Dominican University Mission: Dominican University, a comprehensive Catholic institution sponsored by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, prepares candidates to pursue truth, to give compassionate service and to participate in the creation of a more just and humane world.  The University Motto, Caritas et Veritas, characterizes the essence of this mission.

 

Dominican University

Graduate School of Library and Information Science

LIS722 01: Library Materials for Young Adults

Fall 2007

Mondays, 6-9 p.m.

 

Contact Info:

Janice M. Del Negro

Crown 323

708.524.6871

jdelnego@dom.edu

 

Office Hours (appointments strongly suggested):

Mondays 3-4 p.m.

Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Other times by appointment

 

 

The goal of this course is to provide graduate library school students with an understanding of the scope of contemporary young adult literature in the United States, to acquaint them with the tools necessary to effectively address young adult literature collection development issues, and to kindle the enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity needed to pursue mastery of this ever-burgeoning field. 

 

 

Reaching this goal will enable students to achieve the following objectives:

 

  • To arrive at a working definition of young adults (YA) and YA literature
  • To gain an understanding of the history of YA literature
  • To become familiar with a range of authors, works, & genres for YAs
  • To gain experience in discussing YA literature & resources

·        To apply the skills, techniques, and established criteria for evaluating, reviewing, and selecting young adult books

  • To demonstrate knowledge of print and electronic professional journals and collection development resources that support the evaluation, selection, and discussion of YA literature

·        To become familiar with techniques for introducing literature to YAs

  • To identify and discuss literary and societal trends and issues, including intellectual freedom, affecting work with young adults in libraries and schools
  • To gain an understanding of and familiarity with forms of popular culture oriented toward and appealing to young adults

 

Books for Required Reading (see reading list):

 

You do not need to buy all the books for required reading.  Many of the titles can be found in the public library.  If you wish to own the books, nearly all are available in paperback and can be purchased at trade bookstores or online from amazon.com. Amazon.com is convenient and less expensive, especially if you are willing to buy used books.  There is no text book for this course.

 

 

 

Course Requirements/Assignments

 

Come to every class on time and prepared to participate in discussions and activities related to the assigned books and any other assignments, including the examination of assigned websites. Open discussion is the rule in my class; any question relevant to the topic at hand is welcome. Through discussion students will not only demonstrate that they have read and reflected upon the materials assigned, but will contribute to an atmosphere of open inquiry that will facilitate the learning process for all of us. Class participation is worth 25% of your grade. Infrequent class participation will substantially lower your overall grade.

 

 

Complete four projects to hand in and/or present in class; an assignment sheet with directions and expectations will be handed out for each project.

 

 

1) Book Review; 15% (due October 29)

 

2) Author Presentation; 15% (sign up for date)

 

3) 15 item annotated non-fiction bibliography on assigned topic; 20% (due November 12)

 

4) Book discussion portfolio w/partner; 25% (due December 17)

 

 

Grading

 

Class participation is worth 25% of your grade.

 

Infrequent class participation will substantially lower your overall grade.

 

All assignments must be turned in by the due date in order to receive full credit.  Due dates are not flexible unless an agreement is made with the instructor at least 24 hours in advance of class time on the due date.  Emergencies will be handled on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Oral presentations are graded on the speaker’s ability to connect with the audience, organization of information, use of language, fluency, volume, use of visual aids, and adherence to stipulated time limits. 

Grades for written assignments are based on clarity of writing, comprehensive attention to both the topic and the assignment requirements, quality of work, and visible demonstration of effort. 

 

Professional, grammatically correct writing is expected.  To state this requirement plainly, spelling, punctuation, and grammar do count.  If this is a problem, find someone whose skills you trust to proofread your written work, or go to the Academic Resource Center (Lower Level, Parmer Hall, 708/524-6682) for assistance.  Please remember that spell-check is fallible.

 

 

 

Format for Written Assignments

 

Written work must be double-spaced with 1 or 1.5 inch margins and no less than 12 point type.  Exception to 12 point rule: please include your name in 10 point type in the footer of all written assignments.

 

No title page is required. Your name, the class number (LIS 722 01), and the name of the assignment must be single-spaced on the upper left hand corner of your written work. 

 

 

 

Academic Honesty and Integrity

 

 

"All students of the GSLIS are expected to observe high standards of academic honesty and integrity. Any student whose conduct violates such standards may be subject to disciplinary action as determined by due process." (GSLIS Bulletin, p. 48)

 

Plagiarism is unethical and unprofessional and will result in project failure.  Each student is responsible for understanding what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.  See Purdue University's "Avoiding Plagiarism," http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html or Indiana University's "How to Recognize Plagiarism", http://education.indiana.edu/~istd/test.html if you are unsure about what is and what is not considered acceptable behavior when using other people's words and ideas.

 

 

Why do children want to grow up?  Because they experience their lives as constrained by immaturity and perceive adulthood as a condition of greater freedom and opportunity.  But what is there today, in America, that very poor and very rich adolescents want to do but cannot do?  Not much:  they can "do" drugs, "have" sex, "make" babies, and "get" money (from their parents, crime, or the State).  For such adolescents, adulthood becomes synonymous with responsibility rather than liberty.  Is it any surprise that they remain adolescents?  ~Thomas Szasz

Please note:  According to the GSLIS Grading Policy, the grade for “good, solid work” that “demonstrates strong comprehension of the course materials” is a B+, not an A.  Please see the policy that follows for additional clarification.

 

 

LIS GRADING POLICY (Effective 12/15/2004)

The faculty of GSLIS Dominican uses the following guidelines when grading.

 

 

Grade

Numeric

Equivalent

 

Definition

 

A

4.0

Outstanding achievement.  Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations; nearly flawless work.

 

A-

3.67

Excellent achievement.  Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner.

 

B+

3.33

Good solid work.  Student demonstrates strong comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks as defined in the course syllabus.

 

B

3.0

Satisfactory acceptable work.  Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials and performs at an acceptable level.

 

B-

2.67

Marginal work.  Student performance demonstrates incomplete, substandard understanding of course materials, or absence of required work; indicates danger of falling below acceptable grading standard.

 

C+

2.33

Unsatisfactory work.  Student performance demonstrates  unsatisfactory understanding of course materials and inability to meet course requirements.

 

C

2.0

Unacceptable work.  Student performance demonstrates incomplete and inadequate understanding of course materials.

 

C-

1.67

Poor work.

 

F

0.0

Failing grade.

 

 

 

 

The young always have the same problem- how to rebel and conform at the same time.  They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another. 

            ~Quentin Crisp

Schedule and Readings

 

September 10:  Introduction to course

uRead for September 10:

Daly, Maureen. Seventeenth Summer. 

Blume, Judy. Forever. 

 

 

September 17:  the Rise of YA Literature

uRead for September 17:

Hinton, S.E.  The Outsiders.  Dell, 1967.

Lipsyte, Robert.  The Contender.  Harper, 1967.

Zindel, Paul. The Pigman. Bantam, 1968.

 

 

September 24:  Independence

uRead for September 24:

Belton, Sandra. Store-Bought Baby. Greenwillow, 2006.

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. Dell, 1974.

AND (select two):

Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea. Roaring Brook Press, 2006.

Watts, Julia. Finding H. F.  Alyson, 2001.

Weaver, Will.  Full Service. Farrar, 2005.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Miracle’s Boys. Putnam, 2000.

 

Recommended add’l reading (like you have time):

Bauer, Joan. Hope Was Here. Putnam, 2000.

Brooks, Martha.  True Confessions of a Heartless Girl. Farrar, 2002.

Mikaelson, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. Harper, 2002.

Stratton, Allan.  Chanda's Secrets.  Annick, 2004

 

 

October 1:  Integrity & Moral Choices

uRead for October 1:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. FSG, 1999.

Lynch, Chris.  Inexcusable.  Atheneum, 2005.

Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neutral. HarperCollins, 2000.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Alvarez, Julia . Before We Were Free. Knopf, 2002.

Deuker, Carl. Painting the Black.  Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Naidoo, Beverley. The Other Side of Truth. HarperCollin, 2001.

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper.  Atria Books, 2004.

Volponi, Paul.  Black and White.  Viking, 2005.

 

October 8: Intelligence/Reaching Understanding 

uRead for October 8:

Koertge, Ron. Stoner & Spaz. Candlewick Press, 2002.

AND (select two):

Clarke, Judith. One Whole and Perfect Day. Front Street, 2007.

Hamilton, Virginia. Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush. Philomel, 1982.

Jenkins, A. M. Out of Order.  HarperCollins, 2003.

Kerr, M.E. Deliver Us from Evie. HarperCollins, 1994.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Aidinoff, Elise. The Garden.  Harper Tempest, 2004.

Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2005.

Hill, Kirkpatrick. Do Not Pass Go. McElderry, 2007.

Koja, Kathe. Buddha Boy. Foster/Farrar, 2002.

Wynne-Jones, Tim. A Thief in the House of Memory. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa, 2005.

 

 

October 15:  Theme  IV:  Identity & A Sense of Self

uRead for October 15:

Myers, Walter. Monster. HarperCollins, 1999.

Smith, Sherri L. Sparrow. Delacorte, 2006.

AND (select two):

Going, K. L.  Fat Kid Rules the World.  Putnam, 2003.

Gratz, Alan. Samurai Shortstop. Dial, 2006.

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies. Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. First Second, 2006.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Clarke, Judith.  Kalpana’s Dream.  Front Street, 2005

De la Pena, Matt. Ball Don’t Lie.  Delacorte, 2005.

Fleischman, Paul. Seek. Cricket, 2001.

Desai Hidier, Tanuja. Born Confused.  Scholastic, 2002.

Park, Linda Sue. When My Name Was Keoko: A Novel of Korea in World War II. Clarion, 2002.

Thompson, Craig.  Blankets: An Illustrated Novel. Top Shelf Productions, 2003.

 

 

October 22:  Theme V: Intimacy:/Relationships and Romance

uRead for October 22:

Burgess, Melvin. Doing It. Holt, 2004.

Cohn, Rachel. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. With David Levithan. Knopf, 2006.

AND (select two):

Block, Francesca Lia.  Weetzie Bat. Harper, 1989.

Green, John.  Looking for Alaska.  Dutton, 2005

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Knopf, 2003.

Zusak, Markus. Getting the Girl.  Scholastic, 2003.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Acito, Mac.  How I Paid for College. Broadway Books, 2004.

Bates, Judy Fong. Midnight at the Dragon Café. Counterpoint, 2005.

Brashares, Ann.  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Delacorte, 2001.

Dessen, Sarah. Someone Like You. Viking 1998.

Hartnett, Sonya. Surrender. Candlewick Press, 2006.

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.  Scholastic Press, 2004.

 

 

Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.  ~Arnold H. Glasow

 

 

October 29: Biography, Autobiography, & a Little Non-Fiction

uRead for October 29, Part I: Bio and AutoBio

Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life. FSG, 2002.

Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. Holt, 2006.

AND (select one):

Bernier-Grand, Carmen. Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! Marshall Cavendish, 2007

Bruchac, Joseph. Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself. Dial, 1997.

Marsalis, Wynton. Jazz A B Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits. Candlewick, 2005.

Rappaport, Doreen. The Flight of Red Bird: The Life of Zitkala-Sa. Dial, 1997.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Pantheon, 2003.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

50 Cent. From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside, Queens. Pocket Books, 2005.

Bruchac, Joseph. Jim Thorpe: Original All-American. Dial/Walden Media, 2006.

Fleischman, Sid.  Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini. Greenwillow, 2006.

Freedman, Russell.  The Voice that Challenged a Nation.  Clarion, 2004.

Greenberg, Jan & Sandra Jordan. Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist. Delacorte, 2001.

Lobel, Anita. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War. Greenwillow 1998

McClafferty, Carla. Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium. Farrar, 2006.

Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: a Memoir. HarperCollins, 2001.

Partridge, Elizabeth. John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth. Viking, 2005.

 

uRead for October 29, part II: Non-Fiction

Nelson, Marilyn.  A Wreath for Emmett Till.  Houghton, 2005.

Harris, Robie. It’s Perfectly Normal. Candlewick, 1994.

AND (select one):   

Feelings, Tom. The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo. Dial, 1995.

Jacobson, Sid and Colon, Ernie. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. Farrar, 2006.

Philbrick, Nathaniel. Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex. Putnam, 2002.

St. Stephen’s Community House. The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality.  Annick Press, 2006. 

Winick, Judd. Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned. Holt, 2000.

 

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Bartoletti, Susan. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow. Scholastic, 2005.

Bausum, Ann. Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement. National Geographic, 2006

Boese, Alex. Hippo Eats Dwarf: a Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S. Harvest Books, 2006.

Bruchac, Joseph. Our Stories Remember. Fulcrum, 2003.

Farrell, Jeanette. Invisible Allies: Microbes that Shape Our Lives. Farrar, 2005.

Davis, James. Skateboarding is not a Crime: 50 Years of Street Culture. Firefly Books, 2004.

DiClaudio, Dennis. The Hypochondriac’s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have. Bloomsbury, 2005.

Fleischman, John. Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. Houghton, 2004. 

Frank, Mitch. Understanding the Holy Land.  Viking, 2005

Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Holiday, 2006.

Gaskins, Pearl Fuyo, ed. What Are You? Voices of Mixed-Race Young People. Holt, 1999.

Giblin, James Cross. Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth. Clarion, 2005.

Hamanaka, Sheila. In Search of the Spirit.  Morrow, 1999.

Marsalis, Wynton. Jazz A B Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits. Candlewick, 2005.

Nelson, Peter. Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis. Random House, 2003. .

O'Donnell, Joe. Japan 1945: A U.S. Marine's Photographs from Ground Zero. Vanderbilt, 2005.

Owen, David. Hidden Evidence: Forty True Crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them. Firefly, 2000.

Perel, David. Bat Boy Lives!  Sterling, 2005.

Roach, Mary. Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W.W. Norton, 2004.

Szpirglas, Jeff. Gross Universe: Your Guide to All Disgusting Things Under the Sun. Maple Tree, 2006.

Hoye, Jacob, ed. Tupac: Resurrection. With Karolyn Ali. Atria Books, 2006.

Zimmerman, Keith. Mythbusters: The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All Time. Simon Spotlight, 2005.

 

 

November 5:  Supernatural/Horror/Mystery

uRead for November 5:

Simmons, Michael. Finding Lubchenko.  Razorbill, 2005.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Tantalize. Candlewick Press, 2007.

AND (select 2):

Clement-Moore, Rosemary. Prom Dates from Hell. Delacorte, 2007.

Giles, Gail.  What Happened to Cass McBride? Little, Brown, 2006.

Kennen, Ally.  Beast. Push/Scholastic, 2006.

Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight: A Novel.  Little, Brown/Megan Tingley, 2005.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Anderson, M.T. Thirsty. Candlewick, 2005.

Bloor, Edward.  Crusader.  Harcourt, 1999.

Brooks, Kevin. The Road of the Dead. Chicken House/ Scholastic, 2006.

Cormier, Robert. Tenderness. Delacorte, 1997.

Ferguson, Alane. The Christopher Killer. Viking/Sleuth, 2006.

Galloway, Gregory. As Simple as Snow. Putnam, 2005.

Glassman, Peter, comp. Scary Stories. Chronicle Books, 2006.
Glenn, Mel.  The Taking of Room 114:  A Hostage Drama in Poems. Lodestar, 1997.

Gordon, John. The Burning Baby and Other Ghosts. Candlewick, 1993.

Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003.

Klause, Annette Curtis. Blood and Chocolate. Delacorte, 1997.

Martinez, A. Lee.  Gil’s All Fright Diner.  Tor, 2005.

Moriarty, Jaclyn. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie. Arthur A. Levine, 2006.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Jade Green: A Ghost Story. Atheneum, 2000.

Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Body of Christopher Creed. Harcourt, 2000.

VandeVelde, Vivian. Companions of the Night.  Harcourt, 1995.

Werlin, Nancy. The Killer’s Cousin.  Delacorte, 1998.

Westall, Robert. The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral.  Farrar, 1991.

Wynne-Jones, Tim. The Boy in the Burning House. Kroupa/Farrar, 2001.

 

 

Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own.                                                                   ~Logan Pearsall Smith

 

 

November 12: War/Survival/Adventure 

uRead for November 12:

Monninger, Joseph. Baby. Front Street, 2007.

Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. Philomel, 2001.

AND (select two):

Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party. Candlewick, 2007.

Butcher, A. J. Spy High: Mission One. Little, 2004.

Lester, Julius. Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2005.

McCaughrean, Geraline. The White Darkness. HarperTempest, 2006.

Marsden, John.  Tomorrow When the War Began.  Houghton, 1995.

Soto, Gary.  Buried Onions.  Harcourt, 1997.

 

Recommended add’l reading: 

Arakawa, Hiromu. Fullmetal Alchemist. Viz, 2005

Bagdasarian, Adam. Forgotten Fire. Kroupa/DK Ink, 2000.

Coleman, Janet Wyman. Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies. Abrams, 2006.

Flowers, Pam. Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team. Alaska NW 2001.

Meyer, L.A.  Bloody Jack. Harcourt, 2003.

Pausewang, Gudrun. The Final Journey.  Viking, 1996.

Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now. Lamb, 2004. 

Salisbury, Graham.  Eyes of the Emperor.  Random/Wendy Lamb, 2005.

Vaughan, Brian K. Pride of Baghdad. DC Comics/Vertigo, 2006.

Waid, Mark, et al. Superman: Birthright.  DC Comics, 2004.

Wulffson, Don. Soldier X. Scholastic, 2002.

November 19:  Summer Reading Program Prep Night

 

November 26: Science Fiction & Fantasy

uRead for November 26, part I:  SciFi

Anderson, M.T. Feed. Candlewick Press, 2002.

Stephenson, Neil. Snow Crash. Spectra, 2000.

AND (select one):

Card,Orson Scott. Ender’s Game.  Doherty, 1985.

Cave, Patrick. Sharp North. Atheneum, 2006.

Shinn, Sharon. Jenna Starborn. Ace, 2002.

Westerfeld, Scott. Peeps. Razorbill, 2005.