover page.  With the exception of lesson or unit plans, always double-space your papers.

All papers will conform to styles described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001), 5^th ed. 

http://www.apastyle.org
Editorial style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. Editorial style concerns uniform use of such elements as

• punctuation and abbreviations

• construction of tables

• selection of headings

• citation of references

• presentation of statistics

• as well as many other elements that are a part of every manuscript

The American Psychological Association has established a style that it uses in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences have adopted this style as their standard as well.

APA Samples for a Bibliography Library Resources and Methods of Research

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/apa.html

The samples on this page reflect the rules found in the latest APA Manual. Consult the 5th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for more complete information. The APA provides its own advice and examples on the APAStyle.org Web site. For items that do not quite fit any one rule, combine rules. CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY! The examples provided have not been approved or sanctioned by the American Psychological Association. They are non-authorized best guesses.

How do I get help using APA?

Click the links below for examples of citations for various types of resources.

• In-text citations

• Reference List

For a general overview of how to use APA style, take the USM Libraries APA online tutorial.

LEO:Literacy Education Online APA In-Text (Parenthetical) Documentation

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/apaintext.html

In APA style, source material is cited using a system that emphasizes the author and date of publication in its in-text citations. These in-text citations—used when source material is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized—point to full bibliographic citations located in the reference page at the end of the document. Here are general guidelines for in-text citations that cover the use of authors' names, placement of in-text citations, and treatment of nonrecoverable and electronic sources.

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X.              Attendance Policy 

This course adheres to the policy published in the current Murray State University Graduate Bulletin.

Class attendance is required. Completion of Blackboard assignments within one week of their posting will constitute attendance for virtual class sessions.

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XI.      Academic Honesty Policy
 

This course adheres to the policy published in the current Murray State University Graduate Bulletin. 

Only your own work can prepare you to accomplish your professional teaching goals and to contribute significantly to the success of KERA. Using the work of others (for example, published lesson plans) as a starting point for course work is certainly acceptable, although you must credit your sources. Your own work beyond this point must be clearly identified and your sources fully cited.

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XII.          Text and References

1.  Required Text

Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation

Bucher, K. T.  and Manning, M. L. 

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2006
 

ISBN-10:	0131118412
ISBN-13:	9780131118416

Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation is an exciting new text developed to identify for teachers how to better connect adolescents with good literature.  Comprehensive enough to ensure that teachers understand today’s adolescents and the literature that will engage them, yet slim enough to ensure readers have the opportunity to read the books themselves, this text will help teachers provide a rich educational experience for adolescents throughout the middle and secondary curriculum while nourishing their love of reading.
 

The companion website provides additional information for users of Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation, by Katherine Bucher and M. Lee Manning. To further enrich their learning and instruction, users will find Chapter Objectives for each chapter, multiple choice, fill-in, and essay Self Assessment tests with which to test their knowledge of chapter content, and Internet Resources that provide them with additional avenues for research and discovery. Also, certain chapters include a Supplemental Bibliography for student reference.

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2.  Recommended Reading

"Reading Don't Fix No Chevys"
Literacy in the Lives of Young Men
Michael W. Smith, Temple University, Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Boise State University

Heinemann / ISBN 0-86709-509-1 / 978-0-86709-509-8 / 2002 / 248 pp / paperback
Availability: In Stock

The problems of boys in schools, especially in reading and writing, have been the focus of statistical data, but rarely does research point out how literacy educators can combat those problems. That situation has changed. Michael Smith and Jeff Wilhelm, two of the most respected names in English education and in the teaching of reading, worked with a very diverse group of young men to understand how they use literacy and what conditions promote it. In this book they share what they have learned.

Just Girls:
Hidden Literacies and Life in Junior High

Margaret J.Finders
Language and Literacy Series
Pub Date: 1996, 160 pages
ISBN: 0807735604

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XIII.          Prerequisite
 

None

XIV.          Statement of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity

Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in all programs and activities.

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