Spring 2023 Special Topic: Teaching Young Adult Literature

Adolescence, for many students, seems to be a period during which love of reading dies. In fact, studies reveal that “less than one-third of 13-year-olds read daily” and “only 16 percent of high school students” identify as “high frequent readers” (Gilmore 47; Newkirk 117).  But there is hope in the field of popular young adult (YA) literature!  In YA lit, adolescents can find books that match their interests and reading levels.  In this course, we’ll explore how YA literature can be used to foster lifelong readers.  We will read widely among genres of young adult literature (including both contemporary YA works as well as canonical literary works written for an adult audience but deemed appropriate for secondary students), focusing on the particular skills of literary criticism and theory required to establish a developmentally appropriate literature curriculum at the secondary level and to link young adult literature to canonical literary traditions.  Students should prepare themselves for quick-paced reading, discussion, research, and assignments in varied formats, from written responses to booktalks.