Nixon501 02 syllabus2021
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This document provides the syllabus for an English graduate seminar on teaching young adult literature in times of upheaval. The course will explore award-winning young adult novels to develop critical literacy and an awareness of interconnectedness. Students will read one theory text, six novels, and submit three response posts and a final 15-20 page project. Class sessions held on Zoom will include close readings and discussions to elucidate key concepts. Academic integrity and respect for diversity are emphasized. The schedule outlines readings and assignments for each class session.
Nixon501 02 syllabus2021
- 1. Art by Deborah Roberts English 501-02 Summer 2021 Young Adult Literature in a Time of Upheaval: Teaching for Connection and Critical Literacy Professor: Janis (Jan) Johnson janson@uidaho.edu Zoom link for all synchronous class sessions and conferences: https://uidaho.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUud- qqqD4iEt0n6WZZcy5wMeY4mc2nkJPa We come together for this class at a destabilizing and disruptive time, one of intense political polarization, a reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice, a health pandemic, and a spate of mass shootings. In this seemingly unprecedented context, our course will explore recent award- winning young adult literature with a goal of creating in ourselves and our students an awareness of the interconnectedness with all others and the world; with creating critical literacy in ourselves and our students so we are able to “read the word and the world” (Freire and Macedo, 1987), and to develop the ability to identify and problematize the systems within which we live and our place in them. Sometimes this is called social justice pedagogy, as in this important and foundational challenge for our course: How might we nurture the prizing of differences in race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and language? We must create for students democratic and critical spaces that foster meaningful and transformative learning. If we expect students to take social responsibility, they must explore ideas, topics, and viewpoints that not only reinforce but challenge their own. In an increasingly abrasive and polarized American society, social justice education has the potential to prepare citizens who are sophisticated in their understanding of diversity and group interaction, able to critically evaluate social institutions, and committed to working democratically with diverse others. Young adult literature provides a context for students to become conscious of their operating
- 2. 2 worldview and to examine critically alternative ways of understanding the world and social relations. Glasgow, J. “Teaching social justice through young adult literature.” English Journal, July, 2001, Vol. 90(6), p.54 (8). Young adult literature is conducive to this kind of exploration because it engages important issues that young people are experiencing and questioning, sometimes quite intensely, such as race/racism, gender and sexual identity, and questions about class, religion and justice, often without a safe and supportive forum for discussion. This course will help us prepare to address these issues with out students through literary (and film) texts. Our work will entail reading one work of theory/pedagogy, and six young adult novels. Our weeks together should be both intense and fun— with a lot of close reading and discussing, with opportunities for your own evolving interests to help shape our focus. I encourage you to begin our two-week Zoom classes having read the theory/pedagogy text (Teaching Transformation: transcultural classroom dialogues) and as many of the novels as you can. As you read, take notes of your responses and questions toward response posts, which you can revise as we dive into the material together. Your questions and ideas will be the center of our time spent in class together. Since I believe people learn by participating in active reading, writing, and discussion much more than by being told information, I will not lecture—we’ll focus on elucidating key concepts through our discussions and projects. This is my first time creating and teaching this course, so know that I will be learning along with you. I also believe learning involves inevitable moments of confusion and error, and we’ll all learn more if we’re brave about sharing our ideas in progress. I don’t expect perfection, just real investment. If at any point, you have questions or ideas about how this class could better serve you, please talk to me! Required Books Teaching Transformation: transcultural classroom dialogues—Analouise Keating The Marrow Thieves—Cherie Dimaline The Hate You Give—Angie Thomas Sanctuary—Abby Sher and Paola Mendoza We Are Not Free—Traci Chee Speak: the graphic novel—Laurie Halse Anderson Cemetery Boys—Aiden Thomas Links to additional essays and videos can be found on BbLearn/Canvas. Learning Outcomes o Convey an understanding—through analytical essays and class Zoom discussions and blog posts—of teaching for connection and critical literacy and of contemporary young adult literature’s conventions and themes. o Contextualize the literature we read in relation to other and earlier texts, as well as to relevant aesthetic and social questions. o Write short responses and a longer critical project that meaningfully and articulately analyzes and responds to the class texts, as well as integrating relevant research. o Articulate—through writing and class work—how your analysis is in conversation with scholarly conversations (as defined by the scope of the class readings and relevant research).
- 3. 3 Requirements and Grading Participation, including comments on your groupmates’ work: 35% First short response post (2-3 pages): 5% Second short response post (2-3 pages): 5% Third short response post (2-3 pages): 5% Final project video or draft, plus conference on final project progress: 10% Final project (15-20 pages, plus Works Cited): 40% Participation and Reading Since this is an intensive, short-term graduate seminar, I expect you to attend all Zoom sessions; be prepared by having done the reading actively—including taking notes, annotating, and being ready to ask questions; and post your responses on time. If you need to miss a session or turn in work late for any reason, please let me know as soon as possible. I’m committed to working my hardest to create an inclusive, nondiscriminatory, intellectually and emotionally engaged class in which we can all thrive, and look forward to all of you joining me in helping to create this kind of environment as we dive into this fascinating material. If you have any questions or feedback on how this class could better serve you, please email me or set up a Zoom conference at any point! Short Response Posts Each of you will submit three response posts to the blog on the dates listed. They should be 2-3 double-spaced pages (approximately 500-750 words). All should be attached as a .doc or .docx (not a pdf) so I can insert comments. These responses are intended to help you internalize and work through ideas about the readings. I highly encourage you to use them to make connections among our readings and to closely read passages in light of other material we’ve read or to delve into your thinking about central questions or ideas that you’re developing as you read. If you start to develop an idea or central question for your final project and want to begin to use the response posts to build pieces of that, please do; just make sure you continue to also meaningfully fold in our most recent readings. Please note that response posts do not need to be purely thesis driven—meaning you can explore a central question or begin working through related ideas, or posing questions that you’re wrestling with, without honing them into a thesis. Or, if you have a thesis you’re excited to test out and develop, thesis-driven responses are great too. I’ll comment on your response posts to help you further develop your ideas, and grade them: 90-100% (strong): insightful ideas, with meaningful connections among relevant readings; meticulously edited and clearly articulated; MLA citation is accurate and relevant additional sources are used as needed 80-90% (good): fine start on the ideas but could use more development or critical thinking; there may be a mistake or two in the citation or editing 70-80% (satisfactory) some noticeable mistakes; seems like response was written without much reflection; hazy grasp of the text(s) or aesthetic or historical connections or framings 60-70% (weak): poor understanding of text(s) and its significance; poor editing or citation format 0%: not submitted Final Project A central part of this course is your ability to synthesize what you’ve learned in a longer analytical project of approximately 18-20 pages. This may be a more conventional analytical essay or, you may approach your subject from more diverse angles and styles—something you might want to use in class to teach from, for example, as long as you meet all of the guidelines for depth of analysis,
- 4. 4 connections between texts, contextualization of ideas, and meaningful integration of relevant sources. I’ll post detailed guidelines for this project after I’ve had a chance to see some of your responses and interests. As I say above, if you figure out early in the class some line of inquiry you want to pursue, you can use your short response posts to build ideas toward this project. We’ll all also work on this final project in stages, including a video/slidecast/drafting, groupmates’ feedback, and a conference with me. Please see details and dates on the schedule. MLA-Style Resources and Academic Integrity/Plagiarism All short response posts and your final project must follow MLA style for all quotations and citations: Purdue Online Writing Lab’s MLA webpage. This should go without saying in a graduate-level English class, but all work you submit must be your own. You will certainly be gathering ideas from sources, but you must always quote or properly paraphrase and cite those sources. Any work that is not properly cited or is not done by the alleged author will receive a “0,” and lead to a report to the Dean of Students and course failure. If you have questions about citation or quotation, please talk to me! I’m very happy to help with that or any other aspect of academic writing—from grammar to organization to research. Respect for Diversity and Learning Differences I want everyone to be well served by this class, and to feel included and excited to participate; please let me know if you see ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or groups. Likewise, I’m committed to making the class accessible for all learning styles and differences. Please talk to me before the course starts if you have a learning difference or disability that requires accommodations. For documentation or if you’re interested in testing, please contact the Center for Disability Access and Resources: cdar@uidaho and 208-885-6307. Summer Schedule Date Topic Reading, Viewing, and Listening (to be completed before class) M June 25 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Introduction to the course and central themes; discuss Keating reading Read Teaching Transformation, Introduction and Chapters 1-3. Prepare 2-3 questions and/or comments about the reading to share and help develop our discussion. By no later than midnight, First Short Response Post about the reading we’re discussing tomorrow due. See description of Short Response Posts in the Syllabus. Please attach this response as a Word .doc or .docx. T June 26 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Teaching to Transform Read Teaching Transformation, Chapters 4 & 5 By no later than midnight, please post comments on each of your groupmates’ First Response Posts—taking into account the reading we’re discussing tomorrow, and your own evolving thinking as you respond to and extend their thoughts. W June 27 Teaching to Transform Read Teaching to Transform, Conclusion and Appendixes 1-7
- 5. 5 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Complete the Cultural Humility professional development module and be prepared to discuss it. Note: By this evening, I will also have posted grades/comments on your First Response Posts (my comments will, as relevant, also take into account and respond to your classmates’ comments from yesterday). R June 28 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. We are in History and History is in Us: Japanese American internment We Are Not Free Read We Are Not Free, Traci Chee Second Response Post on The Marrow Thieves and We Are Not Free due by midnight. F June 29 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Native Americans: settler colonialism, env’l collapse and healing The Marrow Thieves Read The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline I’ll post comments and grades on your Second Response Posts by no later than Sat. evening, so you’ll have feedback as you continue to read and think about our material for Mon. In my comments, I’ll include a question or two that I’d like you to be prepared, with some notes, to answer about Mon.’s readings as we launch into that discussion. M June 28 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Immigration and Dystopia Sanctuary Read Sanctuary, Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher Third Short Response Post on The Hate U Give by midnight. We may begin watching the film version of THUG T June 29 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Racism, Police Brutality & Change The Hate U Give Read The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas Finish watching THUG No later than midnight, please post comments on each of your groupmates’ Third Response Posts—taking into account the reading we’re discussing tomorrow, and your own evolving thinking as you respond to and extend their thoughts. W June 30 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Transgender, Latinx, Gay & the Paranormal Cemetery Boys Read Cemetery Boys Note: By this evening, I will also have posted grades/comments on your Third Response Posts (my comments will, as relevant, also take into account and respond to your classmates’ comments from yesterday).
- 6. 6 R July 1 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Sexual Violence and Agency in a Graphic Novel Speak Read Speak By no later than midnight, post either a 5-10-minute video or slidecast of yourself talking through some key ideas you’re developing in your final project, or approx. 6 pages of written drafting that does the same (or an equivalent combination of video/slidecast/written drafting). F July 2 Zoom meeting 11-1:50 p.m. Catch-up if necessary and discuss final projects By no later than midnight, post feedback on your groupmates’ videos / slidecasts / drafting, including questions to help them develop their ideas, connections to other related readings they may have overlooked, and feedback on what is most interesting and well developed so far. Please offer feedback that integrates today’s readings as relevant as well. Sign up for a Final Project Conference with me next week. July 5-Aug 2 Work on final projects The week after our class finishes, you’ll meet with me for a phone call or Zoom conference to discuss your project and my feedback on your drafting/plans. At least 24 hours before this conference, you must post your drafting so far to the Final Project Conference Blog. (I will have already watched your video/slidecast, etc., and read your groupmates’ feedback as well.) Until your project is due on Mon. July 26th , I expect you’ll help each other in your peer groups, and we’ll also periodically check in via telephone, email, or Zoom. Final Projects are due as .doc or docx on BbLearn no later than August 2 at 11:59 p.m. PST