EUB152 Young Adult Literature

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit will provide you with a broad introduction to Young Adult (YA) Literature, created for and/or marketed to readers aged between 12 and 20 years.. It addresses aspects of literary criticism that are of relevance to literature specifically intended for adolescents and young adults. In this unit you will also engage with a number of topics including the scope and nature of YA literature; strategies for evaluation of focus texts; recent research into teenagers' reading needs, interests and responses. You will also address questions about literariness, appeal, and the changing role and format of literary YA texts in learning environments dominated by digital media.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the diverse field of Young Adult Literature.
2. Synthesise understandings of inclusiveness, diversity and intercultural understandings as they are represented within Young Adult Literature allowing you to develop empathy for others and an appreciation of different perspectives and how these are articulated through various textual strategies.
3. Create a digital portfolio that draws on a range of digital resources.
4. Engage with a range of digital texts and technologies to ensure future-focused learning within the discipline area of Young Adult Literature. Understand and evaluate how readers respond to Young adult literature
5. Develop learner connectedness with Young Adult Literature networks and the wider community. Evaluate and reflect critically on Young Adult literature using relevant theories of narrative and textual analysis
6. Apply a range of communication strategies (written, spoken, visual, and digital) to the analysis and understanding of Young Adult texts.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:

A tutorial will be conducted each week supported by an online lecture and other online learning resources. The lectures will focus on background and theory in relation to young adult literature

 The tutorials each week that will provide opportunities to engage in critical analysis of YA texts with your peers as well as prepare for assessment tasks through group work and individual consultation with your teacher and peers. A range of resources (print, digital and online) are provided as required and/or optional extras. Learning approaches include explicit teaching and learning and project- based learning.

Literacy and 21st century skills of critical and creative thinking, communication and personal and social interaction are emphasised in this unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will have the opportunity to gain formative feedback in this unit from your teacher and peers by participating in regular workshop discussions. You will also receive written feedback from your teacher on both pieces of summative assessment.

Assessment

Overview

The assessment tasks in this unit are designed to offer you broad choices of focus texts in line with your learning preferences and interests. You will be provided with a range of support materials on Canvas and in the tutorials, including a video guide to approaching the assignment, exemplar assignments from previous students, and links to relevant resources. Both tasks allow you to develop and demonstrate skills of analysis, critique, evaluation and creativity.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Essay review

You will choose one (1) YA text and develop a review essay around the following headings: Brief summary of plot; audience/implied reader; discussion of external reviews of chosen text; analysis of key narrative strategies used. 

This task will assess your:

1. Knowledge and understanding of key narrative strategies.
2. Ability to access and synthesise differing attitudes towards the focus text.
3. Research and writing skills.

4. Skills of reflection and critical evaluation

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Portfolio essay and website

1. You will write an analytical essay on a social issue or genre as it emerges in Young Adult fiction. Use two print novels or graphic novels by different authors to provide a focus and examples for your analysis.

2. Create a resource website on your two chosen novels 

This task will assess your:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of major genres and thematic concerns of YA
2. Researcg and writing skills
3. Skills of reflection and critical evaluation
4. Appropriate application of the ICT affordances of Google sites.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit. Workplace Health and Safety protocols in relation to computer use will apply.