BENG311
Young Adult Literature

ECTS Value: 3 ECTS

Contact Hours: 15

Self Study Hours: 36

Assessment Hours: 24

 

Overall Objectives and Outcomes

Young adult (YA) literature is defined as ‘literary works (usually fiction but not always) intended for readers between the ages of 12 and 18’ (Bean, Dunkerly-Bean, and Harper, 2014:3). This module aims at exploring and engaging with a number of works which fall within this definition such as the ones listed in the reading list below.

Focusing on the unique themes, styles, and issues prevalent in YA literature, such as identity, diversity, coming-of-age, and social justice, the course will explore how these texts resonate with adolescent readers and foster critical thinking. Participants will learn to select diverse, relevant YA texts in order to be able to incorporate YA literature into literature teaching curricular goals such as the analysis of an unseen prose text or the analysis of a set novel as well as broader curricular goals such as global citizenship and embracing multiculturality. By the end of the module, future educators will be prepared to use YA literature to inspire a love for reading and support students’ personal and academic growth.

By the end of this module, the learner will be able to:

Competences

  • a)Select diverse and culturally relevant YA texts that reflect a wide range of voices and perspectives, fostering inclusivity and engagement in the classroom;
  • b)Critically analyse the key themes and characteristics of Young Adult (YA) literature, such as identity formation, social justice, and coming-of-age narratives, and understand their relevance to adolescent development;
  • c)Employ strategies to encourage student engagement and a love for reading through the use of YA literature, recognizing the genre’s capacity to connect with students’ personal experiences and interests;
  • d)Critically engage in reflection about notions tackled in YA literature;
  • e)Evaluate the literary merit of YA texts by applying various critical frameworks, such as feminist, postcolonial, and psychoanalytic theories, to understand how YA literature engages with broader literary and cultural discourses;
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Knowledge

  • a)Identify a variety of YA books, authors, and genre;
  • b)Explore the role of YA literature in reflecting and shaping social and cultural issues, such as identity, adolescence, race, gender, sexuality, mental health, and social justice;
  • c)Define the key themes and characteristics of Young Adult (YA) literature, such as identity formation, social justice, and coming-of-age narratives, and understand their relevance to adolescent development;
  • d)Explore the literary merit of YA texts through the application of various critical frameworks, such as feminist, postcolonial, and psychoanalytic theories, to understand how YA literature engages with broader literary and cultural discourses;
  • e)Describe strategies that encourage student engagement and a love for reading through the use of YA literature recognizing the genre’s capacity to connect with students’ personal experiences and interests;
  • f)Identify how YA literature engages with themes of identity, diversity, and representation that contribute to current debates about inclusion within the English literary landscape;
  • g)Understand the significance of diverse representation in YA literature, recognizing how authors from different cultural, racial, and gender backgrounds contribute to the genre and impact its readership.
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Skills

  • a)Critically assess the educational value of YA literature in addressing contemporary social issues, such as mental health, identity, race, and gender, and how these discussions can be incorporated into classroom conversations;
  • b)Critically analyse narrative techniques, and genre conventions of Young Adult (YA) literature, with a focus on its development and contemporary relevance;
  • c)Design classroom activities that align with the learning objectives of using YA literature to foster critical thinking, empathy, discussion and literary analysis;
  • d)Formulate balanced arguments evaluating how YA texts address identity, representation, and adolescent experience;
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Assessment Methods

This module will be assessed through: Written Assignment and Lesson Activity

Suggested Readings

Core Reading List

  1. Alsup, J. (Ed.). (2010). Young adult literature and adolescent identity across cultures and classrooms : Contexts for the literary lives of teens. Taylor & Francis Group.
  2. Bean, T. W., Dunkerly-Bean, J., & Harper, H. J. (2014). Teaching young adult literature : developing students as world citizens. SAGE Publications, Inc.
  3. Coats, K. (2016). The Bloomsbury Introduction to Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Bloomsbury.
  4. Garcia, A. (2013). Critical Foundations in Young Adult Literature: Challenging Genres (1st ed., Vol. 4). BRILL.
  5. Hayn, J.A., Kaplan, J.S.and Clemmons, K.R. (2016). Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher. Rowan and Littlefield Publishers.

Supplementary Reading List

  1. Basu, B., Broad, K. R., & Hintz, C. (Eds.). (2013). Contemporary dystopian fiction for young adults: Brave new teenagers. Taylor & Francis Group.
  2. Hintz, C. (2022). Young Adult (YA) Fiction. In The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures (pp. 191–201). Springer International Publishing.
  3. Jenkins, C. A., & Cart, M. (2018). Representing the rainbow in young adult literature : Lgbtq+ content since 1969. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated.
  4. Kaplan, J. (2005). The Research Connection- Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century: Moving Beyond Traditional Constraints and Conventions. The ALAN Review, 32(2).
  5. Wolf, S., Coats, K., Enciso, P., & Jenkins, C. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of research on children’s and young adult literature. Taylor & Francis Group.
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