02:30P-03:45P TR (30) 3 cr.
This course will study books which have enjoyed both popular and critical acclaim among young adults in America. Books from both the nineteenth and twentieth century will be included in the course readings. The primary emphasis will be on fiction which had confronted the issue of how character has been defined and developed in young Americans. The course will include three papers of various lengths, a group teaching assignment, and frequent pop quizzes. Since the course in taught through the English department, the class will spend more time talking about textual interpretation than teaching strategies. This is not so much a course on pedagogy, although pedagogical issues will be discussed. The work load is intense in this course, so be prepared to read a lot and work hard if you sign up. This course is not for the faint of heart.
Possible texts include: Little Women, Ragged Dick, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Mysterious Case of Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys, Holes, Wild Meat and Bully Burgers, Watchmen, Crusader, The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, The Year They Burned Books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone