LIS 566 Young Adult Materials: Evaluation and Use
4 Credits – EE1
Winter Quarter 2003:
January 7- March 13
Instructor:
Betty Marcoux, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The
Instructor contact: Email: elm2@u.washington.edu
Phone:
206-616-9258
Office
Hours: Tuesday
Thursday
By
Appointment preferred
Course meeting times
Tuesdays January 7 –
March 11
Thursdays January 9 –
March 13
Course Description
An overview of materials reflecting adolescents' interest in
media and addressing their educational, cultural, and recreational needs.
Students evaluate print literature, electronic and other non-print media for
young adults. Content also designed to assist adult caregivers of adolescents.
Prerequisite: LIS 500, LIS 510, and LIS 520 or permission of instructor.
Course objectives:
1.
To provide students
with a basic understanding of the developmental (educational, cultural, recreational) needs of young adults.
2.
To give a historical
context of adolescence and the development of YA literature.
3.
To provide a basic
knowledge of the types and genres of information resources of interest to YAs.
4.
To become familiar
with some of the selection tools and recommended reading lists used to develop
YA collections of information resources and do reader’s advisory work with YAs.
5.
To develop a greater
understanding of those professionals that work with YA literature and
adolescents in information settings.
6.
To provide ideas for
developing YA information resources and YA centers.
7.
To understand the
dilemmas of YA information access versus privacy issues.
8.
To apply and develop
skills that allow for the promotion of literature and
other information to YAs.
Text :
Nilsen, A. E. and Donelson, K. L. (2001) Literature
for today’s young adults.
Course
syllabus:
January 7 Course introduction. An examination of adolescents and their information behaviors. Philosophy of service to young adults, definition of young adult, historical underpinnings of young adult literature, trends in YA publishing, criteria for YA literature.
Read Chapters 1& 2 & 4 of text.
January 9 Discussion of genres to cover and how to approach them. Developmental information on adolescents and their agendas.
Read the Chocolate War for next week. Bring a comic book (graphic novel) to class for discussion.
January 14 Discussion of the Chocolate War and its ramifications as a canon piece of literature for adolescents. Examination of graphic novels and their use in adolescent information resource work.
Read Chapter 5 & an adolescent romance/realism novel for Thursday’s class.
January 16 Discuss adolescent understandings of romance and realism in the last 50 years and how it has influenced adolescent reading habits.
Read one book (fiction or non-fiction) that is thematically about adolescent sexuality.
January 21 Sex, romance, substance abuse and adolescents: how to work with controversial information and teens.
Read Chapters 6-8 by next class. Identify your theme and begin to work on poster session. Read one adolescent book about a historical subject by the next class.
January 23 – No
Class –
January 28 – No Class
–
January 30 The use of history and adolescents. Uses of history to work with adolescents that are in the “here and now” approaches to their lives. Discussion of interviews today.
Read Chapter 9 and an adolescent book of poetry or drama.
February 4 Literature services to adolescents relating to non-fiction resources. Readers’ advisory, programming concerns.
February 6 Site visit to a public library teen room. Location: Lake Hills Library, map is at http://www.kcls.org/lh/direct.cfm for further directions.
February 11 Guest speakers on current YA literature (Jerene Battisti and Angie Benedetti)
February 13 Discussion of YA collection development concerns – review sources, booklists, bibliographies, curriculum alignments, etc.
Read Chapter 3 for next class. Watch at least one television show during the week that is marketed toward adolescents.
February 18 Discussion of non-print information resources and adolescents.
Read Chapter 10 - 12 and Kingsolver’s “Somebody’s baby” from High
tide in
February 20 Evaluative criteria for YA information and literature. Explore the “problem novel” and its role in adolescent reading. Censorship versus selection discussion.
Go see at least one film that is currently popular with adolescents. Review the film and come prepared to discuss it.
February 25 Film and focus boxes (found in your text) – information to use with adolescents. Come prepared to discuss evaluation and uses of them both. Find at least one of each from the text that you find particularly relevant to the film you have watched.
February 27 Evie Wilson-Longbloom guest speak about storytelling teenage folklore as the best and most cost-effective literature based and cooperative (with school curriculum) program for teens. She will talk a bit about why she believes this is so and how the idea evolved over her years of working with teens. She will do a brief presentation of the stories she has enjoyed doing with teens in school classrooms and bring along bookmarks with the titles and examples of the teenage folklore books. She will also discuss trends in YA information uses and interests.
Post your Webquests by tonight for the class to view. Site for posting to be announced.
March 4 Class presentations on Webquests. We will use the assigned URL in class to access them and review them.
March 6 Teenage book talking and storytelling. Uses of proactive approaches in adolescent literature – from the avid reader to the reluctant or alliterate teen. Special guest speaker: Dr. Mike Eisenberg - story telling with YAs.
March 11 Class poster session. Invite at least two adolescents to this presentation. TBA
March 13 Class conclusion: cover any issues not covered in class; final thoughts and comments.
Assignments:
1. Interview: Identify two adolescents (ages 12-17, one male, one female, one ethnic minority, one ethnic majority) for this assignment. They should NOT be your own children. You will be conducting a separate interview for each.
a. Each participant is to be asked for parent permission to participate in this exercise. No interviews may be done without first obtaining this permission and recording this permission on paper to be handed in with the assignment.
b. Profile information on each adolescent: age, ethnicity, gender, demographics, education background, culture, family, etc.
c. Ask each interviewee to talk about a recent information need they had and how it was dealt with. Record in a narrative the answers given to the following questions:
i. What was the need?
ii. What prompted the information need?
iii. How did you find information to fill this information need?
iv. What types of information sources were best for this type of need?
v. Where did you find it?
vi. How did you use it?
vii. What affected your search to find information on that need?
viii. How did you feel about it?
ix. Is there anything else you would like to share about this information need?
d. Reflect upon the information you gather and do the following:
i. Identify the theme of the information need.
ii. Identify at least four different resources that could be used to satisfy this information need. Critique them in terms of usability with adolescents.
iii. Suggest strategies for facilitating the use of these resources with this particular adolescent and his/her information need.
e. Write this up and be prepared to hand it in as well as discuss it in class.
f. Develop a flow chart (written) to be handed in with the paper that indicates the path taken by the adolescent to satisfy the need and an alternate path that you might recommend which could have been taken based upon your understanding of the information problem and solution.
g.
In
one page relate your observations of the interviewed adolescent and your
understandings of their worlds.
The interview assignment is due January 30 at the beginning of class. Be sure to NOT identify the interviewees in such a way that they are readily recognizable to the rest of the class (ie: full name, exact school, address, etc.)
2. Webquest: Design a webquest based upon a theme of interest to adolescents. You will want to review information about Webquests at http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html . A template for a Webquest can be found at http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/mywebquest/top.htm and you are asked to use this format and categories for your work. You can find examples etc as well as information on this template by going to the general website and digging into it. Accompany your Webquest with a brief description of your target adolescents and a rationale for the theme. Your assignment is to be electronic and is based upon presentation, organization, usefulness for adolescents, content appropriateness, clarity and completeness. This is NOT a K-12 classroom assignment – you must design it in such a way that an adolescent will find information of interest to them and not for a grade. Post your Webquest to your personal Information School website, and consider using this as an indicator of your work in your portfolio. This is to be posted no later than midnight, February 27 on your URL, and you are to notify the professor of its creation/posting at elm2@u.washington.edu upon posting it by midnight that evening. The assignment is considered late if the professor is not notified that it is posted by then. You will present your Webquest in class as a presentation to your colleagues on March 4. Plan on 10-15 minutes for your presentation.
3. Poster session: Using the criteria listed by ALA Best Books for Reluctant Readers, select a genre of interest to adolescents and read at least three books in that area. Prepare a visual poster that will interest adolescents and graphically represent what you have read and why adolescents should read these books. It will not be a formal presentation; rather a room filled with poster presentations that have the author (YOU) of the poster presentation prepared to answer questions about it. This will be due on display at First Place School on March 11. You are to turn in a 2-page paper on your process for doing this as well as the criteria used and rationale for why it relates to adolescents. The paper is due at the poster session at First Place School and will be collected by the professor. Directions for getting to the school are to be given in class.
Grade Percentages:
Interviews 25%
Webquest 25%
Poster Assignment 30%
Participation 20%
(Participation includes being prepared with the text
readings and various books assigned to read when noted on the syllabus, quality
class discussion participation, site visit, participation in the poster session )
Grading Scale:
4.0 Exceptional work for a
graduate student
Consistent work creative, original, thorough, well-reasoned, and argued,
insightful, well-written and clear, methodologically sound, and shows clear
understanding of the process and project.
The work is complete, relevant, and shows sophistication in presentation
and delivery.
3.7 Strong work for a
graduate student
Work is very good but could improve.
Work is mainly creative, original, thorough, complete, well-reasoned and
argued. It is mainly clear and
methodologically sound, consistent and shows some sophistication in presentation
and delivery.
3.3 Competent work for a
graduate student
Work is competent but neither exceptionally strong nor exceptionally
weak. It is often creative and original,
somewhat thorough, has aspects of sound reasoning and argument. It indicates the ability to recognize and
understand the issue, but lacks relevant comparisons and examples. It is only minimally logical and has a few
errors or inconsistencies or other problems.
3.0 Acceptable work for a
graduate student
Work is competent but shows flaws and difficulties with assignments. It is generally creative and original, but
not thorough and not well reasoned nor argued.
It shows little insight into the issue and only minimal
methodology. There are errors,
inconsistencies or other problems present.
2.7
Minimally
passing work for a graduate student
Work shows many weaknesses or difficulties. Work is not creative nor
original; it is not well reasoned or argued.
It is not methodologically sound and lacks examples to argue
points. It has significant errors,
inconsistencies, basic skill concerns or other problems.
2.6
Deficient
work for a graduate student
Work lacks minimal expectations for graduate level work. It is inadequately developed, non-original,
flawed by errors and inconsistencies.
Work has basic skills concerns, inadequate methodology and lacks support
for arguments.
2.0
Unacceptable
work for a graduate student
Work indicates misunderstanding of the work required. It shows inadequate basic skills, as well as
a lack of argumentative support and inappropriate methodology.
1.0
Incomplete/Totally
inadequate work for a graduate student
Work was turned in but is mainly irrelevant to the issue/assignment `or course and shows little to no evidence of
understanding the relevant aspects of the material. Work is substantially incomplete and/or has
inadequate basic skills.
0.0 Work is not turned in or
is found to be plagiarized or cheating.
Preparing and submitting
course requirements:
Homework is due on the date specified in this syllabus. Late homework is only accepted if within 24 hours of the due date/time and will
automatically be lowered by a grade ( ie
3.8 - .5 = 3.3).
All work submitted should be formally prepared and of the highest academic standards and professional polish. Citation work should be according to APA standards.
Code of Academic Integrity:
Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle is that all projects and papers must be the student's own work. For further understanding of this code please refer to the University's statement on academic honesty available at
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm
Disabled Student Services:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the professor no later than the first class so that accommodations can be discussed and agreed upon for the class. More information on these services is available at
http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Disabled_Student
PowerPoint Presentation for January 21, 2003