Pre- or co-requisites: None

Course blog community: http://community.livejournal.com/materialsforya9
Course listserv: information at https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/548_spring09, email the list at 548_spring09@email.rutgers.edu

Instructor: Jill S. Ratzan
email: jratzan@scils.rutgers.edu
phone: TBA
website: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~jratzan
office: SCILS 336
office hours: Tuesdays 5:00-6:00pm, 9:00-10:00pm, or by appointment
mailbox located in card catalog drawers on SCILS third floor, opposite Faculty Lounge

Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course it is expected that students will be able to:

• Describe the historical development, current trends, and enduring characteristics of young adult literature. (Note: the term "literature" is broadly used to reflect works in all media.)
• Identify current reading, viewing, and listening interests of young adults and incorporate these findings into collection development and program planning.
• Apply factual and interpretive information on adolescent psychology, growth and development, sociology, and popular culture in planning for materials and services for young adults.
• Recognize literary elements in story and apply critical judgments to selected literature.
• Use Reader-Response, Feminist and other literary theories in working with young adult literature.
• Interpret current research on young adult reading, information needs, and library usage and apply it to selecting materials for young adults.
• Devise and publicize pathfinders, book lists, powerpoints, displays, etc which will facilitate access to collections and motivate use.
• Develop a materials collection plan for young adults which includes all appropriate formats, using a broad range of selection sources.
• Select and use appropriate tools in collection building and user guidance; analyze and criticize the usefulness of the tools in terms of coverage, cost, and special features.
• Develop a plan for a variety of information services (e.g., information referral, crisis intervention counseling, etc) to meet the diverse needs of young adult populations.

• Evaluation and selection of materials
• The use of critical abilities in the discussion (both oral and written) of various media for young adults
• Interpretation and evaluation of research relating to young adult materials

Jan 20: Welcome and Introductions


Jan 27: The Model
Read:

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Viking, 1967)
• Hinton, Susan. (1967). "Teen-Agers Are For Real." New York Times Book Review (Aug. 27): pp. 28-30.

• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (Pantheon, 1974)
• Aronson, Marc. (2001). "Introduction" and "How Adult is Young Adult?" In Exploding the Myths: The Truth about Teenagers and Reading. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pp. 1-5 and 31-37.

In-class activity: Awards and Organizations


Feb 10: Girls and Boys/Interview a Teen
Read:

• Meloni, Christine. (2006). "Teen Chick Lit." Library Media Connection 25:2 (Oct.): pp. 16-19.
• Sullivan, Michael. (2003). "It's Still About Books." In Connecting Boys With Books: What Libraries Can Do. Chicago: ALA Editions, pp. 22-29. (Read up to section beginning "Using Genre to Promote Reading.")

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (Delacorte, 2001)
• Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (HarperCollins, 1999)
• Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz (Philomel, 2000)
• Dunk by David Lubar (Clarion, 2002)

• Forever... by Judy Blume (Bradbury, 1975)
• Pattee, Amy. (2006). "The Secret Source: Sexually Explicit Young Adult Literature as an Information Source." Young Adult Library Services 4:2 (Winter): pp. 30-38.

• Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1982)
• Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (Knopf, 2003)
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown, 2005)
• What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (Simon & Schuster, 2001)

Challenge Question: Apply the arguments that Amy Pattee makes in her article "The Secret Source" to one of the books you read for this week. How might this book fit into one or more of the categories of "secret source" that Pattee discusses? Cite at least two specific examples to support your points.


Feb 24: Trouble and Triumph/Challenges to Library Materials
Read:

• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Penguin, 1999)
• Crutcher, Chris. (undated). A Dangerous Thing.
• LaRue, James. (2004). "Buddha at the Gate, Running: Why People Challenge Library Materials." American Libraries 35:4 (April): pp. 42-44.

• Go Ask Alice author anonymous (Simon & Schuster, 1971)
  Note: Go Ask Alice was published in 1971 and contains numerous dated references. However, it remains a classic and controversial work of YA literature.
• Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (HarperCollins, 2001)
• The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers, illus. Christopher Myers (HarperCollins, 1999)

• Feed by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick, 2002)
• Pierce, Tamora. (1993). "Fantasy: Why Kids Read It, Why Kids Need It." School Library Journal 39:10 (Oct.): pp. 50-51.
• Shoemaker, Joel. (2004). "Hungry...for M.T. Anderson: An Interview with M.T. Anderson." Voice of Youth Advocates 27:2 (June): pp. 98-102.

• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow, 1984)
• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli (Dutton, 1996)
• The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials trilogy, book 1) by Philip Pullman (Knopf, 1995)
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse, 2005)

• Gossip Girl (first in sequence) by Cecily von Ziegesar (Little, Brown, 2002)
• Malcolm, Janet. (2008). "Advanced Placement: The Wicked Joy of the 'Gossip Girl' Novels." The New Yorker (March 10): pp. 116-119.

• The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley (Simon & Schuster, 1999)
• Paper Towns by John Green (Dutton, 2008)
• Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas (Simon Pulse, 1996)
• Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger (Simon & Schuster, 2007)

Challenge Question: This week's readings can be thought of as combining many of the concepts we've covered in class so far. Pick one of the books you read for this week, and reflect on how it can be discussed in terms of any two ideas we've talked about in class so far. Cite at least two specific examples - either from this week's readings or from prior weeks' readings or class discussions - to support your points.


March 17: Spring Break, no class


March 24: Graphic Novels and Manga
Read:

• Krashen, Stephen D. (2004). "Light Reading: Comic Books." In The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, pp. 91-110.
• McCloud, Scott. (1993). "Setting the Record Straight." In Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Amherst, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, pp. 2-23.

List A: Graphic Novels

• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon, 2003)
• American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (First Second, 2006)

• Naruto volume 1 by Masashi Kishimoto (Viz Media, 1999)
• Marmalade Boy volume 1 by Wataru Yoshizumi (TokyoPop, 1992)

• Jones, Patrick. (1998). "Booktalking: Don't Tell, Sell." In Connecting Young Adults and Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual. 2nd ed. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, pp. 251-259.
  Note: This book is now available in its third edition, but the second edition is owned by Rutgers Libraries.

Explore the following websites and blogs:

• Bookshelves of Doom
• A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy
• Favorite Teenage Angst Books
• Reading Rants: Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists
• Teenreads

In-class activity: Booktalking and Readers Advisory, Selection and Evaluation Sources


April 7: Nonfiction
Read books as chosen for nonfiction assignment - see details here.

Nonfiction Assignment due


April 14: Social Media/Teens as Content Creators
Read:

• Moore, Rebecca C. (2005). "All Shapes of Hunger: Teenagers and Fanfiction." Voice of Youth Advocates 28:1 (April): pp.15-19.
• Prichard, Heather. (2008). "Write Here, Write Now: Holding a Creative Writing Workshop Series at Your Library." Young Adult Library Services 6:4 (Summer): pp. 19-23.
• YALSA. (undated). Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries: A Toolkit for Librarians and Library Workers.

Complete an activity on Facebook, to be discussed in class. (You will be able to complete this assignment without revealing any personal information online.)

Guest speaker: Fran Daley, creator of Tween Zine, Hunterdon County Library


April 21: Poetry, Music, Magazines, Games, and Other Materials
Read:

• Poetry for Young Adults: Selections. (This set of poems, like the articles below, is available online through Rutgers Libraries Electronic Reserves.)
• Neiburger, Eli and Matt Gullett. (2007). "Out of the Basement: The Social Side of Gaming." Young Adult Library Services 5:2 (Winter): pp. 34-38.
• Rakestraw, Marsha. (2007). "Magazines for Teens: On and Off the Rack, Part 1." Voice of Youth Advocates 30:5 (Dec.): pp. 397-402.
• Rakestraw, Marsha. (2008). "Magazines for Teens: On and Off the Rack, Part 2." Voice of Youth Advocates 30:6 (Feb.): pp. 492-497.

• Anime Insider, Cicada, CosmoGirl, Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), Game Informer, Entertainment Weekly, Mad, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Shojo Beat, Shonen Jump, Spin, Sports Illustrated, Teen Vogue

Guest speaker: Errol Logan, gaming leader, Somerville Public Library


April 28: Final Presentations


May 5: Final Presentations and Celebration of Spring Graduates

Class Participation:
Participation in class discussions is not an explicit part of your grade, but will help enrich the class experience for both yourself and your classmates. Respect for opposing opinions is an important part of a learning community such as ours; please help your classmates feel comfortable expressing diverse points of view.

Citations, Spelling, and Grammar:
As information professionals, and especially as role models for young people, please pay particular attention to language mechanics in your work. If you're unsure of correct usage, your local public library as well as the Rutgers Libraries have many resources you can consult. A number of online resources can be found here. If you use other peoples' words or ideas, be sure to credit your sources. (Any citation format is acceptable.) The Rutgers University policy on academic integrity is available here.

Course Blogs:
At the beginning of the semester, each student will set up a blog on LiveJournal, and will join our class blog community, http://community.livejournal.com/materialsforya9 (instructions to be handed out in class). Throughout the semester, I will post news, announcements, links, and other items of interest on this blog; please visit it at least twice a week, or set a feed to it via an RSS reader (to be discussed).

Your blog will be used primarily as a place to post your teen interview writeup and Challenge Question responses. You may also contribute news items, questions, and conversation topics to the class blog community. The privacy level of your blog is up to you, although you are encouraged to set your classmates as LiveJournal "friends," and to read and comment on each others' blog posts.

Book Displays:
Each week, I will showcase a group of recommended books and materials related to that week's topic. You are encouraged to look through this display to get ideas for further reading. At the start of the semester, we will assemble a sign-up sheet for posting the contents of these displays on our online community.

Assignments and Grading:
The primary purpose of taking this course should be to learn. Grades are an obligatory part of the university system, but should not be the main focus of your attention.

Your grade in this course will be based on the following assignments:

Interview a Teen assignment - due Feb 10, 20%
Two Challenge Questions - due Feb 17 and March 10, 15% each (30% total)
Nonfiction Assignment - due April 7, 20%
Final Project - due April 28 or May 5, 30%

I will always accept late assignments for full credit if a personal emergency means that you cannot complete them on time.

Interview a Teen assignment (due Feb 10):
The purpose of this assignment is to get an idea of what materials teens are reading, viewing, listening to, and interacting with - from the perspective of teens themselves. This assignment includes three parts: an interview with a teenager, a writeup of your interview, and a short oral presentation.

First, find a teenager (defined as a person between the ages of 12 and 18) to interview. If your teen is under age 18, be sure to get their parent's permission. If you cannot find a teenager to interview, ask me and I'll help connect you with someone.

An in-person interview is best, but any medium that involves a back-and-forth exchange, such as phone or instant messaging, is also acceptable. Please do not regard this interview as a survey with questions to be sent out and responses to be received at a later date. The methodological assumptions underlying interviews differ from the ones underlying surveys; also, part of the purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to interact with a teen in real time.

Pose five or more of the questions below to your teen, rephrasing the questions as you see fit. You may add any additional questions of interest as well.

1. What are your favorite books, and why are these your favorites?
2. What's the worst book you've read, either for school or for yourself?
3. How do you choose what books to read?
4. Do you like to read magazines or graphic novels? If so, which ones do you like?
5. Who are your favorite musicians or musical groups?
6. What's your favorite movie? What TV shows do you like to watch?
7. Do you like to play video games? If so, what are your favorite games, and what systems do you play them on?
8. What sorts of things do you do online? (i.e. talk to friends, play games, watch videos, find information for school, find information for yourself, etc) Are there any sites that you visit a lot?
9. What sorts of materials do you wish that your school's library, or your local public library, had in its collection?

Let your teen read your writeup and make corrections if necessary. This is considered good interview practice; it allows your teen to be an active participant in your work, rather than merely a passive subject.

Finally, be prepared to give a short (approximately 5 minutes) informal report to the class about the results of your interview.

Challenge Questions (due Feb 17 and March 10):
The purposes of the two Challenge Questions are to allow you to synthesize and apply what you read, and to give you the chance to reflect on a topic prior to class discussion. Because Challenge Questions are intended as touchstones for discussion, you are invited to work on them either individually or in pairs.

Responses will not be graded except for participation, although I will comment on every response. Responses are due by midnight on the date specified, to allow me time to incorporate them into notes for class discussion.

Nonfiction Assignment (due April 7):
The purpose of this assignment is to help you gain knowledge of one area of nonfiction for young adults, and familiarity with nonfiction for young adults in general.

Each student will choose a Dewey class (000-999, plus biography). A general description of each Dewey class will be provided. For this assignment, please choose one book for young adults that you feel best exemplifies books in your chosen class. (Alternately, you may choose a book that you feel is the worst example you can find.) Your selection can be a book that teens might pick up for pleasure reading, for a school assignment, or for any other purpose.

Please note that you do not necessarily need to find your book in a young adult nonfiction section of a library. Instead, your selection should be a book that you would choose (or not) for such a section if you were developing one.

Bring a copy of your chosen book to class, and be prepared to explain briefly (in approximately 5 minutes) why you feel that your book is an excellent (or terrible) example of nonfiction for young adults. This is not a formal booktalk; you are not "selling" this book to potential readers, but are sharing your thoughts about it with your colleagues. We will use everyone's input to assemble a list of what qualities characterize excellent nonfiction books for young adults.

The best way to find books for this assignment is to use the collection of a school or public library. In addition, you may wish to consult review journals, local and national award lists, databases, and other resources (see Appendix 2).

Final Project (due April 28 or May 5):
The purpose of this project is to practice selecting materials for young adults, justifying your selections, and connecting these materials with teen readers.

First, choose a topic or type of material that you would like to focus on. You may choose any topic, genre, or format that you feel teens may be interested in. Some ideas include materials in a genre of interest, materials that have special appeal to a particular group, materials that meet curricular needs in some area, and materials created by a particular author (or director, performer, etc). This project is also a great opportunity to focus on non-book materials for young adults, including DVDs, music, games, and online resources.

Second, choose five materials on this topic (or in this format, etc) that you feel young adults would especially like to know about. These materials may include any combination of fiction books, nonfiction books, graphic novels, and nonbook materials (magazines, websites, DVDs, etc). Please do not include any materials already on our syllabus, any materials discussed in the Nonfiction assignment, or more than two materials in any series/sequence or by any author/creator (except if you choose to focus on the work of a particular individual). See Appendix 2 for some possible sources to use in choosing materials.

A thorough understanding of your materials may help make you a better matchmaker between materials and readers (although this point is debatable). For this project, please read, view, etc the entire content of every material that you choose.

Next, do some research about your topic. What makes it important, or worthy of librarians' attention? Look in the LIS and related scholarly and professional literature for academic studies, best practices pieces, and other articles, statistics, anecdotes, and data which you feel support the inclusion of your materials in a school or public library collection. (Appendix 2 contains a list of relevant databases, catalogs, and journals, and we will talk in class about how to access and use these resources.)

Either working independently or in a group of up to three students, prepare the following three items to share with the class:

1. A list of your materials, arranged to be friendly to your target audience. Include the title, author, publication/creation date, and a brief annotation for each of your materials. Be creative! Consider using graphics, eye-catching layouts, and other features that will draw attention to your list. Please bring enough copies to share with the class.
2. A one-page summary of the research you found, including citations to at least three scholarly or professional sources. Unlike your booklist and booktalk, please address this summary to your colleagues and/or potential supervisors. Like any research project, your task here is both to present the information you found and to interpret, analyze, and combine it into a coherent whole. Your summary should include the equivalent of one full page of double-spaced text as well as a bibliography (any citation style is acceptable). Again, please bring enough copies to share with the class.
3. A booktalk of your materials. Unlike the Nonfiction assignment, your target audience for this booktalk should be teen readers themselves; pretend you are speaking to an audience made up of young adults rather than your colleagues. Your presentation should be 15-20 minutes long, must mention all five of your materials, and must include two presentation strategies besides just talking. Some ideas for presentation strategies include props, costumes, music, themed snacks, items to hand out (homemade only please), audience participation, or alternative formats such a newscast or game show. Use your imagination! (Please note that we do not have access to a computer projector in our classroom.)

You are highly encouraged to rehearse your booktalk ahead of time, especially if you plan to work in a group, since 15-20 minutes may go by more quickly than you think.

I. Books and Magazines
Your local school or public library is an excellent source for finding copies of our books, magazines, and review journals. In addition, most older books are available to be borrowed from Rutgers Libraries, and all review journals are accessible through the Libraries in some form. Copies of all books will also be available in my office, SCILS 336. If you cannot find a copy of a book or magazine, you are invited to borrow mine.

A note on audiobooks: Many of the books on our syllabus are available as books on tape or CD, and you are encouraged to explore these. If you listen to any of our readings on audiobook, think about what qualities you think characterize an excellent audiobook recording. How does the reader (or readers) impact your understanding of the story? Do you find that listening and reading are similar, or different, sorts of experiences? What technical features do you think characterize an excellent audiobook for teens?

II. Articles, Book Chapters, and Poetry Selections
All articles, book chapters, and poetry selections are available through Rutgers Libraries Electronic Reserves.

To access Electronic Reserves materials:

1. Visit the Rutgers Libraries website.
2. If you are not on campus, click on the words "Not logged in" on the top left of the page. This will take you to a screen where you can log in to the library system, using your Rutgers NetID and password. If you are using a computer on the campus network, you are automatically logged in.
3. Once you are logged in, click on "Find Reserves" in the grey bar on the left of the Rutgers Libraries main page, then on "Connect to: Reserves," then enter either instructor name with last name first (Ratzan, Jill), course number (17:610:548), or course name (Materials for Young Adults). You will be taken to a menu where you can select the correct course from a list of options.
4. Within the course reading list, articles and book chapters are arranged in alphabetical author by title. When you have found your desired article, click on the button to its left that says "Details."
5. A record for this article will come up; click on the provided hyperlink to access the article.

Some sources for finding books and other materials for young adults include:

• School Library Journal, VOYA, and other review journals
• Books in Print database, Titletales database, and NoveList
• state, national, and international awards and lists (GSTBA, Quick Picks, etc)
• Subject- and audience-based based guides such as Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults by Ruth Nadelman Lynn (Libraries Unlimited, 5th ed., 2005) and Serving Young Teens and 'Tweens by Sheila B. Anderson (Libraries Unlimited, 2006)
• listservs such as YALSA-BK, blogs such as Bookshelves of Doom, and social networking sites such as LibraryThing
  You may monitor listservs or search their archives, but it is considered poor etiquette to ask them for help with school assignments.

Some sources for researching issues related to materials for young adults (for Final Project) include the following. All can be found linked from the Rutgers Libraries website.

• Main Rutgers Libraries catalog: IRIS (Integrated Rutgers Information System)
• Academic Search Premier database
• Library Literature and Information Science database
• ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center database