Multicultural YA Lit: Growing up Female
English 5920. Studies in Education
Spring 2009
Dr. Phyllis Thompson
Phone: 423.439.5997
Email: thompsop@etsu.edu
Class:
201 Burleson Hall
Class Day/Time: MWF 5:30PM – 8:20PM
Office: 213 Burleson Hall
Office Hours: MWF 10:30-11:30; MWF 12:30-1:30 and by appt
Course Description:
In light of recent enrollment data that shows that
public schools are growing increasingly diverse across lines of race, ethnicity,
and religion (National Center for Education Statistics 2007-017), the focus of
this spring's Studies in Education course is the exciting field of multicultural
Young Adult Literature.
Specifically, we will explore the work of ten authors who provide riveting
portraits of growing up female in
Goals and Objectives:
·
To explore the diversity and complexity of values, beliefs, and ideas embodied
in the human experience—our own and others’ experiences,
·
To identify and interpret stylistic elements of literature and make connections,
·
To identify issues addressed in YA Lit, to become familiar with the scholarly
dialog currently taking place, and to apply critical and theoretical terminology
as well as relevant critical approaches to works, and
·
To connect classroom to community.
Required Texts:
DomR
Alvarez, Julia.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
Plume, 1992, 0452268060
Bos
Filipovic, Zlata.
Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime
Mex
Muñoz Ryan, Pam.
Esperanza Rising.
Blue Sky Press, 2002.
043912042X
Aus
Pilkington, Doris.
Rabbit-Proof Fence. Miramax, 2002.
0786887842.
Pak
Staples, Suzanne Fisher.
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind.
Laurel Leaf, 2003. 0440238560
Secondary Texts:
Selected scholarly articles
Course
Requirements:
Presentation: Culture (with associated handout)
10%
Discussion Leader: Scholarship (one page)
10%
Mid-Term Exam
15%
Annotated Bibliography
20%
Semester Project (with Q&A session)
30%
Final Exam
15%
Grading Scale:
A- - A (3.75-4.00) = 93-100
B- - B+ (2.75-3.74) =
85-92
C- - C+ (1.75-2.74) =
75-84
D- - D+ (0.75-1.74) =
65-74
F (Below .75) = 00-64
THE POLICY PAGE: EXECTATIONS, ADVICE, & GENERAL ACADEMIC ETIQUETTE
Attendance: My attendance policy is
simple: you have two absences, which you may take at any time; however, on the
third absence, the daily grade portion of your overall grade will be dropped
one letter. If you are tardy,
please note that it is your responsibility to see that I have marked you present
for that class period. Do this
immediately after the class period.
I will not make corrections to my roster after I leave the classroom. If
tardiness becomes habitual, I reserve the right to refuse changing my roster.
Students who leave midway through a class will be marked absent for ½ of
that class period. Bear in mind that
class attendance affects the quality of one’s work in a course and, ultimately,
the quality of one’s degree. The
English Department does not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused”
absences and, therefore, has established a maximum allowable number of absences:
no more than three absences in a
three-hour evening course. Students
exceeding this limit will receive an F or a W if within the
University policy on dropping a course.
Project Guidelines: Unless otherwise noted, all assignments (homework
papers and essays) for this class should be computer-printed, titled, paginated,
and stapled/paper clipped. The font
should be Times New Roman 12-point; text should be double-spaced.
Final drafts should be proofread thoroughly.
Projects are due at the beginning of class on the designated date unless
otherwise stipulated; printer problems and other technical difficulties are not
acceptable excuses for failure to hand in a paper on time. To avoid such common
problems, print out and proofread the final draft of your paper well before the
time the paper is due. Absence on the day a paper is due is not an acceptable
excuse; however, if you have a legitimate reason for being unable to turn in a
paper on the due date, please raise your concerns in advance of that date.
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proper MLA documentation all count.
I will provide handouts on the specific requirements of each assignment
during class.
Late Work: If you must be absent from
class, please obtain class notes/assignments from another student before the
next class. Absence is not an excuse
for late work. Late daily
assignments are not accepted for a grade.
If you must be absent and want credit for your homework, be sure that I
have the actual assignment in my hands before class begins.
I will accept homework directly from you or delivered by a friend as long
as I have it in my hands before the class period begins.
In-class graded assignments, which include short presentations, group
work, and reading quizzes cannot be made up.
If you are absent, you will receive a 0 for those assignments.
Your annotated bibliography and final project will be taken up at the
beginning of the class period on which they are due.
Work that comes in after that time will be considered late and docked one
letter grade per class period. You
may schedule a make-up exam; however, you need to do this in advance of the exam
date. You also need to understand
that it will be a make-up exam and, thus, more difficult.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism will not be
tolerated and its consequences are serious.
Proven willful plagiarism will result in failure in the course and may
include dismissal from the university.
The MLA Handbook defines
plagiarism as repeating "as your own someone else's sentences, more or less
verbatim. . . . Other forms of
plagiarism include repeating someone else's particularly apt phrase without
appropriate acknowledgment, paraphrasing another person's argument as your own,
and presenting another's line of thinking . . . as though it were your own."
We will discuss plagiarism during class.
If you have additional questions, please see me, refer to your
Harbrace Handbook (597-600),
The MLA Handbook, and/or consult with
the WCC. If you use someone else’s ideas, be sure to cite your sources
accurately and distinguish his or her thoughts from your own. If you use someone
else’s words, be sure to place them in quotation marks and cite your sources.
See the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for guidance on citing
sources and other technical matters.
Student Conduct:
Students must conduct themselves in a manner which
is conducive to learning for themselves and for others in the class.
Disruptive behavior is not acceptable and may result in a student’s
facing campus disciplinary action or in being temporarily or, in severe cases,
permanently removed from class.
Cell Phones, Text-Messaging, and Food: If the worst thing that happens to us today is
that your cell phone accidentally goes off, well, I suppose we have very good
lives, indeed. On the matter
of text messaging, that’s just rude.
Enough said? Please do not bring
food into the classroom as it is distracting to others.
You may, however, bring a beverage.
Please Note:
Please be aware that some texts may contain potentially offensive language,
images, and/or ideas. If, at any
time, you become uncomfortable and feel you need to excuse yourself, you may do
so. I would, of course, encourage
you to open yourself to new ideas, read the material, and participate in the
class discussion.
Office of Disability Services: If you need course adaptations or accommodations
because of a documented disability, please see me at the beginning of the
semester and contact the Office of Disability Services (Suite A, Lower Level,
Conferencing:
Working directly with me—your teacher and writing mentor—is a crucial part of
this course. While I will not require conferences in this course, I encourage
you to schedule an appointment with me to discuss your ideas and your writing.
My door is open.